Branimir Njezic - Teaching assistant

Name: Branimir Njezic

Study: EUMAINE

Graduated in: 2010

Job title: Teaching assistant

Company/Institute: University of Banja Luka, http://www.unibl.org/en

Sector: Higher education

1. Current position

I work at the University of Banja Luka as a teaching assistant. I’m responsible for the practical parts of lecturing and the analysis of official samples in the laboratory of nematology. In addition, I also do research on nematodes.

What attracts me in my job is the interaction with students and the independent research.

As a teaching assistant, it is important to have good theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics, communication skills, and commitment to research. My education was an excellent basis for this job.

2. Career

After getting my Bachelor degree, I got the opportunity to start working at the University of Banja Luka. I was not interested in other job positions.

Two years later, I enrolled at the EUMAINE program at Ghent University. After graduation in 2010, I went back to the University of Banja Luka and got a promotion due to the diploma I gained. Since then, I started doing research for my PhD thesis and developed a laboratory for nematodes where we do research and analyse official samples.

3. Choosing Nematology

I choose to study Nematology (EUMAINE) because it would help to develop my career. I would still select the same program and recommend it to future students. I gained experience and knowledge that is very useful for my current job position. It offers me perspective since I am the only graduated nematologist in the country.

4. Study

During my studies I made the attitude to work hard, learned to do research, and gained a sense of responsibility. I still use many techniques that I learned in the EUMAINE-program at Ghent University.

The best memory from my time as a student is my thesis defense: even in 15 minutes, I could present 2 years of progress. Amazing!

5. Helping future students

Nematology is fun, with a friendly community of students and professors, but it requires highly motivated people because it’s very specific.