Prior to starting her PhD, Milica’s interest in the development of novel bioprocesses led her to Belgium, where she worked as a bioprocess engineer intern at the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant in Ghent.

Milica held a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology and a Master’s Degree in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. As a student, she was awarded Panta S. Tutundzic Award and the Ministry of Education and Science scholarship.

Milica was passionate about science and driven by the words of Mihajlo Pupin: “Nothing makes a man happier, than his true conviction that he did all he could, investing nothing less than all of his capability“.

Milica enjoyed working in multicultural environments. During her stay at the Pre-doctoral school in Quantitative Biology in Italy, at Firc International Molecular Oncology Institute (IFOM), she mastered single cell dynamics and cell architecture.

In parallel to her studies, she completed a one-year merit-based multidisciplinary program “Future Studies”, at the Belgrade Open School, where she explored the socio-humanitarian challenges, and decided to incorporate her knowledge of natural sciences into a wider, social context. Two international organisations she was proud to be part of as a student, are the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST) and the European Youth Parliament (EYP), which provided her with the opportunity to organise and participate in a number of international conferences, projects and case studies. In her spare time, she enjoyed designing clothes, playing the violin and travelling to new destinations.