Katja Adam, PhD

Katja Adam studied Biology at the University of Ljubljana, where she graduated in 2009. Her undergraduate thesis investigated the distribution and seasonal activity of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, in coastal Slovenia. In 2010, she completed additional courses required for the qualification of a Biology teacher. In 2018, defended her PhD thesis entitled Dispersal capacity of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), an invasive species in Slovenia at the University of Maribor.

She began her professional career at the University of Primorska in 2010. Today, Katja Adam is an Assistant Professor at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies (UP FAMNIT), where she is involved in teaching and research in the fields of biodiversity, conservation biology and medical entomology. Her research focuses primarily on mosquitoes, sandflies and ticks with particular emphasis on vector ecology, invasive mosquito species, surveillance of vectors and vector-borne pathogens, and the effects of environmental and climatic changes on vector distribution and disease transmission.

She has extensive experience in field-based research and nationwide vector surveillance, particularly of invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus and Aedes koreicus. Her research has also expanded to sand flies, ticks and vector-borne pathogens. Her work combines field ecology, species identification, molecular approaches, surveillance and applied research relevant to public health and biodiversity conservation.

She has participated in numerous national and international research and capacity-building projects, including Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, COST, INTERREG and Erasmus+ projects. She is also actively involved in communicating scientific findings to the public and has contributed to television, radio, newspaper and online interviews, as well as documentary productions concerning mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases. In 2024, she received the Promoter of Science Award, awarded by the Slovenian Science Foundation for her contribution to the promotion and communication of science.

Katja Adam has contributed to international expert meetings and professional initiatives concerning invasive mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases. Her international experience includes participation in activities and expert meetings organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and European research networks.

Her current research activities include the national project Monitoring of vector-borne pathogens in vectors in Slovenia, the Horizon Europe project CLIMOS – Climate Monitoring and Decision Support Framework for Sand Fly-borne Diseases Detection and Mitigation, and the INTERREG project Kras4us – Opportunities for Preserving the Biodiversity and Identity of the Karst.

In addition to her research activities, Katja Adam has extensive teaching experience at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. She teaches subjects related to conservation biology, biodiversity, bioinformatics and nature conservation and has supervised and mentored students and she is the coordinator of the of the Nature Conservation master’s programme.