Lecturers

BLAŽENKA KOS

Circular Economy in the Dairy Sector – Development of New Biotechnological Processes

Dr. sc. Blaženka Kos is a full professor with a permanent position at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Food and Biotechnology (SUZG PBF). She graduated in 1992, received her master’s degree in 1996, and her doctorate in 2001 under the mentorship of prof. dr. sc. Jagoda Šušković at SUZG PBF. She is involved in the education of undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral students at UNIZG FFTB, as well as in the international undergraduate program “Blue Economy and Growth” (EU-CONEXUS Minor) and the graduate program “Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology” at the University of Insubria in Italy. As a researcher or project leader, including collaborations with industry and projects of the Center of Excellence for BioProspecting of the Adriatic Sea, she is a co-author of original scientific papers cited more than 2500 times in WoS with an h-index of 25. She is a member and head of the Department of Bioprocess Engineering of the Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences. She is the recipient of the Annual Science Award of the Republic of Croatia (2017) and other awards for her achievements in research into the mechanisms of action and modulation of the host intestinal microbiota, biotechnological production and application of probiotics, postbiotics and their potential as pharmacobiotics.

KATARINA LISAK JAKOPOVIĆ

New generation dairy products

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Katarina Lisak Jakopović graduated from the Faculty of Food and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, in 2008, majoring in Food Engineering, and in 2009, majoring in Nutrition at the same faculty. Since April 2009, she has been employed at the Laboratory for Milk and Dairy Products Technology, and since 2021, she has been the head of the same Laboratory. She defended her doctoral thesis in 2013. She lectures and gives exercises on dairy issues at undergraduate and graduate levels. She spent a year on professional development at the Technical University of Munich and was awarded support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She is the recipient of two Dean’s Awards: for the best student in her generation and for published scientific work. In addition, she received two awards from the Faculty of Food and Biotechnology: for the popularization of science in 2023 and for excellence in teaching in 2025. Since December 2017, she has been a member of the editorial board of the scientific journal Mljekarstvo and two foreign scientific journals, and since 2025, she has been the executive editor of the Croatian Journal of Food Technology, Biotechnology and Nutrition. As a co-author, she has published the university textbook Types of Milk, two chapters in scientific books, and four professional-popular books. Recently, she has been involved in the development of innovative and functional dairy products.

BORIS LUKIĆ

Precision Livestock Farming in practice: Integrating genomics, biometric sensors and environmental data for sustainable dairy production

Boris Lukić is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences in Osijek, Croatia. As a top-performing student, he completed research internships at the National Agricultural Research Centre (FAL Braunschweig) in Germany and the AgroTak Group cattle farm in Poland. In 2006, he received the Rector’s Award for academic excellence and graduated in 2009 with a degree in Animal Science. He earned his PhD in 2015, conducting research at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, on genomic selection in pigs. Throughout his academic career, he has attended advanced courses in statistics and genomics and contributed as a research associate to numerous projects funded by the Croatian Ministry of Science, the Croatian Science Foundation, Horizon 2020, and the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development (PAAFRD). Currently, he leads a large EU project integrating genomic data with AI-driven sensor technology and manages two national scientific projects while collaborating on two others. Appointed Associate Professor in 2022, he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in quantitative genetics, selection, and animal breeding programmes. His research focuses on livestock genetics and genomics, as well as improving local breeds through advanced genomic approaches.

ANTE KASAP

Integration of genomics into national breeding programs for small ruminant breeds in milk production

Ante Kasap is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, where he serves as an educator and researcher in animal science. He coordinates and delivers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate courses, with a specialized focus on Livestock Farming, Quantitative Genetics, and the design of Animal Breeding Programs. His academic work is particularly centered on the genetic advancement and sustainability of small ruminant production systems. Throughout his career, Dr. Kasap has distinguished himself through his expertise in genomic characterization and the strategic integration of genomic selection into traditional breeding frameworks. His research is at the forefront of modernizing livestock management, utilizing advanced statistical models to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and farm-level application. He has played a pivotal role in numerous high-impact national and international research projects, securing funding from prestigious bodies such as the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ), the Ministry of Science and Education, and the European Union’s HORIZON programs. Beyond the genetic improvement of small ruminant populations for economically important traits, a key pillar of Dr. Kasap’s work is the preservation of biodiversity. He is widely recognized for his contributions to the conservation and selection strategies of indigenous Croatian breeds, including the Istrian and Pag sheep, and the Istrian goat. By focusing on these unique genetic resources, his work ensures both the cultural heritage and economic viability of regional farming. Dr. Kasap is a prominent figure in the global scientific community and a regular contributor to premier international forums. His research is frequently presented at leading global congresses, including the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) annual meetings, the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR), and the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP). Complementing his academic leadership, he has made significant contributions to the professional sector as an influential author of technical manuals, providing essential, evidence-based guidance for the modern sheep and goat breeding industry.

IVA DOLENČIĆ ŠPEHAR

Non-frozen dairy-based desserts in the context of a healthy diet

Iva Dolenčić Špehar is an associate professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture. She obtained a degree in agronomy from the same institution in 2004 and a doctorate in biotechnical sciences in 2014. In her scientific and teaching work, she is involved in undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate studies, with a focus on the technology of producing fermented milk, cream, butter, and dairy-based desserts. She has participated in several projects, among which stand out, Innovative Dairy Cow Feeding Strategies for Improving the Nutritional and Processing Properties of Milk, Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture for Climate Resilience and Food Security, Potential of Microencapsulation in Cheese Production, and Elements of Organic Production and Analytical Methods for Proving the Authenticity of Cheese. She actively collaborates with industry through projects aimed at improving dairy product technology and implementing sensory analysis and quality evaluation of dairy products to optimise production processes and develop innovative products. She currently serves as Head of the Department of Dairy Science at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb.

AI-assisted prediction of process kinetics and product characteristics for dairy fermentation consortium selection

Nemanja Kljajević, PhD in Food Science and Technology, is a Research Associate in the Group for Molecular Microbiology (Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology) at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE) in Belgrade. He graduated in 2010 and earned his PhD from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, with a doctoral thesis focused on dairy technology. His areas of interest include food microbiology, milk technology, statistical analysis, and the application of artificial intelligence in fermentation processes. Within the laboratory, he dedicates significant effort to statistical data processing and the development of predictive models. Over the past year, he has focused on predictive modeling of starter culture functionality using global epistasis, which will be the central topic of his plenary lecture. Throughout his career, he has gained more than ten years of hands‑on experience in the dairy industry, holding responsible positions in the production of cheese, fresh cheese, and fermented products, including roles as production manager in dairy processing plants. In his plenary lecture titled “AI-assisted prediction of process kinetics and product characteristics for dairy fermentation consortium selection”, he will present an overview of current AI/ML tools in dairying, a comparison with classical statistical methods (RSM, fractional factorial design), and a detailed presentation of the global epistasis approach, which enables the prediction of thousands of untested strain combinations from just a few hundred experiments.