With a background in molecular biology and environmental sciences, my research lies within environmental epidemiology, where I investigate human exposure to environmental chemicals with a particular focus on gene–environment interactions. I have primarily studied exposure to toxic metals—particularly arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium—but also to organic pollutants such as glyphosate, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and phthalates. My work includes identifying sources and determinants of exposure and assessing associated health impacts. I am particularly interested in how genetic makeup influences individual susceptibility to these exposures and how, in turn, chemical exposures affect one`s genetic and epigenetic makeup. My research includes populations across different life stages (children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults), geographic locations (Slovenia, Croatia, Sweden, Seychelles), as well as at both environmental and occupational exposure settings.

In 1962 Rachel Carson wrote, “If we live so intimately with chemicals, taking them into the very marrow of our bones, we better know something about their nature and power”, still today, significant knowledge gaps remain not only regarding well-known toxicants but also with respect to an ever-growing number of emerging pollutants—highlighting the continued need for extensive research in this field.