Our senior associates are engineers who graduated in one of the fields that PFE covers, or are current master students in one of these fields. Some of them work as TAs and professors at technical faculties, while most of them work as engineers in big international, as well as local, companies, such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, Seven Bridges, Intel, NVIDIA etc. They all contribute to PFE with their vast knowledge in areas they work at as well as their extensive experience at working with our participants. They most often hold lectures in various fields that PFE covers.

Meet our senior associates below!

Aleksa Račić

Aleksa Račić

He graduated Software Engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Even before elementary school, he chose math books over picture books. Throughout elementary and high school, he competed in mathematics, informatics, and physics at the international level. He plays the piano and enjoys martial arts. Through the PFE seminar, he successfully completed two projects in the fields of photonics and computer vision. He aims to leave the world better than he found it.

  • programming
  • artificial intelligence
Andrea Ćirić

Andrea Ćirić

Born in 1997 in Kraljevo. After disassembling and (in most cases) reassembling every toy and device at home, with the goal of turning her passion into a profession and becoming a complete engineer, she went to the Electronics Department of the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Signal and image processing captivate her the most alongside hardware. Along the way, she tried many sports and arts, but she is most proud of her ballet practice (thirteen entire years, with several ballet performances and awards). She never gives up on her desire to make her environment better because she believes that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Always full of new ideas and often in the role of an initiator.

  • embedded
  • digital signal processing
  • digital image processing
Andrej Lojdl

Andrej Lojdl

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
Anđela Bogdanović

Anđela Bogdanović

Born in 2000 in Novi Pazar. She took her first scientific steps with creative and intriguing mathematical problems, which led her to the First Kragujevac Gymnasium. As a participant in the Applied Physics and Electronics club, she realized that she could now observe mathematics in various robots and devices, prompting her to turn towards the engineering side. In her first year of high school, she attended the Technical Sciences seminar, and from the second year until now, she has been part of PFE. She graduated Signals and Systems from the School of Electrical Engineering.

  • digital image processing
  • digital signal processing
  • mathematics
Barbara Hajdarević

Barbara Hajdarević

Born in 1998 in Belgrade. She graduated from the Mathematical Gymnasium. She graduated Signals and Systems from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, where she is currently pursuing her master's studies. Her areas of interest include machine learning and computer vision.

  • machine learning
  • computer vision
Bojan Roško

Bojan Roško

Born in Zaječar in 1995. He completed his high school education at the Zaječar Gymnasium. He graduated Software Engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering. Since 2019, he works at Microsoft in Belgrade. He briefly attended the seminar in 2011 as a participant and has been an associate in TEH and PFE since 2016, leading TEH in 2020. He completed three student internships at Google and one at Facebook. His hobbies include 3D printing, cycling, skiing, cars, watching TV series, playing video games, billiards, board games, and many more.

  • programming
Damjan Dakić

Damjan Dakić

Born in Belgrade in 1993. He has been studying electronics at the School of Electrical Engineering for over 10 years. He enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, and playing Celtic music on the violin. He has a passion for camping, mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. He works at Microsoft, primarily working on the development of machine learning models.

  • machine learning
  • programming
  • edge-casing
Danilo Đokić

Danilo Đokić

Born in Paraćin in 1997. He completed the specialized mathematics program at the First Kragujevac Gymnasium in Kragujevac. He completed his bachelor's and master's academic studies at the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, specializing in Electronics. Throughout all four years of high school, he was a participant in the PFE seminars, after which he became an associate in the PFE and Physics seminars. Currently, he is a doctoral student and an assistant at the same faculty. He believes that the PFE seminar played a crucial role in determining his primary professional orientation.

  • analog electronics
  • microwave engineering
  • measurement automating
Danilo Tonić

Danilo Tonić

Studying electrical engineering in Vienna, he completed his undergraduate studies at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, specializing in Signals and Systems. Born in Kraljevo in 1999, he has shown an interest in natural sciences and technology from a young age. He completed high school in a specialized mathematics program at the Kraljevo Gymnasium, where he excelled in competitions, attended the Petnica Science Center, and participated in the PFE club. He wishes to continue his studies with a focus on machine learning. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with others and loves solving problems, especially those related to natural sciences. He is a fan of soccer, martial arts, and, of course, Red Star (Crvena Zvezda).

Dragan Mićić

Dragan Mićić

Born in 1998 in Užice. He grew up in his native village of Kruščica near Arilje, where he completed elementary school and discovered his interest in technical sciences. He attended the natural-mathematical department of the gymnasium in Požega. He graduated from the School of Computing. He has been a seminar participant since 2014. He loves tinkering. He is passionate about photography, astronomy, vinyl records... He showed his love for electronics from an early age by tightening an electric shepherd around the meadow.

Ervin Seke

Ervin Seke

Born in 1998 in Zrenjanin. He completed his high school education at Zrenjanin Gymnasium and his undergraduate studies in the Signals and Systems department at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at the same faculty. Since 2014, he has been involved in the PFE seminar, first as a participant and, from 2017, as an associate. In his free time, he enjoys swimming and running.

Gavrilo Andrić

Gavrilo Andrić

As a kid, he tinkered with everything, built treehouses, tried to make a car and a submarine, and then he got acquainted with the world of electronics and programming through the PFE seminar. For over ten years, he has been enjoying working with the team on that project. In addition, he tried to start a company, attempted to build robots - it didn't go brilliantly, but he learned a lot, so he decided to start working as a bioinformatician at the beginning, and then on the development of machine learning models at Microsoft in Belgrade. In addition to that, he loves summer in the mountains, paragliding, diving, skiing, skydiving, photography, and everything related to various adventures. Certainly, before everything became so much fun, he was born in 1991 in Valjevo.

  • machine learning
  • programming
Ivan Razumenić

Ivan Razumenić

Born in 1989, he grew up in Vračevgaj. As a student at the Vršac Gymnasium, he won a bronze medal at the International Physics Olympiad. He was twice named an International Young Ambassador of Physics. He holds a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. He spent a year at the University of New Hampshire (USA). From 2003 to 2021, he participated in the work of the Petnica Science Center in programs such as Applied Physics and Electronics (PFE), Mathematical-Technical Sciences (TEH), and the Institute for Machine Learning (PSI:ML), which he also led. As a software engineer, he has been employed by Microsoft since 2012.

  • computer vision
  • artificial intelligence
  • hybrid reality
Lazar Milenković

Lazar Milenković

Born in Kragujevac in 1994. He completed his education at the First Kragujevac Gymnasium, graduated from the School of Computing, and completed his master's degree at EPFL. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies at the University of Tel Aviv.

  • programming
Lazar Timotić

Lazar Timotić

Born in Šabac in 1992 and raised in Mačva, in the village of Badovinci. After completing high school in Šabac, he enrolled in the field of Electrical Power Engineering at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad. After completing his studies, he worked at the development center of Schneider Electric DMS, where he was involved in developing applications for managing the electrical distribution grid. Since 2020, he has been employed at Microsoft in Belgrade, primarily working with cloud technologies and databases. He has enjoyed tinkering with repairs of various household and non-household appliances since childhood, as well as nature walks, good films, and books.

  • electric power engineering
  • programming
Lenka Brestovački

Lenka Brestovački

Born in Novi Sad in 1998. She developed a passion for mathematics and physics during her elementary school years, which led her to the TEH seminar in the first year of high school, where she became interested in electronics. She has been part of the PFE seminar since 2015, first as a participant and later as a associate. She graduated from the "20th October" Gymnasium in Bačka Palanka and completed her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, specializing in Embedded Systems and Algorithms. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in the same field. During her studies, she participated in the development of autonomous robots for the EUROBOT competition as a member of the Memristor team.

Luka Simić

Luka Simić

Currently pursuing a master's degree at ETH Zürich, he previously graduated Software Engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Born in 2000 in Belgrade, he completed his high school education at the Computer Science High School. His interest in programming and electronics sparked in the sixth grade. Since 2015, he has been contributing to MediaWiki-based wikis and is known for founding one such site for his department at ETF.

Marija Bežulj

Marija Bežulj

Born in Kruševac in 1990, she grew up alongside her older brother, whose interests revolved around physics and mathematics, inspiring her to follow a similar path and demonstrate her capabilities. She completed the special mathematical department at the Gymnasium in Kruševac as the top student. She also received the Vidovdan commendation from the city of Kruševac. During high school, she attended the Humane Biochemistry seminar at the Petnica Science Center. She finished her undergraduate and master's studies at the Department of Electronics at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. After several years working in the industry (Intel, MySkin, Mera), she returned to the School of Electrical Engineering in 2016 as an assistant at the Department of Electronics. Currently, she is working on her doctoral thesis in the field of computer vision. Parenthood helps her witness how the most complex neural network is trained in the real world.

  • digital electronics
  • digital image processing
  • computer vision
Marko Skakun

Marko Skakun

Born in Sremska Mitrovica in 1997. Graduated from Mitrovac Gymnasium and the Petar Krančević Music High School. Currently a master's student of Signals and Systems at the School of Electrical Engineering, working at Microsoft's development center in Belgrade. He has been a seminar participant since 2014 and later became an associate. He loves to brainstorm and turn ideas into reality, especially in the field of robotics.

  • robotics
  • control systems
  • machine learning
Mihailo Grbić

Mihailo Grbić

Born in 1999 in Belgrade, he has been a passionate gamer and computer enthusiast since childhood. Attended the Mathematical Gymnasium, and in his second year of high school, he attended the PFE seminar for the first time. Eager to stay connected with the PFE seminar even when not in Petnica, he founded the PFE club at the Mathematical Gymnasium and led it for the next two years. Graduated Signals and Systems from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Aims to pursue research in machine learning.

  • machine learning
Mila Martinović

Mila Martinović

Born in 1994 in Kragujevac, she completed the specialized mathematical department in Kragujevac and continued her studies at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. She first encountered Petnica as a primary school student at the Summer School of Science, later becoming a participant in the PFE seminar and, subsequently, an associate. In addition to the PFE seminar, she worked as an associate on the TEH seminar. Currently, she is working her dream job at a company specializing in biomedical research (Clairo, formerly Bioclinica), contributing to vital projects such as developing a drug for Alzheimer's and similar conditions. She believes that Petnica played a significant role in nurturing her current passion for her work and discovering her love for it.

  • digital image processing
  • machine learning
  • bioengineering
Miloš Novaković

Miloš Novaković

Born in 1997 in Belgrade. Graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, specializing in electronics. Currently pursuing master's studies in Lausanne at EPFL. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and reading books. Thanks to the spirit of Petnica, he has had the opportunity to meet countless exceptional people and discover his life's calling.

  • reinforcement learning
  • optimization
Mladen Bašić

Mladen Bašić

Passionate about programming since the age of 12 and engineering since 16. A consistent participant in seminars since 2016. Regularly challenges Microsoft to provide internships every few months. Enthusiastic about automating everyday life problems. Introduces himself as a failed basketball player and, more recently, as an amateur American football player. Graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade.

  • programming
  • machine learning
Natalija Krsmanović

Natalija Krsmanović

Born in 1994 in Kragujevac. Completed the specialized mathematical department at the First Kragujevac Gymnasium, followed by undergraduate studies at the School of Electrical Engineering, specializing in signals and systems. Spent a significant part of her life as a former participant and associate at the Petnica Science Center until 2020. Employed at Microsoft Development Center Serbia since 2018, working in the Azure team as a software engineer. Enjoys spending leisure time with friends and close family, a big nature and camping enthusiast. Her favorite things in life are her dog Rea and baby Vukašin.

  • digital signal processing
  • programming
Nemanja Filipović

Nemanja Filipović

Born in Belgrade in 1996. Graduated from the XIII Belgrade Gymnasium. Completed undergraduate studies at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, specializing in Electronics, in 2019. Finished master's studies in the Electronics department in 2020. Currently a doctoral student in the Electronics and Digital Systems module. Employed at Tannera since 2019, working on the development of algorithms and hardware for telecommunication systems.

  • FPGA design
  • digital signal processing
  • telecommunications
Nemanja Tonić

Nemanja Tonić

Born in 1987 in Leskovac, where he completed high school. Graduated from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš. Started his career at the Niš branch of HTEC and later joined Intel (Belgrade), focusing on algorithms for image processing, primarily for use in mobile phones. He then moved to Microsoft (Belgrade), where he worked on the development of SQL Server and Microsoft Azure. Currently, he is an independent programmer with experience in team management and project leadership. In his free time, he engages in music and linguistics, primarily related to the Serbian language. He is also an environmental activist.

  • digital image processing
  • database systems
  • machine learning
Nikola Hardi

Nikola Hardi

Born in 1993, raised in Kula surrounded by a garage full of tools, tractors, and a microscope. Completed high school at "Mihajlo Pupin" Technical School in Kula and participated in PFE seminars as a participant. One of the founders of the e-magazine on free software, LiBRE!, and a member of the Linux Users' Association in Novi Sad - LUGoNS. Completed undergraduate and master studies at FTN in Novi Sad, specializing in computer engineering and computer communications (RT-RK). During studies, actively contributed to PFE seminars as an associate. From 2016 to 2021, worked at CERN on the development of a distributed data processing system for the scientific experiment LHC/ALICE. Currently employed at Swisscom in Bern, focusing on data streaming processing and machine learning for understanding complex distributed systems.

  • processors
  • operating systems
  • distributed systems
Nikola Milenić

Nikola Milenić

Born in 1997 in Kragujevac. From early childhood, he wanted to bend nature to his will, leading him into the world of science and engineering. His primary occupation is gaming, but in his free time, he engages in computer science, chip development, and software. He has always been interested in sharing his significant knowledge (and controversial philosophical ideas) with others, which led him to co-found the club of Applied Physics and Electronics at school and later join the seminar of the same name as an associate.

Pavle Šoškić

Pavle Šoškić

He finished high school in Kraljevo and the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, majoring in Signals and Systems. At the seminar since 2015 as a participant, later becoming a junior and senior associate.

Ratko Amanović

Ratko Amanović

Born in Novi Sad in 1997. Graduated from Palanačka Gymnasium in Smederevska Palanka and the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, majoring in Software Engineering. Employed at Microsoft Development Center Serbia. At the seminar since 2014 as a participant, later as an associate. Enjoys playing basketball in his free time.

  • programming
  • entrepreneurship
Sofija Petrović

Sofija Petrović

Born in 1996 in Belgrade. Graduated from the Mathematical Gymnasium and completed both bachelor's and master's studies at the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade, specializing in signals and systems. Works at Everseen as a researcher in artificial intelligence. Enjoys nature, hiking, series, games, and cheesecake.

  • machine learning
  • artificial intelligence
  • programming
Srđan Radović

Srđan Radović

Born in 1999 in Vrbas. Completed the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad, majoring in computer science. Currently pursuing a master's degree in artificial intelligence at the same faculty. Completed two student internships at Microsoft. Joined the seminar in 2017 as a participant and became an associate in 2019. Enjoys playing the guitar and cycling as some of his hobbies.

Stefan Stepanović

Stefan Stepanović

At the seminar since 2016, and an associate since 2019. Perpetual intern at Ydrive, where he writes code for computer understanding of geometry and vision. Graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. A big fan of mathematically elegant solutions. Lives in student dorms for half of his conscious life. Loves meat and dreams of having his own brand of sausages.

  • computer vision
  • mathematics
  • machine learning
Stefan Vukanić

Stefan Vukanić

At the PFE seminar since 2006, born in 1990 in Obrenovac. Studied telecommunications at the School of Electrical Engineering until he forgot to enrol for the next year. Currently employed at Wefuner as a software engineer; they say it can be done without a diploma. Enjoys functional programming and believes that every program has a more beautiful, equally non-performant representation. Plays the guitar for his soul, as the others find it a bit more challenging to listen to it. In his free time, tinkers, kayaks, and accumulates unnecessary knowledge.

  • programming
  • network architecture
  • mechanics
Svetislav Gajić

Svetislav Gajić

Born in 1999 in Kragujevac. Since the 7th grade, he has been a student of the class for gifted students at the Mathematical Gymnasium within the First Kragujevac Gymnasium. He enrolls in high school in Kragujevac, as a student of the special mathematics department, also at the First Kragujevac Gymnasium. He completes his high school education in 2017 as the student of the generation. He continues his education at the School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Software Engineering, completing his studies in the summer of 2021. After two internships at Microsoft, he has been working at the Microsoft Development Center in Belgrade since September 2021. He has been attending the Applied Physics and Electronics seminar since the first year of high school. During his student days, he published a paper for the Petnica Notebooks. After completing high school, he becomes an associate at the Applied Physics and Electronics seminar.

  • programming
Vladimir Ranković

Vladimir Ranković

Since 2010, he has been involved in the Applied Physics and Electronics programs, and since 2012, as an associate. After that, he completed his studies at the School of Electrical Engineering, specializing in electronics, but his career took a turn away from electrical engineering towards programming. He used to work at Microsoft, and now he is involved in computer vision at Ydrive. He enjoys data management and solving challenging problems.

Vuk Vukomanović

Vuk Vukomanović

Born in 1995 in Kragujevac. He completed the specialized mathematical department of the oldest Serbian gymnasium, followed by his undergraduate and master's studies at the School of Electrical Engineering, specializing in Electronics. He first joined the PFE seminar as a participant in 2012. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading epic fantasy, and playing old-school games.

  • embedded
  • digital image processing
  • FPGA design