Jasna Rakonjac

Jasna Rakonjac is a New Zealand microbiologist, and is a full professor at Massey University, specialising in the biology and structure of bacteriophages, and the development of technology for use in veterinary, medical, and agriculture fields. Rakonjac has founded two biotechnology spin-out companies.

Academic career

Rakonjac was born in Serbia, and travelled to the US for a Fulbright Fellowship in New York. Rakonjac completed Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in molecular biology and biochemistry at the University of Belgrade, and then a PhD in biomedical sciences at the Rockefeller University.

Research Rakonjac specialises in the biology and structure of bacteriophages, and the development of technology for use in veterinary, medical, and agriculture fields. Rakonjac invented a new technology for the production of nanorods from bacteriophages, and is the recipient of several MBIE-funded grants to explore antibiotic resistance, develop diagnostic tests for COVID-19 and develop the nanorods production system. while Nanophage Technologies, a collaboration with BridgeWest Ventures, is developing technology for diagnostic tests and delivery of vaccines.

Rakonjac led the redesign of the microbiology degree at Massey.

Selected works