I was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I grew up in a small town called Maglaj and moved to Mostar at age 16 to attend the United World College and obtain my International Baccalaureate bilingual diploma. In 2010, I enrolled in Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. as a Davis United World College Scholar and a Methodist University Presidential Scholar. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted research with Prof. Eun Hoo Kim on the synthesis of a difluorinated gingerol analog via carbon-carbon bond breaking reactions. I also completed summer internships in medical biochemistry with Dr. Emina Cengic Kiseljakovic at the University of Sarajevo (Faculty of Medicine) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and molecular medicine with Prof. Dr. Victor Arcé at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Center of Investigation for Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases) in Spain. My research was supported through a Methodist University Center for Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and my academic achievements and departmental service were recognized through the Chemistry Mendelevium Medallion and the Methodist University Marshal Award. In 2014, I graduated Summa Cum Laude and as an Honors Program graduate with a B.S. in Chemistry and a Concentration in Biochemistry.
Following graduation, I started my Ph.D. studies in the Department of Chemistry at Duke University. In 2015, I joined the group of Professor Amanda Hargrove and began my dissertation work on developing approaches to understand small molecule recognition of a triple helix found in MALAT-1 long non-coding RNA, which led me to discover the first small molecule binders of this structure. I was awarded a Joe Taylor Adams Departmental Fellowship in 2018 and was a 2019 Duke University Nominee for the prestigious Schmidt Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. I presented my research at over 15 venues at the local, regional, and national levels through both poster and oral presentations, one of which was recognized with a “Best Lightning Talk Award.” In the summer of 2020, I began my postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Prof. Clifford Brangwynne at Princeton University, where I am establishing platforms to utilize intracellular condensates as both tools and targets for modulating disease states. My work in this area has been presented at various levels and recognized with a national Postdoctoral Talk Award by the Biophysical Society (BPS).

Rođena sam u Bosni i Hercegovini. Odrasla sam u malom gradu zvanom Maglaj, a sa 16 godina sam se preselila u Mostar da pohađam Koledž Ujedinjenog Svijeta i dobijem bilingualnu diplomu Internationacionalnog Bakalaureata. U 2010 godini sam započela studije na Methodist Univerzitetu u Fayetteville-u, Sjevernoj Karolini, kao stipendistkinja Davis United World Koledža i Predsjedničeve stipendije. Tijekom dodiplomskog studija sam se bavila istraživanjima sa Profesorom Eun Hoo Kim na sintezi difluoriranog analoga gingerola. Završila sam ljetne staževe u poljima medicinske biohemije sa doktoricom Eminom Čengić Kiseljaković na Univerzitetu u Sarajevu (Fakultet Medicine) u Bosni i Hercegovini, i u molekularnoj medicini sa Profesorom Dr. Victor Arcé na Univerzitetu Santiago de Compostela (CIMUS) u Španiji. Moja istraživanja su podržana sa stipendijom za dodiplomska istraživanja, a moja akademska dostignuća i doprinos odjelu hemije prepoznati su preko Mendelevijum medaljona i Maršalske nagrade od Methodist Univerziteta. 2014. godine sam diplomirala Summa Cum Laude i kao član Programa Časti, sa Bachelor of Science diplomom iz hemije i koncentracijom u biohemiji.
Nakon diplomiranja sam započela doktorske studije na hemijskom odjelu Duke Univerziteta. 2015. godine sam se pridružila grupi Profesorice Amande Hargrove i započela sam disertaciju na razvoju hemijskih spojeva za inhibiranje ribonukleinske kiseline sa unikatnom strukturom trostrukog heliksa, što je rezultiralo u otkriću prvog inhibitora ove strukture. U 2018. godini sam primila Joe Taylor Adams stipendiju od odjela hemije, a 2019. godine sam nominovana za prestižnu Schmidt Science postdoktorsku stipendiju. Moj naučnoistraživacki rad je prezentiran na preko 15 mjesta na lokalnom, regionalnom i nacionalnom nivou, putem postera i usmenih prezentacija, od kojih je jedna priznata nagradom za najbolju prezentaciju. U ljeto 2020. godine sam započela post-doktoralna istraživanja u laboratoriji Profesora Clifforda Brangwynne-a na Princeton Univerzitetu.