Magdalena Djordjevic, scientist – Serbian physicist exploring Big Bang mystery

An unusually good piece of news for science in Serbia arrived in early December from Brussels – Dr Magdalena Djordjevic of the Institute of Physics in Belgrade has achieved a historical success by winning a prestigious European grant of around EUR 1.35 million for researching the quark-gluon plasma.

Aside from most people not knowing what quarks really are, many wondered who the scientist who had soared so high in the research circles in the world was.

Magdalena Djordjevic was born in Nis in 1976. Her father's job caused the family to move to Pristina, where, as she says, she spent the most beautiful part of her childhood. The family later moved to Belgrade, where Magdalena graduated from the Mathematical Grammar School, and then the Faculty of Physics, where she met her future husband. She was developing her scientific career in New York, at the Columbia University, and she returned to the capital of Serbia six years ago and continued her research at the Institute of Physics.

Magdalena Djordjevic talks to eKapija about researching the quark-gluon plasma, for which she has received the European grant, about her development as a scientist, her family, talents, private life...

Road to Big Bang mystery

Thanks to the grant from Brussels, Magdalena Djordjevic will be researching the new state of matter – quark-gluon plasma, whose existence was proven only ten years ago in experiments at the accelerator in Brookhaven, USA and the Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva.

A team of Belgrade scientists will try to discover the secrets of the Big Bang in their research, as it is assumed that the quark-gluon plasma was one of the states in the first millenia following it. Although Magdalena Djordjevic's research pertains to the quark-gluon plasma, which is nowadays created in particle accelerator experiments, preparing a model of its behavior might provide insight into a very old period in the world's history. The research should enable us to understand the characteristics and the origin of the matter in its most elemental form.

The scientists will be developing theoretical and numerical models in the laboratories of the Institute of Physics in Belgrade, which will enable the characteristics of the quark-gluon plasma to be determined. The research of this matter is being performed in the most modern labs, such as CERN, and billions of euros are invested in the gathering of experimental data.

The plasma was being searched for in experiments back in the 1980s, its existence was predicted around 40 years ago, and it was finally discovered a decade ago, Magdalena Djordjevic explains for eKapija.

– I was lucky to become involved in the field at the right time, in 2001, when the measurements started at the first powerful collider, RHIC at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States of America. That period of my life was very significant for the further development of my research, as I was able to witness, first-hand, how important it is for experiment and theory, though independent, to be tightly connected.

At the time, Magdalena was at her PhD studies at the Columbia University. Her PhD dissertation, which was pronounced the best PhD thesis in nuclear physics by the American Physical Society in 2007, contributed significantly to the discovery of the plasma. She continued her research after her doctorate as well and developed an independent course of research in studying the quark-gluon plasma.

Before moving to the USA, she graduated from the Faculty of Physics in Belgrade. Magdalena says that she was mostly acquiring wider general knowledge while in Serbia, and that she only dedicated herself to serious scientific research activities when she arrived to New York.

– As the purpose of my undergraduate studies in Belgrade was to get as wide a general knowledge of physics as possible, I can say that I'm satisfied with the Faculty of Physics. I even believe that it provides a wider knowledge relative to the same level of studies in America. During my undergraduate studies, my only serious research activities were related to the preparation of my thesis. On the other hand, the main purpose of PhD studies is research. The fact is that the conditions for scientific work and development are far better in the USA than in Serbia, for the simple reason that developed countries invest in science systematically, in terms of both money and organization – Magdalena Djordjevic says.

Accordingly, as she adds, her first scientific activities started during her first year of PhD studies at the Columbia University. She was introduced to research activities by her mentor, Professor Miklos Gyulassy, one of the greatest nuclear physicists of today.

Piano, science and love for Belgrade

After her ten-year stay in the USA, Magdalena returned to Serbia in 2010. As she says, her goal had always been to develop professionally abroad and then to return to Serbia. Our interviewee explains that, in her case, there was no need to stay outside, as theoretical research is possible in Serbia as well, and the doors of numerous laboratories in America and Europe are open for her whenever she wants to cooperate with scientists working on experiments. The proximity of her family and her desire to have her kids grow up in Serbia were important reasons for her return. Furthermore, Belgrade is the city she likes to live in the most, although it hasn't always been that way.

– Since my father was in the military, I moved a lot. I was born in Nis, then I lived in Pristina, where I spent the most beautiful part of my childhood, and then I arrived to Belgrade. I found that period very hard initially, as the way of life in the capital is rather different from what I was used to.

Before she fully dedicated herself to science, she attended piano lessons and was very talented, according to her teacher. On the other hand, she couldn't find herself in group sports and she remembers with laughter how she had a problem catching a ball as a child. She recognized her greatest talent, physics, very early on and she opted to become a scientist. She graduated from the Mathematical Grammar School in Belgrade, where she used to win awards in mathematics and physics competitions. Afterward, at the faculty, she took part in many of them alongside her now-husband, Marko, a professor of biophysics at the Faculty of Biology in Belgrade and one of the members of the team for researching the quark-gluon plasma.

– We started dating in our freshman year, immediately after he returned from the International Physics Olympics in Canberra, Australia. We continued our studies together as scholars at the Columbia University. That's when I chose nuclear physics, whereas he opted for biophysics and bioinformatics. We are lucky that our two children, Petra and Vasilije, get along well and love each other, and that my husband and I support each other in our work and development. I believe we are a complete and happy family.

Her family is one of her greatest values in life, and her biggest desire is for her children to grow up to be honest, good and successful people. She spends nearly all her free time with them and she enjoys going to the movies, the zoo, the theater, to Ada Ciganlija and other places with them. The family is also her driving force, although, as she admits, it's not always easy to balance between personal and professional commitments.

Science as contribution to Serbia's development

Our interviewee points out that the award she has received shows that results can be achieved with great effort in less then optimal conditions as well.

– I would like for the science I'm active in to contribute to the development of my country. I believe that Serbia still has great potential in talented young people who want to become scientists. Unfortunately, our scientists, especially young ones, have been leaving the country in droves for decades. This is for the most part a direct consequence of poor support provided by the state. In other countries, the contribution of these people to the progress is invaluable, and the only benefit our state has from its scientists is the money sent by them from abroad to their family and friends. I hope that politicians will recognize that talented people involved in science and technology are our greatest resource. Conversely, I hope that this grant will motivate young people not to leave the country.

The acknowledgment given to her is the most prestigious EU award for ideas with the potential for impacting the course of science in the world. Thanks to her work, Magdalena Djordjevic has received a grant of EUR 1.356 million from the European Research Council (ERC).

– The majority of the amount will be used to employ our scientists, especially young ones, who would probably leave the country if not for this project. A part of the funds will be set aside for the purchase of equipment – high-performance computers necessary for the calculations. The money will also enable trips to scientific gatherings and cooperation with other scientists, which is important both for the project and the promotion of Serbian science. A considerable part of the funds will be invested in further development of the infrastructure at the Institute of Physics.

Magdalena believes that an important factor in her success is her ability to balance her scientific career and her family life.

– Whatever you do, you always need to give it your best, even when the circumstances are far from being optimal. I am a naturally positive person and I don't need much to be happy. Unfortunately, due to the scope of my work, the positive attitude occasionally disappears. I get anxious at times due to having too many commitments, and it happens sometimes that I have less time and patience for my family, which is my biggest flaw at the moment – our interviewee says.

Awards

The award given to her by the EU is the last one of many. Her favorites are the award for the best nuclear physics PhD thesis, for which all universities in the USA and Canada competed, the J. Robert Oppenheimer scholarship for postdoctoral research (for the best young nuclear physicists in the USA), the Marie Curie reintegration grant, as well as the L'Oreal/UNESCO award for women in science, given to the best young female scientists in Serbia.

Aside from Magdalena, who is the project's leader, the team consists of three senior researchers, three consultants, two postdoctoral researchers and two PhD students.

Katarina Stevanovic

Institut za fiziku Beograd

Magdalena Djordjevic

Magdalena Djordjević CV

scientist

female scientist

European Research Council

ERC

research grant

EU grants

quark gluon plasma

European grant for researching quark gluon plasme

physics

physicist

female physicist

nuclear physicist

nuclear physics

Mathematical Grammar School Belgrade

Faculty of Physics in Belgrade

Columbia University

Brookhaven laboratory

Brookhaven

New York

CERN

Geneva

Brussels

Big Bang

scientific experiments

researching quark gluon plasma

American Physical Society

investing in science

Miklos Gyulassy

science in Serbia

brain drain

J Robert Oppenheimer scholarship

Marie Curie reintegration grant

Loreal UNESCO award

women in science

characteristics and origin of matter