Academic Profile

About the Researcher

Biography, academic positions, research interests, teaching, and professional profile, with links to research topics in health sociology, political sociology, youth studies, climate literacy, volunteering, and comparative survey research.

Academic Profile

I am Full Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, Slovenia.

My research focuses on political participation and polarization, health sociology, vaccine hesitancy and health literacy, youth and social inequalities, environmental attitudes and behaviour, cultural participation, volunteering, and comparative social research.

My research is predominantly quantitative and includes cross-national comparative studies and longitudinal panel research. I use methods including multilevel modelling, structural equation modelling, cross-lagged panel analysis, mediation and moderation analysis, latent profile analysis, and other quantitative approaches suited to the research questions I investigate.

I received my PhD in Sociology from the University of Maribor in 2011. I have led and participated in research projects funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), ministries of the Republic of Slovenia, and international research programmes.

My recent research has appeared in journals including Social Science & Medicine, Political Studies, European Journal of Public Health, International Journal of Sociology, Journal of Youth Studies, Frontiers in Psychology, Vaccines, Foods, and Sustainable Futures.


Academic Positions

  • 2025 – present
    Full Professor of Sociology
    Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor
  • 2017 – 2025
    Associate Professor of Sociology
    Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor
  • 2012 – 2017
    Assistant Professor of Sociology
    Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor
  • 2011
    PhD in Sociology
    University of Maribor

Courses

At the University of Maribor, I teach courses including Sociology of Health and Illness, Slovenian Society, Writing Scientific Texts, Introduction to Scientific Research, Political Sociology, Politics and Social Change, Youth and Politics, Sociology of Pandemics, and Sociological Perspectives on Parenting Styles.


Research Interests

Methodological Expertise

Multilevel Modelling Structural Equation Modelling Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis Mediation & Moderation Analysis Latent Profile Analysis Longitudinal Panel Design Cross-National Comparison Secondary Data Analysis Psychometric Validation Discrete Choice Experiments Systematic Review