Helena VIRIĆ GAŠPARIĆ

Helena Virić Gašparić, PhD, was born in 1988 in Zagreb, Croatia. She obtained her MSc degree in 2012 and her PhD in 2022 from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb. She has been employed at the Faculty of Agriculture since 2013, and since 2017 at the Department of Agricultural Zoology. She is actively involved in teaching 14 undergraduate, graduate, and specialist courses in Croatian and English and supervises bachelor’s and master’s theses. She completed seven months of scientific training abroad and has undertaken additional professional development in entrepreneurship and pedagogy.

Her research interests include agricultural entomology and phytomedicine, beneficial fauna and natural enemies, pesticide residues, ecotoxicology, and the development of sustainable and innovative pest management strategies. She is the author and co-author of one project-based book, three handbooks, two book chapters, and 58 scientific and professional publications. She has participated in more than 90 scientific and professional conferences and has been involved in the implementation of 22 national and international projects.

She is a member of the Croatian Plant Protection Society, the Croatian Entomological Society, the International Organization for Biological Pest Control (IOBC), the Royal Entomological Society, and three civil society organizations for nature conservation (BIOM, Hyla, and Plant a Tree – Don’t Be a Stump). She is one of the founders and leaders of the Entomology Group, an extracurricular activity at the Faculty of Agriculture, as well as the founder of GREENER Ltd., an SME specialized in environmental research and sustainable technologies.

She is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the IOBC Young Researcher Mobility Scholarship (IWGO Conference, Kenya, 2023); a cash prize for an innovative solution at the LAQOthon competition (Croatia osiguranje, 2023); the Fireflyers International Network (FIN) Grant (Porto, Portugal, 2022); a Silver Medal for Innovation (AgroArca, 2022); the DIGI Award Plaque (2021); the Young Researcher Scientific Excellence Award (2021); the UNESCO–L’Oréal Award “For Women in Science” and Recognition for Outstanding Scientific Work (2021); a Faculty Award for Exemplary Work and Special Contribution (2019); the Faculty of Agriculture Foundation Annual Award (2017); and the Best Presentation Award at the IOBC conference “Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms” (2016).

Bibliography: https://www.bib.irb.hr/pregled/profil/34034