GBR Spotlight – Nevena

GBR Spotlight is a series where we highlight some of our team members so you (and we) can get to know them a little better. For our first installment Nevena bravely volunteered! She is our head of all things social media and the reason why our IG looks beautifully color coordinated these days. She might also be the team member with the most extensive language skills we have and aims to live in a house with pink walls one day. Read more about her below:

 

Hi Nevena, can you please describe Yourself in a few sentences?

 

I am a curious human with passion for both science and art, which I am trying to merge in my daily life. I love designing posts for GBR, interacting with people from different continents in multiple languages and cycling home (even in winter time).

 

And where are you from?

 

Originally from Serbia, I moved to France to study at the University of Strasbourg for my bachelors in cellular biology, part of which I also did in the UK at Imperial College. I came back to France for my PhD with the subject of translational biology in liver disease.

 

Seeing as you lived in three countries now, where do you see the difference in the places in both in terms of social aspects and the Bioeconomy?

 

Ooof, I could talk about this one for ages. Socially and economically, my home country is not as developed as France or the UK, but there is progress. Once upon a time, I had this magical idea of going back and trying to apply what I learned abroad; there is still time to see if that actually happens…

 

Let’s talk a bit about GBR! What is your role within the team?

 

I am the social media director, but am also involved with a bit of marketing, meaning I get to interact with almost all teams within GBR, which I find pretty cool.

 

Why did you decide to get involved?

I wanted to expand my network and test myself in this context of work and develop new skills. Not only do I love interacting and exchanging ideas with people, but they often inspire me in a way working alone never could. The great thing about GBR is that we are a pretty big network all over the world, connecting motivated young people for what I think is a good cause.

 

And out of all these people, who is your favorite person in GBR to work with?

 

Vicky from the GapSummit2022 organizing team, we had a few very amusing calls; and Krupa and Ioannis of course. With both I have spent the most time discussing things and I was always very proud of our effectiveness! 😀

 

I have a feeling those calls where a lot of fun! Let’s talk a bit more about you personally: What are your hobbies outside of work and GBR?

I play volleyball, video games, I love singing (I even got a real microphone) and recently picked up embroidery/crochet and pottery!

 

Which three items would you take with you on a lonely island?

 

A knife, a filtering water bottle and a plane to fly back.

 

Makes sense… although I feel like the plane is cheating a little bit ;). How many and which languages do you speak?

 

A few: English, French, Spanish, Turkish & Italian and am working on my German, Greek and would like to learn Hindi. My native language is Serbian but I also speak Bosnian, Croatian which I would classify as dialects (in no particular order).

 

Wow that is VERY impressive! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview!

One final question: Where do you see yourself in the near and more distant future?

In the near future I am finishing up my PhD and am looking for a job in industry ideally in France or other European countries. In the distant future I aim to be a pro crocheter and ceramist living somewhere with pink walls with an inspiring daily job that potentially helps people.