Brankica Mravinac

Brankica Mravinac is a Senior Research Associate at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia, affiliated with the Division of Molecular Biology and Laboratory of Non-Coding DNA. Her research focuses on satellite DNA evolution, centromere structure, and epigenetic regulation in insects and nematodes.

• Ph.D., University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science (2004)
• M.Sc., University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science (2000)
• B.Sc., University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science (1996)

Her work spans evolutionary genetics, genomic organization, and functional analysis of repetitive DNA sequences, particularly in Tribolium beetles and Meloidogyne nematodes. Current projects include high-throughput satellitome analyses and (epi)genomic studies during embryogenesis.

Recent publications highlight satellite DNA propagation mechanisms, centromere epigenetics, and transposable element interactions. She has mentored students in satellite DNA characterization, nematode centromere studies, and molecular marker development.

• Annual Award of the Ruđer Bošković Institute for best scientific papers (2020, 2010)

She teaches a doctoral course on non-coding DNA and contributes to methodological training at the Ruđer Bošković Institute. Her research involves collaborations with Croatian Science Foundation and Adris Foundation projects.