The leadership team consists of the director, assistant director, program managers and members of the Board. The director implements the ideas and plans that were made together with the members of the Board about the future and development path of PFE. Managers, also known as dukes, are in charge of organizing individual camps whose programs they design and implement together with associates. The leadership team stands out with their many years of experience, organizational skills and improvement ideas. It consists of the associates, who are the first to face the difficulties that PFE encounters along its way.
Milena Marić
Director
Milena Marić was born in Valjevo in 1978. She graduated from the Valjevo Gymnasium and the Faculty of Mathematics in Belgrade. Currently, she is employed as a mathematics teacher at the Ninth Gymnasium "Mihailo Petrović Alas". She considers teaching her life's calling and deeply believes in the saying, "You teach what you know, but you educate through what you are." Since she completed her studies before the Bologna Process, she returned to her alma mater to earn a master's degree in the application of modern technologies in teaching mathematics. Milena has published two books on programming for elementary school students and a methodological manual for mathematics teachers. She is also the author of several courses on petlja.org. She was part of the Petlja team for one year and is an active member of the Serbian Mathematical Society, where she recently focused on popularizing mathematics and computer science among young people by leading various projects. She believes in the mission of PFE and is eager to contribute!
- mathematics
- programming
- education
Nataša Jovanović
Program Manager for New Participants
Born in Kraljevo in 2001. She can't recall a period in her life when she wasn't trying to learn something new or at least spent time devising and planning her next creative endeavor. Among other things, she learned to make paper figures, draw, knit, paint, sew, and tailor, and she is certain that the end of this list of hobbies is not in sight for a while. Due to her fondness for mathematics, she attended the mathematical department of the Kraljevo Gymnasium, and her fascination with the creative process itself, supported by her experiences in the Applied Physics and Electronics seminar, led her to the Signals and Systems department at the School of Electrical Engineering.
Đorđe Marjanović
Program Manager for Returning Students
I came to the seminar in 2014 as a younger participant. Since the first year of the First Kragujevac Gymnasium, I have been interested in physics and computer science, and I became interested in all engineering sciences during my three-year participation as a high school student in the Applied Physics and Electronics seminar. I am currently studying for a master's degree at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and working as a software engineer at Microsoft Development Center in Serbia. Starting in 2021, I am working as a program manager for returning students, and I enjoy seeing high school students who successfully work on various projects in our fields.
Miloš Stojanović
Assistant Director for Finance
Born in Priština in 1993. He graduated from the Ninth Gymnasium in Belgrade and then did his undergraduate and master's studies at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, specializing in Signals and Systems. He started his professional career at the startup company Ydrive, working on autonomous driving, and then worked at TomTom before transitioning to Microsoft's Development Center in Belgrade. His primary focus is on machine learning. He led the Applied Physics and Electronics program at Petnica from 2016 to 2020.
- computer vision
- artificial intelligence
- digital signal processing
Aleksandra Alorić
Board Member
She was born in 1988 in Belgrade, where she graduated from the Mathematical Gymnasium. She then pursued Theoretical Physics at the University of Belgrade. In 2016, she obtained her doctoral degree in Applied Mathematics in London, specializing in simulating decision-making in financial markets. She currently dedicates most of her time to creating simulations that help understand behaviors observed in various socio-economic systems. Until 2022, she was involved in scientific research at universities and research institutes. However, her current focus is on modeling and analyzing data generated by mobile game players. She has created interactive programs for science festivals, led scientific camps and workshops for audiences of all ages, from elementary school to doctoral studies, both in Serbia and abroad. She now primarily works with students in interdisciplinary master's programs at the University of Belgrade and occasionally writes data science courses for Petlja.
Andrej Lojdl
Board Member
Born in the year of the purple revolution, he grew up in Selenča, a small Slovak village in the municipality of Bač. After completing the Technical School in Bačka Palanka, he enrolled in the FTN, RT-RK department. He first attended the PFE seminar in 2009.
- embedded
- FPGA design
- simulations
Đorđe Nijemčević
Board Member
Born in Belgrade in 1981. Graduated from the First Kragujevac Gymnasium and obtained a degree in Electronics from the School of Electrical Engineering. Currently employed at Microsoft Development Center in Belgrade as a team leader predominantly involved in hardware prototyping, machine learning, and computer vision. A father of two young boys, an occasional parachutist and diver. Associate at PFE since 2005.
- programming
- machine learning
- computer vision
Filip Panjević
Board Member
Engineer, once a mathematician. Graduated from the ETF while October 2 still existed. Enjoys working with those smarter than himself. Was in the room when PSIML was conceived. Occasionally helps the state deal with more modern technologies. PFE participant from 2001 (until his death). Once led teams in a corporation, now he's startuping and coding.
- machine learning
- computer vision
- entrepreneurship
Marko Bežulj
Board Member
Born in Pančevo in 1988. Completed the High School of Electrical Engineering "Nikola Tesla" in Pančevo and then graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering, specializing in Electronics. He has been working at Microsoft Development Center since 2012, in a team focused on hardware prototyping in the field of Mixed Reality. He led the Applied Physics and Electronics program at Petnica from 2012 to 2016. Enjoys exchanging knowledge and asking tough questions.
- embedded systems
- cameras
- architecture
Milomir Stefanović
Board Member
Born in 1999 in Aranđelovac, raised in Topola and Ivanjica, completed elementary and high school in Kragujevac. Graduated Signals and Systems from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Joined the PFE seminar and its counterpart club in Kragujevac in 2014. From 2015 to 2018, led the PFE club in Kragujevac, promoting engineering across Serbia and abroad. Collaborated on PFE and technical science seminars since 2018, becoming one of the program managers of the PFE seminar in 2021. Undertook an internship at Ydrive, focusing on machine learning and computer vision, and is soon starting an ML internship at MDCS. Interested in history, particularly the early Christian period and contemporary times, as well as cultural heritage. If life brings in some funds, plans to engage in historical tourism during retirement.
- computer vision
- machine learning
- bioengineering
Teo Šarkić
Board Member
Employed at Microsoft Development Center Serbia since 2010. Until recently, a long-time senior associate of the Applied Physics and Electronics seminar in IS Petnica. Graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering, specializing in Electronics, in Belgrade, where he also finished the Mathematical Gymnasium. Co-founder and president of the Board of Directors of the Petlja Foundation. Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Serbia.