Ksenija is a biologist focusing on polar microbiology. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Physiology from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She holds a Master’s degree in Biodiversity, Genetics, and Evolution from the University of Porto. Her Master’s thesis, developed at CIIMAR, focused on microorganisms involved in ice nucleation and cloud condensation in Antarctic precipitation.

  Currently, she is a fellow under the AntClimNow Dataset Development and Stewardship Scheme from SCAR, working on improving access to climate-related data for Antarctica. Also, with the MicroANT (Microphysical and microbiological signatures of precipitation in Antarctica: role of atmospheric rivers and local sources in a warmer climate) fellowship, she studies how Atmospheric Rivers influence the transport of microorganisms in the Antarctic Peninsula. This interdisciplinary study is conducted via the collaboration of two laboratories in CIIMAR, with the supervision of Dr Catarina Magalhães and Dr Irina Gorordetskaya.

  In January of 2025, she participated in a fieldwork campaign in King George Island, supported by the ProPOLAR project APMAR25.