Goran earned his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University (environmental and molecular toxicology), and M.S. at San Diego State University (Environmental Health).  He is interested in gene-environment interaction: how individuals and natural populations respond, cope, and adapt to stress. This work is interdisciplinary and utilizes natural populations and model organisms, field sampling, chemical abiotic and biotic analyses, in vivo and in vitro biology  (morphology, histopathology, cardiac physiology, gene expression), and analyses of large gene expression data sets.

Goran’s research expertise is in developmental and evolutionary biology, toxicology, and genomics. As a full time lecturer, he teaches genetics and biochemistry-related technical laboratory courses at the UCSD Division of Biology and serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SDSU Graduate School of Public Health. Several main themes drive his current research interests:

• Individual and natural population genomic responses and adaptive mechanisms to environmental stress during embryogenesis;
• Stress-induced, gender-specific metabolic gene expression in the brain;
• Ecological and human health risk assessment.

Goran’s goal is to help establish a modern and dynamic science research and learning program where future leaders ask important questions, collaborate on exciting projects, and innovate life science education.