On May 14, 2026, at the Croatian Parliament, there was a ceremony awarding State Awards for Science. Among the laureates are two residents of Split. In the category of annual award for young scientists/research fellows in the field of technical sciences, Mišo Jurčević Ph.D., from Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Naval Architecture in Split was awarded, as well as Blanka Milić Roje Ph.D., who also received the Annual Award for young scientists/research fellows in the field of biomedicine and health.
Nature published her paper
Milić Roje is currently working at Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries’ Phytoplankton and Toxicity of Shellfish Laboratory, where she researches toxic phytoplankton species and the overall plankton community, using molecular diagnostic methods.
She received the award for scientific contribution during her work at University of Split’s School of Medicine, where she demonstrated that the gut microbiome actively participates in the development of cancer by converting food compounds into carcinogenic substances that promote tumor growth even outside the digestive tract. Her research results were published in one of the most prestigious scientific journals - Nature.
Assoc. prof. Mišo Jurčević Ph.D. was awarded for outstanding scientific research and high productivity in publishing scientific papers in top-tier international journals. He is a young scientist who, early in his career, distinguished himself as a dedicated and reliable collaborator in numerous European and national research projects. During 2024, he earned his doctorate and published eight scientific papers in Q1 quartile journals with a very high impact factor, that were cited over 400 times.
He authored and co-authored a total of 43 papers, many of which published in leading international journals. His scientific excellence has been recognized internationally by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research, for outstanding scientific achievements in 2024, as well as successfully connecting fundamental research and its application in real-world conditions.
PHOTO: Unist, Croatian Parliament
