Gordana Mendaš Starčević

Division of Environmental Hygiene

PhD / Senior Scientific Associate

Education

  • 2007 PhD in Chemistry, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
  • 2001 MSc in Chemistry, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
  • 1997 BSc in Chemistry, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry

Work Experience

  • 1997-present Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb, Croatia
  • 1997 Food Industry Vindija d. d., Varaždin, Croatia

Research projects

  • 2024-2027 Environment Pollution and Human Health: Physico-Chemical Analysis, Toxicity and Machine Learning Models – EnvironPollutHealth, NextGenerationEU (collaborator)
  • 2024-2027 Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) in Animal Species from Aquatic, Marine and Terrestrial Habitats and Food of Animal Origin: Exposure and Risk Assessment of Croatian Consumers – PFASsFoodWildlife, NextGenerationEU (collaborator)
  • 2021–2024 Analysis of Organic Pollutants in Biological Systems and the Environment, IMROH (collaborator)
  • 2019-2022 Persistent Organochlorine Compounds in Human Milk and Their Potential Effect on the Level of Primary DNA Damage in Human Cells, Croatian-Serbian Bilateral Grant (collaborator)
  • 2014–2018 Organic Pollutants in Environment – Markers and Biomarkers of Toxicity – OPENTOX, Croatian Science Foundation (collaborator)
  • 2011–2013 Monitoring of Organic and Inorganic Pollution in the Environment of Plitvice Lakes, Plitvice Lakes National Park (collaborator)
  • 2009–2010 Dissolution and Sorption of Munition Constituents, Croatian-Israel Joint Research Program (collaborator)
  • 2007–2014 Organic Pollutants in the Environment – Distribution, Interaction, Human Exposure, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (collaborator)
  • 2002–2006 Pesticides, Persistent and Volatile Organic Pollutants in the Environment, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (collaborator)
  • 2002–2006 Conceptual Model for Biotechnological Treatment of Wastewater from Atrazine Production, Technological project (collaborator)
  • 1999–2001 Analysis and Chemistry of Pesticides and Related Compounds in Biosphere, Croatian-Slovenian Bilateral Grant (collaborator)
  • 1997–2002 Distribution of Pesticides and Related Compounds in Humans and in the Environment, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia (collaborator)

Fields of interest

  • Development and validation of analytical methods,
  • liquid and gas chromatography,
  • persistent organic pollutants in environmental and biological samples,
  • assessment of human exposure and risk evaluation

Additional training

  • 2013 TAIEX-Study Visit on the Assessment of Health Risk from Pesticides, Milan, Italy
  • 2003 Special Liquid Chromatography Export Training Course, Varian, Walton-on-Thames, United Kingdom
  • 2001 Short-term study, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 1998 EUROTOX Education Course „Principles in Risk Assessment“, Pula, Croatia

Awards

  • 2012 Annual award for scientific paper published in the top scientific journal according to the Web of Science, IMROH, Zagreb, Croatia

Memberships

  • Croatian Chemical Society

Other engagements

  • Member of the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
  • Member of RAC Drinking Water Working Group
  • Member of the Configuration „Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment“ of the Horizon Europe Programme Committee
  • Member of the Working Group for Monitoring and Meeting the Requirements of the Third National Plan for the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
  • Member of the Provisional Workgroup for Passing a Scientific Opinion on the Exposure of Croatia’s Adult Population to Dioxins and Dioxin-like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (DL-PCBs) from Various Food Types
  • Member of Working Group for Action Plan for Further Improvement of the Implementation of Chemicals OECD ACQUIS

List of publications