Milica Nikolić was born on January 16, 1990, in Niš, Serbia. In 2009 she enrolled in bachelor academic studies in Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš. She completed her bachelor studies within in 2012, achieving a grade point average of 9.69. In the same year, she enrolled in master’s academic studies in Chemistry at the same faculty.

From February 15 to March 15, 2013, she carried out research at the Environmental Research Laboratory of the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, as part of a master’s student exchange within the TEMPUS project “Modernisation of Postgraduate Studies in Chemistry and Chemistry-Related Programmes.” She completed her master’s studies in 2014 with a grade point average of 9.95. Her master’s thesis, entitled “Synthesis and Spectral Characterization of a New Library of 1-(1H-1-phenyl-3-ferrocenylpyrazol-4-yl)-1-alkanols and Their 3-Phenyl Analogues,” was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Niko Radulović and defended with the highest grade (10).

During her undergraduate and master’s studies, she was awarded the prestigious “Dositeja” scholarship, granted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia to the best students nationwide (academic years 2010/11 and 2012/13).

In 2014, she enrolled in doctoral studies at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, which she completed in 2022 with a perfect grade point average (10.00). She defended her PhD dissertation entitled “The Influence of Mg(II), Ca(II), and Cu(II) Ions on the Formation and Characteristics of Prolonged Autoxidation of Selected Phenolic Compounds in Basic Aqueous Solutions,” under the supervision of Dr. Nenad Krstić.

She is the recipient of several awards, including a Special Recognition from the Serbian Chemical Society for outstanding academic achievement (December 2013), the Nenad M. Kostić Foundation Award for the best master’s thesis in chemistry at universities in Serbia (academic year 2013/14), and the “Ana Bjeletić and Ivan Marković” Foundation Award for the best student of the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš (academic year 2013/14).

Participation in research and outreach projects:

• “Combinatorial Libraries of Heterogeneous Catalysts, Natural Products, Modified Natural Products, and Their Analogues: A Pathway to New Biologically Active Agents” (OI 172061), March 2015 – December 2019

• The Road to Friday of Science – ReFocuS (H2020-MSCA-NIGHT-2016-ReFocuS-722341)

• The Road to Friday of Science – ReFocuS 2.9 (818325-H2020-MSCA-NIGHT-2016)

• The Road to Friday of Science – ReFocuS 3.0 (955020-H2020-MSCA-NIGHT-2020)

• Integrated Cross-Sectorial Solutions to Micro- and Nanoplastic Pollution in Soil and Groundwater Ecosystems (PlasticUnderground, HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN)

From February 2017 to December 2022, she worked as a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš.

Since December 2022, she has been employed as an Assistant Professor at the Chair of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš.