| Title: | Associate Professor |
| Public phone number: | 01/4895 426 |
| E-mail: | |
| Official web page URL: | https://www.pmf.unizg.hr/geog/jelena.loncar |
| Department: | GEOG - Division of Regional Geography and Methodic |
| Graduation year: | 2002 |
| PhD graduation year: | 2011 |
| Employed in this institution since: | 2005 |
undergraduate
graduate
integrated undergraduate and graduate
doctoral
In 2002, Jelena Lončar graduated from the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Science with the subject "Globalization and regionalization processes in Europe and their impact on Croatia", thereby earning the title of professor of geography. In 2005, she enrolled in the postgraduate study of Geographical Basics of Spatial Planning and Development. In the same year, she was employed as a researcher within the Institute of Regional Geography and Methodic at the Department of Geography, Faculty of Science in Zagreb. In 2011, she was elected to the position of senior assistant, in 2016 to the scientific-teaching position of assistant professor, and in 2022 to the position of associate professor. Collaborated on several Croatian and international projects: "Regional-geographic research of Croatia" (2004-2007), "The impact of globalization and transition on the regional development of Croatia" (2007-2009) and "Environmental changes and cultural landscape as a development resource" (2009-2012). Since 2014 was actively involved in projects funded by the European Union through the IPA program: 1. Innovative urban strategies and action plans to increase the social and economic role for seniors - SILVER CITY, and 2. Co-operation of SEE (Southeast European) science parks for the promotion of transnational market uptake of R&D results and technologies by SMEs. Postgraduate studies were completed in 2011 with the successful defense of her doctoral thesis, entitled Economic-Geographical Restructuring of Central Croatia in the Conditions of Transition, under the supervision of Prof. Zoran Stiperski, Ph.D. In recognition of her scientific and professional achievements as a young researcher, she was awarded the Faculty Council Award by the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in 2015.
Participated in CEEPUS teaching mobility as a guest lecturer at several European universities between 2009 and 2026: the Department of Geography at the Faculty of Arts in Maribor; the Faculty of Geography, Tourism, Sport and Territorial Planning at the University of Oradea (Romania); the Department of Geography at Charles University in Prague; the Department of Geography in Brno; and the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography at the University of Gdańsk as well as the Department of Geography at the University of Oulu (Finland) under the Erasmus program.
To date, she has published 36 scientific papers — the majority in domestic and international journals indexed in relevant scientific databases, as well as 9 papers in conference proceedings. She has also published 8 professional papers.
Since the 2005/2006 academic year, she has been engaged in teaching at undergraduate and integrated study levels, contributing to the Undergraduate research programme in Geography and the Integrated studies in Geography and History. Since the 2006/2007 her teaching activities have also extended to the Graduate research programme in Geography. At the Department of Geography, her teaching responsibilities encompass lectures and seminars in Industrial Geography, Political Geography, Geographical Foundations of Globalization, Geography of Asia, Regional Development, and Factors of Industrial and Business Location. At the doctoral level, she contributes to the Doctoral Study Programme by teaching Methodology 5.
Academic activities include the organization of fieldwork. Among her scholarly contributions are the co-authored university textbook Industrial Geography (2019, Meridijani; Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb) and the co-authored chapter “Secondary Activities: Geographical Characteristics of the Economy (Economic Geography) of Croatia,” published in the scientific monograph The Great Geography of Croatia, Book V (2023; University of Zadar; Školska knjiga, Zagreb). Additional contributions to the development of higher education include participation in the development of curricula for several courses and supervision of 36 undergraduate and master’s theses. The research interest focuses on economic, industrial, and political geography, globalization, and regional development, with particular interest in the spatial processes underlying economic transformation and regional change.
Academic service at the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, includes membership in the Ethics Committee from the 2019/2020 to the 2023/2024 academic year and current membership in the Employee Complaints Committee. From 2018 to 2024, she also served as a member of the Admissions Committee at the Department of Geography, Faculty of Science.
Significant involvement in the organization and implementation of scientific conferences and congresses represents an important component of her professional activities at the Department of Geography. To date, her service has included membership on the organizing and programme (scientific) committees of nine scientific conferences, comprising four international conferences and five national conferences with international participation. Participation in scientific conferences includes 29 domestic and international events, both as a sole author and as a co-author.
International professional engagement includes membership in the IGU Commission C24.34 on Marginalization, Globalization, and Regional and Local Responses, as well as the Commission on Political Geography of the International Geographical Union (IGU). Further professional activities encompass several invited lectures at events organized by the Croatian Geographical Society, together with active participation in the Society’s activities, including moderation of the Geographical Monday forum.
Contributions to the popularization of science have taken a variety of forms. From 2007 to 2009, she served as co-editor of the educational web portal www.geografija.hr, where she authored a series of popular-science articles. Additional engagement in science communication included membership in the State Committee for the organization of Geography competition in geography, between 2010 and 2014, she served as the Department of Geography’s coordinator for the University of Zagreb Fair. Professional engagement also includes ongoing work as a professional associate and consultant for the popular-science magazine Meridijani, with a particular focus on industrial and political geography.
Since 2018, she has been a member of the Executive Board of the Croatian Geographical Society, holding position of the Society's secretary since that same year. She was also apointed as Editor-in-chief of the professional journal "Geografski horizont" (2024–2026) and has been the Editor-in-chief of the scientific journal "Croatian Geographical Bulletin" since 2026.
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