Ana Ramljak

Ana Ramljak serves as a Researcher at Croatia's Ruđer Bošković Institute within the Laboratory for Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, focusing on microbial responses to anthropogenic stressors in Adriatic coastal ecosystems. Her work bridges marine microbiology and environmental monitoring to develop bioindicators for ecosystem health assessment.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Ongoing postgraduate studies in Oceanology at the University of Zagreb's Department of Geology (2021-present)
• Master's degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Zagreb's Department of Biology (2018-2020)

Ramljak's research centers on Marine Microbiology and Microbial Ecology, specifically investigating how coastal pollution alters benthic microbial communities in marine sediments. She examines anthropogenic impacts including aquaculture effluents and urban runoff, with emphasis on developing microbial metrics for Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Her methodology integrates field sampling, culturable microbiota analysis, and community profiling to assess pollution-induced ecosystem changes.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a cohesive research trajectory focused on microbial indicators for marine environmental health. Her 2022-2024 works demonstrate increasing methodological sophistication, transitioning from aquaculture microbiota studies to comprehensive assessments of Adriatic sediment communities. Key thematic threads include benthic microbial resilience, antibiotic resistance propagation in coastal zones, and the functional relationship between microbial community structure and pollution gradients. This body of work positions microbial ecology as critical for operationalizing ecosystem-based management in Mediterranean coastal waters.

Ramljak actively contributes to professional communities as a member of the Croatian Microbiological Society and EcotoxicoMic international network. Her research is supported through the Microlink project (Croatian Science Foundation HRZZ), with findings regularly presented at conferences including the Croatian Congress of Microbiology and European Coastal Systems Assembly. Current collaborations explore microbial community responses across pollution gradients in the eastern Adriatic Sea.