Dr. Sanja Budečević

I am Sanja Budečević, researcher with PhD from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. My previous scientific research activity was primarily related to the evolutionary biology of development (evo-devo) in plants, specifically in Iris pumila L., while in the last five years I have focused on the study of the laboratory population of Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) within the context of experimental evolution. In this sense, my scientific research focuses on the study of the relationship between developmental instability, fluctuating asymmetry and phenotypic plasticity, as well as the role of the genome and the environment in determining the direction of evolutionary changes in morphology. Recently, I have particularly focused on the effects of host-shift and insecticides on seed beetle development, as well as the evolution of insecticide resistance.

In the period 2011-2020, I participated in the project "Evolution in the laboratory and adaptation in the wild" funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Currently, I'm a participant in the project ELEVATE - "Experimental Evolution Approach in Developing Insect Pest Control Methods", funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia. I have participated in several citizen science projects, including "Opasulji se" and "Gledajmo upasulj", funded by the Center for the Promotion of Science.

In the period 2013-2015, I worked intensively with the University of Manchester, School of Biological Sciences (collaboration with Prof Christian Klingenberg). Also, from 2014 to 2015 I have collaborated with the Institute of Evolution Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France in the framework of a bilateral project of the Republic of Serbia and the French Republic: "Color polymorphism: role in adaptation and speciation", Pavle Savić "Partnership of Hubert Curien" programme.