Dr. Ljiljana Nikolić

Ljiljana Nikolic received a Ph.D. degree from the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, in 2012. During her doctoral studies, she also spent some time at the Institute of Physiology ASCR v.v.i in Prague in the laboratory of Dr. Hana Zemkova. Dr. Nikolic completed post-doctoral training in the neuron-glia interactions research group in the laboratory of Dr. Etienne Audinat at the Paris Descartes Faculty of Medicine. In 2018, Dr. Nikolic returned to IBISS in the Department of Neurophysiology, where she is now a Principal Research Fellow.

Research Focus: Understanding the interactions between the cells of the CNS is crucial to understanding how the brain works. I am interested in understanding the communication of a particular type of glial cell astrocytes with other cells in the CNS in the healthy brain and in animal models of brain disease. Astrocytes are glial cells that form dense networks throughout the CNS. This places them in a unique position to interact with neurons, immune cells, other glial cell types and blood vessels. I am investigating the mechanisms and signals by which astrocytes engage in the cell-cell interactions by combining live cell imaging with patch-clamp technique.

Honors and Awards:
I received a Fellowship Start-up Award from the Centre for Leadership Development to perform scientific research in the field of Medicine and Life Science in 2018.
I received Academician Radoslav K. Andjus Foundation award (FARKA) for creative young investigator in Physiology and Biophysics in 2012.