Boris Radosavljević

How to say Radosavljević

I often get asked how to pronounce my last name. It's a fairly common name where I'm from and not as hard as it looks!

Serbo-Croatian has 30 letters, each representing a single sound, and everything is spelled the way it’s pronounced. Some letters are digraphs—two symbols making one sound. One of these is “LJ”, which sounds a bit like the “li” in battalion.

So, here’s the trick: just ignore the J after the L and you’ll be close enough.

Radosavljević
Ra-do-sav-le-vich

I am a global nomad. I was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, moving to Serbia, spending formative years in Germany, and completing high school and higher education in the United States. This multicultural path shaped my adaptability, broadened my perspective, and gave me fluency in multiple languages. It also laid the foundation for a flexible, international career in science and technology.

I chose to study geology in part because it is hands-on science that leads to an understanding of our place in the cosmos. It is both a science of the past and a tool for building a sustainable future. It explores how Earth's systems interact, and reveals the feedback loops between natural processes and societal development. Virtually all of humanity’s challenges - climate change, resource scarcity, natural hazards - are rooted in our relationship with the Earth. During my geology studies, I worked as a student assistant for the Coastal Research Laboratory at the University of South Florida. In this role, our team monitored beach profile changes, installed GPS benchmarks, conducted hydrographic surveys, and utilized remote sensing, sediment core analyses, and geophysical tools to study hurricane impacts.

I then earned a degree in environmental science, deepening my understanding of the complex dynamics between ecosystems and human impact. My project centered on the application of geospatial information systems (GIS) and sediment core analyses. Together, these disciplines shaped my interdisciplinary approach to solving real-world problems - through fieldwork, data analysis, visualisation, and the thoughtful use of technology.

The pressures of climate change and sea-level rise are most acute in coastal environments. I’ve focused my research on sensitive coastal environments, in order to develop solutions and tools that are relevant to stakeholders concerned with adaptation and resilience.

That path brought me back to Germany, where I pursued a PhD at the Alfred Wegener Institute. The experience of conducting fieldwork in the Arctic, a remote and highly climate-sensitive region, left a lasting impression, both in terms of scientific insight and a deeper appreciation for the connection between people and their land. I investigated shoreline change using remote sensing techniques and collected geophysical data in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, including shallow seismic profiles, multibeam bathymetry, and sidescan imagery. The logistical and environmental challenges were considerable, but they only strengthened my ability to work independently and solve problems in the field. Although I ultimately did not complete the degree, I gained a great deal and met my future wife in Potsdam. 

Since then, I have gained experience in research data management and GIS and I obtained a data scientist certificate in Python, further enhancing my skill set. I now live in Amsterdam with my wife and our wonderful little boy. We are renovating our house and I look forward to eventually get back to my hobbies: building furniture or upcycling street finds, 3D printing, small electronics projects, hiking, cooking, and reading. 

Since I can remember, I’ve felt at home outdoors: hiking, foraging in the forests of Bosnia, and camping with friends and family. That early connection to nature made geology a natural fit. It allowed me to turn curiosity about the Earth into hands-on exploration.

When I began studying geology, I joined the Coastal Research Lab, where I spent four years gaining practical field experience. I took part in campaigns studying hurricane impacts using sediment cores and ground-penetrating radar, monitored shoreline change with GPS, and mapped nearshore and river environments using single-beam sonar. I also learned standard sedimentology methods and helped maintain and improve field equipment.

That experience laid a solid foundation for my master’s research in Texas. There, I designed sampling setups, conducted geodetic surveys, and analyzed wetland sediment cores using gamma spectroscopy and laser diffractometry. Arctic expeditions during my PhD further expanded my field skills, combining remote logistics, geophysical surveying, and teamwork in challenging high-latitude environments.

Across all of these experiences, I’ve found the most satisfaction and motivation in three things: working with people, collecting data, and using it to solve real-world problems.

• Planned and executed field campaigns independently and in multidisciplinary teams

• Participated in planning and coordination of two Arctic expeditions

• Comfortable operating in remote, rugged conditions with limited resources

• Skilled in troubleshooting, adapting tools in the field, and maintaining technical equipment

• See my scientific publications on ORCID

• Organization of Coastal Permafrost in Transition workshop at ICOP2016

• Organized series of online trainings

• Worked in interdisciplinary teams (e.g. GeoDataNode, INTERACT, APECS, ECRA)

• Presented results in scientific journals and conference contributions

• Created maps, reports, and visual products for stakeholders and researchers

Looking ahead, I want to continue growing as a professional by building on my experience in coastal science, field surveying, and data analysis to address more complex and applied challenges. I am especially interested in expanding my skill-set in coastal and hydrodynamic modeling using Delft3D, and in learning more about risk analyses related to flooding, erosion, and critical infrastructure.

I also hope to expand my expertise to locating underwater infrastructure in challenging environments by using geophysical tools combined with efficient workflows. Additionally, I would like to advance my drone piloting skills and gain hands-on experience in drone photogrammetry and LiDAR data processing.

Above all, I hope to work  with and learn from experienced colleagues, apply my knowledge to real-world problems in a collarborative setting.

If you have questions about my work, are curious about a project, or would like to explore a potential collaboration, feel free to get in touch! The contact details are included in the CV. 

I look forward to hearing from you!!!