Presidents
Prof. Dr. Nenad Ristić
Current president of DIMK Serbia since 2025
Prof. Dr. Nenad Ristić is a full professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Niš, in the narrower scientific field of Construction Materials and Concrete Technology. He was born on June 15, 1982, in Vranje. He linked his undergraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral academic activities to the University of Niš, where he currently serves at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture as Vice-Dean for Teaching and Student Affairs in study programs in the field of civil engineering.
He completed undergraduate studies in civil engineering with outstanding success, while he completed his doctoral studies with high academic achievements. He defended his doctoral dissertation entitled “Hydro-abrasive resistance of concrete made with recycled materials and reinforced with microfibers” in 2015. During his studies, he received multiple awards for exceptional success, and he is also the recipient of a plaque from the Serbian Society for Testing and Research of Materials and Structures for the best doctoral dissertation and research achievements.
He began his academic career as a teaching associate, then as an assistant, assistant professor, and associate professor, and since 2025 he has held the title of full professor. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 scientific and professional papers published in journals and presented at international and domestic conferences, as well as the author of one main and three supplementary university textbooks. He participated in the implementation of several scientific research projects funded by the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia, the Science Fund, and international institutions.
His research and professional interests include concrete technology, durability and special properties of cement composites, the application of recycled materials in construction, as well as quality control and conformity assessment of construction materials. As head of an accredited laboratory for construction materials and the person in charge of quality, he participated in the implementation of numerous infrastructure projects, including projects on Corridors X and E80, the construction of tunnels, bridges, and industrial facilities, through the design of concrete mix recipes, preparation of expert reports, and supervisory oversight.
He is actively engaged in the work of professional and scientific organizations. He has been a member of the Serbian Society for Testing and Research of Materials and Structures since 2008. In the period 2023–2025, he served as Vice President of the Society, while since 2025 he has served as President. He is also a member of national standardization commissions and working groups for drafting technical regulations in the field of concrete and reinforced concrete. He has been an organizer, as well as a member of program and organizing committees of a large number of international scientific conferences and professional meetings.
IN MEMORIAM
Prof. Dr. Dimitrije Zakić
President of DIMK Serbia · 2023-2025
Prof. Dr. Dimitrije Zakić was born on 12/11/1967 in Belgrade. He completed his undergraduate studies in 1994 at the Department of Structures, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade. He enrolled in postgraduate studies at the same Department (Civil Engineering Materials Program) in 1995. Prof. Zakić earned his master’s degree in 2001 and his PhD in 2010 at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade.
Over the years, he actively participated in teaching courses in the group of subjects civil engineering materials and concrete technology. In addition to his teaching work at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, Prof. Zakić taught at the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Banja Luka between 1997 and 1999. He undertook scientific and professional training at the Technical University of Berlin, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the China Academy of Building Materials in Beijing, and the IRMA Institute in Ljubljana.
He participated in numerous domestic and international scientific research projects. He was the author or co-author of more than 170 scientific papers, conference presentations, and chapters in monographs, as well as publications in the field of textbook literature.
During his career, he participated in the preparation of more than 300 professional papers, expert reports, studies, and projects. Prof. Zakić served as the technical manager of the Materials Laboratory.
Prof. Dr. Dimitrije Zakić also actively participated in the work of professional associations. He was a long-standing member of the Engineering Chamber of Serbia, the Accreditation Body of Serbia, the Standards Commission of the Institute for Standardization of Serbia, numerous Ministry working groups, and numerous professional associations.
Since the beginning of his career, Prof. Zakić actively participated in the work of the Society for Testing Materials and Structures (DIMK) of Serbia. He was a long-time member of the Assembly, and then President of the Society from 2023. He will be remembered for his professional work and the respect with which he treated his colleagues. We believe that his legacy will live on through all researchers who had the opportunity to learn from him and collaborate with him.
Prof. Dr. Zagorka Radojević
President of DIMK Serbia · 2020-2023
Dr. Zagorka Radojević, B.Sc. Eng. Technol., was born on September 10, 1957, in Belanovica, municipality of Ljig. She completed primary school in Belanovica. She graduated from the grammar school, natural sciences and mathematics track, in 1976 in Ljig. She graduated in 1981 from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade, department: inorganic technology.
Her graduation thesis was awarded recognition by the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce for 1981. At the same faculty, she earned her master's degree in 1992 and defended her doctoral dissertation in 1998. After graduation, from 1981 to the end of 1983, she worked at the Electroporcelain Industry in Aranđelovac, from 1984 to 1985 at SOUR “Ivo Lola Ribar” RO Lola factory of machines and equipment, and from 1986 to 2001 at the Lola Institute. Since 2001, she has been permanently employed at the IMS Institute for Materials Testing, Belgrade. At the Lola Institute, independently and in cooperation with colleagues, she worked on several major technological projects for construction ceramics production plants, implemented in the country and abroad. The most important implemented international projects are: a sanitary ceramics and ceramic tiles factory in Cuba, Heumis and Azaba brick and block factories – Algeria, brick factories in Omsk, Krasnodar and Ingushetia — Russia, a roof tile and brick products factory in Târgu Jiu – Romania, etc. Within these projects, she integrated research in the field of raw material characterization, formulation definition and optimal production process parameters, preparation of the main technological design with technology and equipment selection, up to commissioning of constructed plants to the specified capacity and quality. She was awarded the Lola Institute annual award for research and professional work in 1998.
At the Institute for Materials Testing, she works on construction materials development projects for domestic and foreign markets as a manager, coordinator, and researcher. From the position of IMS Director in 2006, she contributed to the accreditation of the IMS Institute as a research and development institute. In two terms, she was president of the IMS Scientific Council. She received annual recognitions from the IMS Institute for personal contribution to operations and for the contribution of the Construction Ceramics Laboratory (head) and the Materials Testing Center (center director) from 2009 to 2021. She is the recipient of recognition for contribution to the education of young IMS scientific staff through supervision and preparation of doctoral dissertations and publication of top-ranked publications. Dr. Zagorka Radojević was a member and president of the IMS Institute Management Board, and a member of the IMS Institute Assembly (state capital representative) until 2021.
Dr. Zagorka Radojević actively participates in cooperation with industry. The annual revenue of the Materials Center she manages, generated through business with industry, is greater than 35% of the IMS Institute’s total realization. Cooperation includes more than a thousand entities (from large public enterprises and large private companies to medium and small enterprises and entrepreneurs). Implemented projects, studies, reports, and expert opinions are numerous and are kept in the IMS Institute archive.
Dr. Zagorka Radojević has established international cooperation with the scientific institute Technical and Test Institute for Construction Prague (TZUS), Czech Republic, and the Certification Institute in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, in the field of assessment and verification of the performance of construction products. Also, Dr. Zagorka Radojević has exceptionally successful international cooperation with colleagues from the scientific institute ZAG, Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Institute of Civil Engineering, Banja Luka, IGH, Zagreb (Osijek branch), and other institutes.
Dr. Zagorka Radojević has established cooperation with related faculties in the country and abroad, higher and secondary schools, in proposing and implementing numerous research and market projects, as well as staff education, especially in the implementation of experimental research (in the laboratories she manages).
In parallel with recognized professional achievements, Dr. Zagorka Radojević also successfully engaged in scientific research work, as evidenced by her scientific papers and scientific titles: research associate in 1992; scientific associate in 1998; senior scientific associate in 2003; and principal research fellow in 2008 (decision no. 06-00-69/580 dated 08.10.2008). In her scientific research work to date, as author or co-author, Dr. Zagorka Radojević has published 3 monographic chapters of international significance; 60 papers in international journals of category M20; 78 papers at international conferences; 62 papers in national journals and presented at conferences; 36 technical solutions and more than 300 professional projects and studies. In total, internationally available papers have been cited 491 times (h-index is 13), and excluding self-citations 351 times, while the h-index was 11 (source: SCOPUS as of 18.05.2022). The number of citations excluding self-citations by all authors is 283 (h-index is 9). At the same time, she worked on training young staff. She was a member of committees for the defense of 3 master's theses and 1 doctorate, and co-mentor of 2 doctorates. Dr. Zagorka Radojević participated as a member and president of committees for election and re-election to professional and scientific research titles.
She was also a member and president of committees during internship exams of candidates from the IMS Institute construction ceramics laboratory. As head of scientific research projects or as head of organizational units (laboratory, center, and IMS Institute), she was involved in the preparation, implementation, and mentoring (within IMS) of more than 5 doctoral dissertations.
Dr. Zagorka Radojević’s research areas are: non-metallic mineral raw materials, bentonite activation processes, anionic clays, traditional ceramic materials, development and design of technological processes for construction ceramics production, research, optimization and design of raw material mixtures based on primary and secondary raw materials for the production of multifunctional structural materials, modeling and optimization of drying processes of brick products. The research emphasis was on increasing the energy efficiency of industrial plants for the production of brick products as well as production of lightweight elements with improved thermal characteristics. She published the results of her scientific work in numerous highly ranked international journals. The high citation rate of her papers is the best indicator of the significant progress Dr. Zagorka Radojević has achieved in her field both nationally and internationally. She participated in research on many strategic development projects that belonged to: basic research, technological development, and interdisciplinary and innovation projects. In three project cycles she led subprojects, and in two project cycles she was project manager. She has participated and participates in the work of numerous domestic and international professional associations: Serbian Chemical Society – ceramics section since 1981, Yugoslav / Serbian Ceramic Society since 1997 (member of the European Ceramic Society) since 2002, member of the Society for Testing and Research of Materials and Structures of Serbia since 2001 (distinguished member since 2008, member of the Management Board and vice president of the society since 2011, honorary member since 2014, president of the association in 2021), member of the International Association for the Study of Clays since 1998, president of the Standardization Institute commission for masonry structures from 2007 to 2019. She participated in the organization of numerous scientific and professional conferences, both in organizational and program committees. She performed reviews for numerous SCI-listed journals, as well as domestic and international projects and studies.
Current positions: member of the Executive Board, Director of the Materials Center, Head of the Construction Ceramics Laboratory, Chief Engineer, Head of the Technical Assessment Body, authorized person for evaluation, authorized person for waste characterization, responsible person of the IMS Institute as a designated laboratory for performance assessment of clay roof tiles and fittings, and concrete roof tiles and fittings, and ceramic tiles. Responsible person for carrying out actions in the procedure of assessment and verification of constancy of performance of clay masonry elements, calcium-silicate masonry elements, and clay blocks for semi-prefabricated ribbed floor structures at the IMS Institute
Prof. Dr. Dragica Jevtić
President of DIMK Serbia · 2014–2020
Prof. Dr. Dragica (Ljubomira) Jevtić was born in 1949 in Belgrade, where she completed primary school, as well as the Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium. She graduated from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, in 1974.
After graduation, she was employed at the Military Technical Institute in Belgrade on 04/11/1974, and from 01/09/1977 continuously, until retirement, she worked at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade.
She completed her postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade and defended her master's thesis in 1985. She defended her doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, in 1995.
She was elected to the position of assistant professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade in 1998, to associate professor on 12/06/2003, and to full professor on 13/05/2008.
She was engaged in the following courses:
Building Materials 1 (2nd semester of undergraduate studies)
Building Materials 2 (3rd semester of undergraduate studies)
Contemporary Materials in Civil Engineering (5th semester – elective course)
Contemporary Materials in Civil Engineering (master's studies – elective course)
In doctoral studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Belgrade (from 2007 to 2016), she taught the course Contemporary Building Materials and Their Application.
Within teaching activities, she was also engaged at the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Banja Luka (from 2000 to 2010) in the following courses:
Building Materials 1 (civil engineering department)
Building Materials 2 (civil engineering department)
Materials in Architecture (architecture department)
Within scientific research work, she participated in 16 projects, and was the head of technological development project TR 16014 titled:
“Development and application of improved-performance concrete made on the basis of inorganic and organic binders for the purpose of technical-technological advancement of domestic structural engineering.”
To date, she has published more than 320 papers, of which:
19 monographic works
50 papers of international significance
over 40 papers in domestic and international journals
over 130 papers in conference and symposium proceedings
Since 2001 she has been a technical expert, and from 2011 to the present a technical assessor of the Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS), since 2008 of the Accreditation Body of Montenegro, and since 2017 of the Croatian Accreditation Agency.
She is a member of numerous professional and scientific associations:
Yugoslav Society for Testing and Research of Materials and Structures (JUDIMK), now DIMK
Society of Chemists and Technologists
Serbian Chemical Society
Yugoslav Society of Civil Structural Engineers (now DGKS)
Association of Societies of Engineers and Technicians of Belgrade
Society for Materials Research
Serbian Society for Mechanics
For her work in professional organizations, she received a charter from the Association of Societies of Engineers and Technicians of Belgrade (1979). At the 22nd JUDIMK Congress, she received the diploma of distinguished member of JUDIMK (now DIMK) in 2005, and in 2022, the charter of distinguished member of the Association of Engineers and Technicians of Serbia.
Since 2005, she has been a member of the JUDIMK (now DIMK) Managing Board; in the period 2008–2011 she was Vice President of DIMK Serbia, and from 2014 to 2020 President of DIMK Serbia.
She was a member of the Supervisory Board of the Association of Civil Engineers of Serbia.
Since 2007, she has been a member of the Institute for Standardization Commission in the field of masonry structures (KS U125).
From 2011 until retirement, she was a member of the Parent Scientific Committee for Materials and Chemical Technologies within the Ministry of Education and Science.
She is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal “Protection of Materials”.
Since 2021, she has been the editor-in-chief and responsible editor of the publication “Civil Engineering Calendar”.
Prof. Dr. Zoran Grdić
President of DIMK Serbia · 2011–2014
Zoran Grdić was born in 1959 and completed his entire education in Niš. He graduated in 1983 from the Building Construction Department at the Faculty of Civil Engineering. He began his professional career as a site manager on residential buildings in the “New City Center” in Bor. At the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, where he has worked since February 1986, he progressed through all academic ranks, from assistant to full professor. He earned a Master of Technical Sciences degree in 1994 and obtained his PhD in 2001. During his work at his home faculty, he held practical classes and lectures in about ten courses in the narrow scientific field of construction materials and concrete technology at all levels of study. He was a mentor in three dissertations and a member of six committees for dissertation evaluation and defense. He is the author and co-author of six textbooks and supplementary textbooks, four monographs, and twenty papers in journals with an impact factor. He is also the author and co-author of more than one hundred seventy papers in other journals and scientific meetings of international and national importance. Together with associates, he also provided two technical solutions (more about everything at www.npao.ni.ac.rs/gradevinsko‑arhitektonski‑fakultet/39‑zoran‑grdic).
In the period from 1992 to the present, he has participated in the implementation of ten domestic and international scientific research projects. He reviewed three textbooks and one monograph, eighteen papers in journals in category M21a, and more than forty papers in journals with lower categories and an impact factor. Within publishing activities, he worked as editor of two journals of national importance and was editor of four proceedings from international symposia. He was also a member of a large number of organizational, program, and scientific committees of international and domestic symposia and conferences.
He has been a member of the DIMK Society of Serbia since the 1990s, and in the period 2011–2014 he was also the Society’s president. For his contribution to the work of the DIMKS society, he received a distinguished member charter in 2005, an honorary member charter in 2008, and letters of appreciation in 2022.
Prof. Dr. Vlastimir Radonjanin
President of DIMK Serbia · 2008–2011
Prof. Vlastimir Radonjanin was a full professor at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, until 2022, after which he was appointed Director of the Institute for Testing, Condition Assessment, and Rehabilitation of Structures.
Prof. Radonjanin has held several high-level academic positions, including: Head of the Civil Engineering study program, Head of the specialist academic studies program “Energy Efficiency in Buildings,” Head of doctoral academic studies in Civil Engineering, Director of the Department of Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Head of the Chair of Building Materials, Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation of Structures, and Head of the Laboratory for Testing Materials and Structures. He played an important role in developing higher education curricula, as one of the creators of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies in Civil Engineering, and as the founder of the first specialist academic program in the field of Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Serbia. In addition, he introduced numerous innovative courses in Civil Engineering and Architecture programs at several universities in the region.
Prof. Radonjanin led or participated in more than 30 national and international scientific and research projects, including Erasmus, IPA–Interreg, EUREKA, COST, and bilateral initiatives. His research expertise and professional engagement include the fields of testing, condition assessment and rehabilitation of structures, building materials, concrete technology, and sustainable construction.
He is the author or co-author of more than 450 scientific papers published in national and international journals and conference proceedings, including more than 30 in SCI-indexed journals, with more than 2,700 citations. His scientific papers have received international recognition, including the “Best Conference Paper” award at the 20th International Conference "Architectural, Civil and Environmental Engineering" (Stockholm, 2018) and the “Best Research Paper” award at the International Conference "Structural Faults and Repair" (Edinburgh, 2012). In 2007, he received the First Prize for the best scientific innovation in Serbia for the project “New Waterproof Barrier for Masonry Structures,” awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Serbia.
He currently serves as President of the Commission for Concrete, Reinforced Concrete, and Prestressed Concrete at the Institute for Standardization of Serbia, as well as President of the Novi Sad Society of Civil Engineers. He has also served as President of the Serbian Society for Testing and Research of Materials and Structures and President of the Supervisory Board of the Engineering Chamber of Serbia. He has been a member or chair of numerous scientific and organizing committees of national and international conferences.