Fields of research
Demography; public health; ethics, philanthropy: artificial intelligence: computational social science
Current research projects
Artificial Intelligence in Serbia; Green Transition in Serbia
Biography
The year of receiving the highest degree of professional qualification Ph.D. 2022.
Marko Galjak was born in Smederevo, where he completed elementary and high school. During his third year of high school, he co-founded the youth non-governmental organization “Creative Youth Network – EIDOS” with his peers. The organization aimed to improve the position of young people in the local community through informal education programs and strengthen their influence on the decision-making process. After finishing high school, Marko pursued a degree in demography at the Faculty of Geography in Belgrade. In March 2011, he defended his diploma thesis, which explored the state’s attitude towards demographic dynamics using the United States of America as an example. After completing his basic studies, he worked on various youth education projects through his non-governmental organization. Marko then enrolled in a master’s degree in demography at the same faculty, which he finished in October 2014 after defending his thesis on mortality in Serbia and the European Union, which was recognized as the best master’s thesis in the study group. In the same year, he began his doctoral studies at the Faculty of Geography and worked as a demonstrator, teaching students of the Tourismology study program in two subjects: Business Statistics and Computer Science. He enrolled in another master’s degree in Computing in Social Sciences at the University of Belgrade and attended both doctoral and master’s studies in parallel during 2016, while still managing to pass all exams within the deadline with an average grade of 10. Marko received his second master’s degree in January 2017 after finishing his thesis on the application of the R programming language in computer analysis of social networks, using the example of the 2016 elections in Serbia. In 2017, Marko joined the Catalyst Balkans as a Data Scientist, combining his passion for data analysis and activism. Since July 2018, he has been working at the Institute of Social Sciences. In July 2022, Marko successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on Premature mortality in Serbia at the Faculty of Geography of the University of Belgrade. Currently, he is working as a Research Associate at the Institute of Social Sciences.
Membership of professional organisations
Association of Demographers of Serbia
European Research Network on Philanthropy
Scholarships, fellowships, grants
– Predupredimo (2021-2022), Open Society Foundations, Serbia
– Alternative Energy in Serbia? – “Yes, but Not in My Backyard!” (2022-2023), Open Society Foundations, Serbia
Work in education
2014–2015 Demonstrator, Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade
Major publications
Galjak, M., & Marinković, I. (2023). Discrepancies between preliminary and final COVID-19 mortality data—The case of Serbia. Annals of Epidemiology, 84, 41–47.
Marinković, I., Tramošljanin, A., & Galjak, M. (2023). Assessing the availability and quality of COVID-19 mortality data in Europe: A comparative analysis. European Journal of Public Health, ckad088.
Rašević, M., & Galjak, M. (2022). Demographic Challenges in Serbia. In E. Manić, V. Nikitović, & P. Djurović (eds.), The Geography of Serbia: Nature, People, Economy (pp. 143–155). Springer International Publishing.
Budić, M., Galjak, M., & Rakić, V. (2021). What drives public attitudes towards moral bioenhancement and why it matters: An exploratory study. BMC Medical Ethics, 22(1), 163.
Galjak, M. (2018). East-west demographic divide in the EU: A regional overview. Stanovnistvo, 56(2), 1–21.
