Dr. Jasna Šaponjić

Jasna Šaponjić received MD degree in 1986, MSci degree in 1990 and PhD degree in 1996 at Medical School University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia (former Yugoslavia).

After her postdoctoral period, first at the Department of Neurophysiology, of Medical School University of Patras, Greece (2000-2001), as a fellow of the European Concerted Action and Epilepsy Research (EUCARE, Brussels, Belgium) and at Medical School University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2002), she was a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacology and the Center for Narcolepsy Research at the Medical School University of Illinois, Chicago, USA (2003-2006).

She returned to the Institute for Biological Research – Sinisa Stankovic, first as Research Associate (2006-2007), then as Senior Research Associate (2007-2012).

Since 2012 she is Principal Research Fellow in the Department of Neurobiology at the Institute for Biological Research – Sinisa Stankovic, - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.

Her area of expertise is neuroscience and neurobiology of sleep. Her current research focuses on the neurobiology of sleep disorders and disturbances of motor control during sleep in in vivo animal models of healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases of the elderly, in particular sleep disorders as a prodromal symptom of Parkinson’s disease and the risks of general anesthesia for postoperative outcomes in neurodegenerative diseases.

She has been a reviewer for numerous international journals, supervisor of three PhD theses and member of seven PhD thesis evaluation and defense committees between 2011 and 2024.

She is a member of ESRS, FENS, Serbian Neuroscience Society and Serbian Biophysical Society.