Damir Valić

Scientific Advisor

Damir Valić was born in Split on October 9, 1976. He received his primary and secondary education in Split. At the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, University of Zagreb in the academic year 1995/1996. yr. he enrolled in the study of of Biology, which he completed in 2001. In the same year he enrolled in the postgraduate study of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. He received his master’s degree in 2006, and defended his doctoral dissertation entitled “Phylogeny of fish from the subfamily Leuciscinae (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) based on the analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes” on July 15, 2010 at the University of Zagreb (mentors: Dr. Emin Teskeredžić and Prof. V. Besendorfer, PhD) and thus obtained the academic degree of Doctor of Science. He joined the Laboratory for Aquaculture at the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split in June 2001, and since April 2004 he has been employed in Zagreb as a Research Fellow in the Laboratory for Aquaculture Research and Development of the Institute for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Institute Boskovic. Since March 2021, he has been working as a research associate in the Laboratory for Biological Effects of Metals of the Institute for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute.

In 2013, Damir Valić was elected to the scientific title and the position of research associate. Actively participates in the organization and teaching: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, postgraduate specialist study, subject: Applied fish forensics (2014-2017); and undergraduate study, elective course: Fisheries (2016–2021).

As a project leader, from 2015 to 2021, for the Ministry of Agriculture, Directorate of Fisheries, he led “Implementation of the Program for monitoring the situation in freshwater fisheries, Group C – fishing area of the Cup”, HRK 1,260,000.00; as well as for HEP Proizvodnja d.o.o., Sector for Hydropower Plants, PP HE ZAPAD, HPP Gojak – main power plant: 2015, 2017, 2019-2021, he led “Monitoring of fish in the reservoir according to special conditions from the permit”, HRK 300,000.00;

As an associate, he has been involved in about 15 scientific projects since 2001, two of which are active HRZZ projects: IP-2019-04-2636 – Biomolecules that bind metals and health disorders in freshwater organisms exposed to industrial waste (METABIOM – leader dr Zrinke Dragun, PhD) and IP-2020-02-8502 – Integrated assessment of the response of aquatic organisms to metal exposure: gene expression, bioavailability, toxicity and biomarker responses (BIOTOXMET – leader Vlatka Filipović Marijić, PhD). He is also a collaborator on the active Interreg project with Italy 10248782 – Blue technology – Developing innovative technologies for the sustainability of the Adriatic Sea (InnovaMare, leader Neven Cukrov, PhD).

In 2014, he was a member of the organizing committee for the International scientific workshop “Influence of active mines on freshwater ecosystems” at the RBI. He is a member of the Croatian Ichthyological Society, Croatian Botanical Society, Scientific Council of the Institute for Marine and Environmental Research of the RBI, organizing committee ZS3V at the RBI in 2011. He is the co-author of two award-winning posters at international congresses; held an invited lecture “Farmed Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in Eastern Adriatic: Seasonal and regional differences in parasitofauna” at AQUA 2102 Global Aquaculture, Securing our future, Prague, Czech Republic. He is a reviewer for nine international scientific journals (Science of the Total Environment, Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, Croatian Journal of Fisheries, African Journal of Biotechnology, Diversity, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, Sustainability, Water and Hydrobiologia). He is a member of the Reviewer Board for the journal Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888) and a member of the Editorial Board for the Research International Journal of Energy & Environmental Sciences. He is an evaluator for national scientific projects – the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia. He is a member of the committee for writing the Law on Freshwater Fisheries as well as the committee for management plans at the Ministry of Agriculture. He has a LabANIM course for working with laboratory animals, is a permanent court expert and the leader and mentor of doctoral student Tomislav Kralj.

He co-authored chapter in the book, published over 200 scientific, professional papers and studies, 27 original scientific papers cited in the WOS database, 188 citations, h-index = 8. He has participated in more than 50 national and international conferences.

Field of scientific work: diagnostics of marine and freshwater fish diseases; cytogenetic and molecular research of freshwater fish; systematics and phylogeny of freshwater fish; freshwater ecology; invasive species and the preparation of fisheries economic studies and monitoring.

In his work he uses an electric generator for fishing, has a certificate of competency for a boat leader (1997), is a breath diving instructor (AIDA, 2012), has passed a diving course (DIVE MASTER, 2019) and has a driver’s license A and B. categories.

Project function:

He is the leader and coordinator of the project “Improving cooperation between fishermen and scientists in order to introduce advanced technologies for marking fishing gear, fish health protection and environmental protection”, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia under measure 1.3. (Partnership between scientists and fishermen).