I earned my Ph.D. at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, in the field of nutrition. Throughout my college education, my focus was always on nutrition. I participated in dozens of professional conferences, congresses, seminars and workshops on food functionality, microbiological standards for food, and eco-friendly food production - both in Croatia and abroad. Through expert visits to laboratories and institutes across Europe, I had the opportunity to compare experiences in the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia. I also completed a two-year training programme at the Department of Health Ecology and the Department of Microbiology of the Institute of Public Health in Koprivnica. I am a member of the Croatian Microbiological Society, and my papers have been published in several scientific journals in Croatia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. I successfully completed my postgraduate education while working by harmonizing all my daily activities and responsibilities.
Years of professional experience, as well as continuous professional development, have helped me to develop a diverse, comprehensive and multiperspectival approach to work. I worked as a coordinator in the Natura milk dairy farm and laboratory, as a technical laboratory manager and a representative for quality, and as a senior expert advisor in the Agency for Payments in Agriculture. I consider professional knowledge of the matter and a responsible and high-quality approach to food production, control and consumption to be of crucial importance, both for individual citizens and the entire society, as well as the planet we inhabit.