Research interest

I explore the hidden world of diatoms by investigating how they evolve, adapt, and function. Ancient lakes, with their long and rich geological and biological archives, offer a unique setting for uncovering these processes. By integrating morphology, genetics, evolutionary biology, paleontology, and geology, I link biological and geological perspectives to reconstruct the forces driving adaptation, speciation, and extinction and to reveal how these processes shape communities that underpin the vital roles of diatoms in ecosystem functioning and climate regulation.

Education and Professional Experience

2025-present             SNSF Ambizione Fellow, University of Basel, Switzerland

2020-2025                   Research Associate, Senckenberg Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

2014-2019                  PhD in Natural Sciences, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany

2013-2014                  Research Fellow, INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

2013-2014                   MSc in Ecology and Taxonomy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, North Macedonia

Grants and Awards

2020-2025                   DFG-ICDP Postdoc Grant, Senckenberg Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

2019                            SYNTHESYS+ Research Grant, Natural History Museum, London

2019                            ZIAF Grant, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany

2014                            Hoshaw Travel Award, Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (PSA, ASLO, SFS, SWS), Portland, USA

2013-2014                   Fulbright Fellowship, INSTAAR, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

2012                            SIAL Travel Award, Speciation in Ancient Lakes 6, Bogor, Indonesia

2009                            John C. Kingston Fellowship, Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Iowa, USA

2008                            Merit Scholarship, Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Iowa, USA

Editorial activities

2019-2024                   Board member of the website ‘Diatoms of North America’. Funded by: USGS, US EPA & INSTAAR

2019-2024                   Board member for student research grants. Funded by: Macedonian Ecological Society

Memberships

European Geosciences Union (EGU)

Phycological Society of America

International Society for Diatom Research

Macedonian Ecological Society

Publications

Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&tzom=-120&user=RHZkTDEAAAAJ

Research Gate:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elena-Jovanovska-2/research

Orcid:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3413-3683