Alumni

I completed undergraduate and graduate studies in mathematics at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics. In March 1985 I received my PhD from the University of Belgrade in the field of numerical analysis of partial differential equations, and since October 1985 I have been employed at the University of Oxford, where I hold a full professorship. I am engaged in the mathematical analysis of nonlinear partial differential equations and in the construction and analysis of numerical methods for their approximate solution. This is a field of great practical importance with numerous interesting applications, ranging from continuum mechanics, ecology, meteorology, hydrology, climatology, geophysics, astrophysics, electromagnetism, mathematical biology to various problems of financial mathematics and models of collective behaviour based on partial differential equations. I have been a foreign member of SANU since 2009, a member of the European Academy Academia Europaea since 2020, and a member of the British Royal Society since 2021.

I highly recommend undergraduate and graduate study of mathematics because, in addition to a broad mathematical education, it promotes logical thinking, the ability to reason clearly and systematically, and perseverance and persistence in solving complex problems. These are useful skills whether you are going to study mathematics as a researcher or pursue another profession after graduating in mathematics.

I graduated in 2003 with a degree in Numerical Mathematics and Optimization. I believe that the Faculty of Mathematics is a nice and stimulating environment that brings together young people with similar interests. There you can express and live out your own creativity, curiosity, and desire for new knowledge. Applied mathematics is an excellent choice, and I believe that together with the fundamentals of computer science, it is highly valued in various fields of industry and academia both at home and abroad.
It was a pleasure to return to my faculty after several years and defend my PhD thesis in Optimization and Operational Research in 2017 under the excellent supervision of Prof. Dr. Zorica Stanimirović. I teach mathematical subjects at the high schools of the Academy of Technicaland Artistic Professional Studies-Belgrade and the Air Force Academy in Belgrade. I also conduct scientific work in the areas of: optimization, mathematical modeling, metaheuristic methods and operational research. Honestly, I remember the years at the Faculty of Mathematics as the most beautiful and carefree ones!

I studied Numerical Mathematics and Optimization from 2002 to 2006. Mathematics is the science of the future! New developing sciences such as Data Science and Artificial Intelligence are based on mathematical theories, and an understanding of mathematics is necessary to successfully engage in these fields.

My profession is called Applied Scientist and I am involved in designing and implementing machine learning algorithms. My work is mostly a combination of data analysis and programming. The field I work in is still new, and every day there are small scientific advances, and with them the power of machine learning is growing. Nobody knows what results we can expect in this field in 10 or 20 years. My postgraduate scientific work was related to numerical mathematics and image processing. I defended my dissertation at the University of UCLA in 2013. Knowledge in the field of mathematics and programming is an excellent foundation for various jobs now and in the future. No one can know how the range of jobs will evolve in the future, and we all need to be ready to constantly evolve, but I believe that the mathematical basics will definitely be useful. I like to spend my free time in nature or with a good book or movie.

I did my undergraduate and graduate studies at the Faculty of Mathematics, studying Numerical Mathematics and Optimization at that time. After my PhD studies at the University of Klagenfurt in Austria, I spent some years at the Technical University of Munich. Currently, I am working as an assistant professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands.

In my research work, I deal with nonlinear partial equations. I spend most of my time researching the wave equations that arise in nonlinear acoustics and describe the propagation of ultrasonic waves. Applied mathematics has always fascinated me because it uses seemingly very abstract concepts to improve understanding of concrete real world problems. The most valuable thing I took away from studying mathematics, besides knowledge, is the ability to think critically and solve problems (and not give up!).

Jedina stvar lepša od nauke jeste njena primena! Najbolji kompromis koji možete da napravite između ljubavi prema nauci i njenoj primeni jeste upis Primenjene matematike na Matematičkom fakultetu. Topla preporuka!

Moje ime je Jovana Tomić, zaposlena sam u Narodnoj banci Srbije, a znanje sam stekla na osnovnim i master studijama na smeru Primenjena matematika. Vremenska osa osnovnih studija trajala je 4 godine. Početna tačka te putanje desila se samo i isključivo zbog ljubavi prema matematici, međutim, tek na kraju tog puta, kada su se razmatrale poslovne ponude koje su dobijali moji prijatelji sa smera i ja, shvatili smo da je odluka bila odlična. Spektar zaposlenja je šarenolik, a znanje koje je stečeno veoma traženo, posebno imajući u vidu obim znanja koje se stekne kroz programiranje matematičkih modela i problema optimizacije.

Master studije su za mene bile zanimljivije, jer sam imala priliku da usmerim učenja u skladu sa svojim interesovanjima. Kroz matematičko modeliranje skoka padobranca iz aviona, preko predviđanja prisustva dijabetesa kod pacijenata korišćenjem metoda mašinskog učenja, i rešavanja konkurentnosti na ekonomskom tržištu korišćenjem heurističkih metoda stigla sam do velikih znanja iz oblasti numeričke optimizacije, mašinskog učenja i matematičkog modeliranja. Da se na ovom smeru radi kvalitetno, govori informacija da je master rad na kom sam temeljno radila dobio pohvalu od Matematičkog instituta Srpske akademije nauka i umetnosti za najbolji master rad iz oblasti matematike i mehanike, a o rezultatima tog rada govorila sam na Simpozijumima „Matematika i primene“ 2021. i 2023. godine.

Kombinaciju znanja iz matematičkog modeliranja, statistike, verovatnoće, numeričke matematike, optimizacije, programiranja i mašinskog učenja, ali i svih prednosti logičkog razmišljanja, primenjujem sada i na radnom mestu, u Sektoru za platni sistem Narodne banke Srbije zaposlena kao samostalni stručni saradnik za analizu i statistiku.

Na Matematičkom fakultetu sam završila osnovne (2014) i master studije (2015) na smeru Primenjena matematika. Sada se bavim programiranjem u .NET platformi.

Kursevi primenjene matematike, uz pravi izbor izbornih predmeta, mi je pružio znanje o nekim od najvažnijih alatki u svetu računarstva.

Matematički način razmišljanja koji sam stekla na studijama mi je omogućio da razumem, modelujem i rešavam realne probleme klijenata. Arhitektura sistema i rešenja na kojima radim se mogu shvatiti kao softverski modeli problema, nalik na matematičke modele.

Pored toga, verujem da su mi studije produbile veštine analize i apstrakcije, obraćanje pažnje na detanje i posmatranje problema iz različitih uglova što mi pomaže u izazovima u razvoju softvera.

Na masteru smo izučavali algoritme koje su danas osnova mašinakog učenja. Razumevanje ovih algoritama i statistike su velika prednost ako želite da se bavite obradom velikih podataka, veštačkom inteligencijom i postanete stručnjaci u ovim popularnim oblastima.

Za studiranje me još vezuju i uspomene na
talentovane kolege. Kada je bilo teško, motivaciju sam nalazila u zajedničkom radu, uzajamnoj podršci i razmena ideja. Profesori i asistenti sa katedre su bili posvećeni i imali su razumevanja za naše obaveze. Sećam se da sam se na glas smejala šalama iz udžbenika profesora Dražića dok sam učila.

Danas, kroz interdisciplinarni pristup imamo priliku da pokažemo kako različite veštine i znanja mogu zajedno stvoriti inovativna rešenja za kompleksne izazove. Verujem da su zato matematičari poželjni u modernim timovima.

Srećno u akademskom putovanju i budućoj karijeri!

My name is Zorica Milovanović Jeknić. At the Faculty of Mathematics, I completed my undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies in the area of Numerical Mathematics and Optimization. I am working as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Construction Management, Union Nikola Tesla College in Belgrade. The Faculty of Mathematics offers a good choice of subjects, seriousness and dedicated work of the faculty. Numerical mathematics and optimization can be applied in many fields, such as civil engineering, transportation, mechanical engineering, medicine and many others. My research area is numerical methods for solving partial differential equations. At the faculty where I work, I teach master's students and doctoral students in the subjects of finite element methods and optimization methods. This choice of subjects allows me to get an even better insight into the methods and their application in practice, which makes numerical mathematics and optimization even more interesting and enjoyable. In my spare time, I write scientific papers that have been published in prestigious international and national journals. Mathematics has been my great love since elementary school, and that is why I chose to join the Department of Mathematics. I recommend anyone who is interested in mathematics/computer science and has previous knowledge to enroll in the Faculty of Mathematics, because they will gain a great knowledge that they can later apply in practice.

At the Faculty of Mathematics, I completed my undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies in the subject that was then called Numerical Mathematics and Optimization and is now called Applied Mathematics. I work as an applied mathematician at Incepta, a young Belgrade start-up company developing a platform for ultra-high frequency trading.

I used to work on fluid dynamics, especially simulating flows in a porous medium, while now I am mainly involved in modeling financial flows and valuing financial instruments. I am also a co-founder of a company working on improving metallurgical processes through machine learning. In my work, I use the methods I learned at college, such as numerical solution of partial differential equations, machine learning, mathematical modeling, optimization, etc. The Applied Mathematics program is an ideal opportunity for young people to develop and improve their logical thinking, but also to learn a wide range of mathematical tools and methods used in various fields.

My name is Olivera Stančić. I started my studies at the Faculty of Mathematics in Belgrade in 2006, majoring in Numerical Mathematics and Optimization, and graduated in 2010. Since I was satisfied with the acquired knowledge, experience and general study atmosphere, I decided to continue my education at the same faculty and in the same degree programme. First, I completed my master's degree, then my doctoral studies. In 2018, I defended my dissertation entitled "Hab Maximum Coverage Problems - New Mathematical Models and Solving Methods", earning the degree of Doctor of Science - Mathematical Sciences.

I am working at the Faculty of Economics of the College of Kragujevac and I am currently working on the following scientific topics: Combinatorial optimization, mathematical modeling, metaheuristics, node location problems, etc. Optimization problems are many and varied, and in practice the most frequently encountered problems are those of traffic planning, searching for routes in the telecommunications network, computer network optimization, financial investment and planning, employee allocation, production planning, budget organization, and many others. It is clear that after defining the problem, it is necessary to create a suitable mathematical model that is a good approximation of the real problem. In order to solve the problem effectively, suitable optimization methods are developed, which are then implemented in the software. The optimization methods must be adapted to the specifics of the considered problem in order to improve the quality of the obtained solutions and reduce the speed of their achievement. After the analysis, the obtained solutions can be partially or fully implemented in practice.
It is clear that the application of mathematics in business is extremely important today, and the Applied Mathematics program at the Faculty of Mathematics undoubtedly enables students to acquire knowledge and skills that can be applied in practice.

Na Matematičkom fakultetu završila sam osnovne i master studije. Od samog starta opredelila sam se za smer Primenjena matematika (Numerička matematika i optimizacija). Kao prvobitnu motivaciju smatrala sam činjenicu da mi ovaj smer pruža najbolji balans između matematike i programiranja. Sada mogu iskreno reći da se ni u jednom trenutku nisam pokajala! Upravo iz tog razloga sam se nakon godinu dana pauze – koju sam iskoristila za pronalazak posla i prilagođavanje novom radnom mestu, odlučila za upis doktorskih studija, gde bih nastavila započeto. Tačnije, gde bih se još više posvetila numeričkim metodama za rešavanje parcijalnih diferencijalnih jednačina, uz otkrivanje oblasti/predmeta koje bih mogla da iskoristim i na novom radnom mestu.
Zaposlena sam u firmi Euronet Services kao Analitičar tehničke podrške, gde se najuopštenije govoreći bavimo procesingom transakcija (i čitavim spektrom problema koji se usput mogu pojaviti). Užem timu kojem pripadam najveći klijent je OMV (zajedno sa svim svojim evropskim partnerima). Mada se na prvi pogled ne može uočiti direktna veza mog radnog mesta sa stečenim obrazovanjem, na način na koji pristupam rešavanju bilo kog problema (koje podatke iskoristiti, kako ih povezati tako da dođem do rezultata, kao i do svih procesa na koje dati problem može ostaviti traga) smatram uticaj Matematičkog fakulteta neprocenjivim!
Svesni smo činjenice da se trendovi pri upisu menjaju, kao i da zainteresovanost za naš fakultet i smer nažalost opada. Ono što iz ličnog iskustva mogu reći, počevši od samih intervjua za posao, a zatim i nakon zaposlenja, je da znanje nikada ne izlazi iz mode, a samim tim ni Matematički fakultet, jer i dalje važi mišljenje da se ne može završiti „tek tako“, te sam kao student istog, osetila posebnu vrstu uvažavanja i poštovanja.

At the Faculty of Mathematics, I chose to study Applied Mathematics in the Mathematics module in 2017. After four years, in 2021, I successfully completed my undergraduate degree and immediately continued my master's degree in the same field.

Currently, I am employed as a Data Analyst at Raiffeisen Bank. In the credit risk department, I am responsible for the development and validation of credit risk models, among other things. In my work in credit risk modeling and validation, I use mathematical techniques to analyze and predict customer behavior, identify risk factors, and assess the probability of credit default. The mathematics faculty provided me with a broad understanding of mathematical concepts and their application in various fields, including banking.

After graduating from college, I had the opportunity to gain experience in the development of matheuristics during my internship at MISAN. I am currently focusing on completing courses in the field of machine learning, defending my master's thesis and planning to enroll in doctoral studies. I like to spend my free time with friends. The Faculty of Mathematics provided me with a strong foundation in programming and computer science. During my studies, I got acquainted with different programming languages, and I still use some of them in my current position, while they all helped me to quickly learn new languages. In my current workplace, I encounter different programming languages such as SAS, SQL, Python and R, which are key tools for data processing and analytics. At the Faculty of Mathematics, I also developed the ability of critical thinking, abstract reasoning and problem solving. These skills are essential for analytical work as they help me identify patterns and trends in data, draw conclusions and propose optimal solutions.

During my studies I focused especially on subjects like Programming, Mathematical Modeling, Probability and Statistics, Combinatorial Optimization, Numerical Methods and many other subjects that gave me knowledge from different areas. The Mathematical Modeling course gave me an insight into the various applications of mathematics and its importance and applicability in the real world. Subjects such as Operations Research and Combinatorial Optimization provided me with an excellent foundation for understanding the complex graph algorithms that are essential for the development of machine learning.

In addition to various technical skills, I also developed social skills at the Department of Mathematics. I had the opportunity to meet great people, both students and professors. Through the faculty, I acquired work habits and discipline that mean a lot to me today. The faculty covers a variety of topics, but no one course can cover everything because there are different applications of mathematics. Importantly, the faculty provide a good foundation and make it possible to quickly learn new topics and challenges. Continuing education and self-improvement opens up a variety of opportunities. All in all, graduating from the Department of Mathematics and gaining knowledge in applied mathematics opens a wide range of opportunities in various industries. I believe that the future of mathematics faculty is bright and that mathematicians will continue to play a key role in solving complex problems and shaping innovation in modern society.

I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies at the Department of Mathematics, majoring in Numerical Mathematics and Optimization. Immediately after graduation, I started my professional career in the banking sector, where I worked on the development of quantitative models for the purposes of risk management and mitigation.

Currently, I work at NLB Komercijalna banka in the Risk Management Department as a Senior Data Scientist and I am responsible for the development of mathematical models in the areas of market, interest rate and liquidity risk, operational risk and projection of macroeconomic indicators.

Studying in the field of Numerical Mathematics and Optimization has primarily allowed me to acquire a broad and healthy base of mathematical fundamentals, a creative approach to solving problems, and familiarity with mathematical tools that have applications in various fields.

The challenges and needs of banks are fertile ground for the application of mathematical models. To successfully solve these tasks, it is necessary to apply a wide class of models from different areas of mathematics: from numerical mathematics, optimization, probability and statistics to indispensable programming, where the knowledge acquired in applied mathematics is certainly very helpful.

Although banks have been in constant need of the help of mathematical apparatuses for more than two decades, the complexity of the system and the frequent and significant changes in the macroeconomic environment mean that there is no end in sight to the solution of all outstanding problems. Therefore, I encourage future students to study Applied Mathematics so that they will be able to use new and innovative models if they want to work in the banking sector to contribute to its solution.

I have completed my undergraduate and graduate studies at the Faculty of Mathematics, majoring in Applied Mathematics. Currently, I work at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade as an assistant, and before that I worked as an assistant at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade.

In addition, I am also an external collaborator, i.e. a teacher at the Mathematical High School. During my studies I worked at Microsoft for 4.5 months.

I think this degree offers many opportunities to build an academic career or work in industry. I am sure that the examples of other colleagues show how many different careers there are in circulation. The degree program deals with mathematics that is applicable in the real world. I did my master's in bioinformatics, machine learning, and optimization. I think numerical mathematics is an excellent foundation for artificial intelligence (machine learning), so even those who want to study this current topic have the opportunity to do so after the undergraduate degree. The knowledge is very practical, there are many approximations that we use in practice every day. This great course offers a lot of opportunities and in-depth knowledge that any employer would want. I am very proud to have completed it and if I had to do it again I would choose it again, so I recommend it to all new students who love math and its applications.