About us
Sports Management and Sociology Lab is an innovative, forward-thinking multidisciplinary research unit within Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. It was created as a result of the enthusiasm and successful teaching and research cooperation of professors whose affiliation is primarily rooted into social sciences.
The Lab is dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of sports and its impact on society. Our lab is committed to advancing the understanding of the sociological and managerial dimensions of sports through innovative research, analysis and collaboration.
Our Mission
Our mission is to explore the complex sports’ context from compatible social sciences perspectives. We aim to contribute valuable insights that inform interested researchers, sport sciences students, employees in the sport sector and decision makers in sport, in order to enrich the overall experience of sport for both individuals and communities.
Research Methods
We employ a variety of research methods, including quantitative and qualitative analyses, surveys, interviews, case studies, and observational research. Our team of dedicated researchers collaborates with experts in their respective fields to ensure the highest quality research output.
Our Team
The lab consists of senior and junior professors, doctoral students, as well as external international researchers.
Ivana M. Milovanovic
HEAD OF THE LAB
Ivana M. Milovanovic, PhD is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, where she teaches sociology and sociology of sport. Her research interests encompass a wide range of topics, including sports, youth sports, everyday life, gender equality, family dynamics, parenting, social inclusion, peer violence, ethnic conflicts, and forced migrations. Her methodological expertise is qualitative methodology. In addition to her teaching and research roles, she had the opportunity to serve as a visiting professor at universities in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. Her academic contributions extend to the publication of two monographs, two textbooks, and several dozen scientific articles in international and Serbian scientific journals and conference proceedings. She has been actively engaged in research projects funded by European, regional, national, and provincial sources, and she has experience as a project leader, researcher, and consultant.
Radenko M. Matic
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Radenko Matic holds a Ph.D. in sports sciences from the University of Novi Sad (Serbia), where he is currently an Associate Professor of Sport Management. His current research includes sports, leisure, and tourism management and marketing. He is involved as a team member in several projects, such as ERASMUS+ Sport, Strategic Erasmus Partnership, and bilateral, national, and provincial projects. He is a local coordinator within the Central European Exchange Program for University Studies (CEEPUS). Dr. Matić realized teaching mobility classes as a Visiting CEEPUS Lecturer at the University of Physical Education, Budapest (Hungary), and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro). His academic contributions include one book, more than 100 published scientific papers in national and international journals and conferences, memberships in editorial boards, and reviewer activities in several international and domestic journals. He manages a sports center with outdoor and indoor facilities, an organizational part of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad.
Brigita Banjac
Ph.D.
Brigita Banjac is a PhD and a Research Assistant at the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad. She finished her BSc in 2018 and MSc in 2019 for Physical Education and Sports at the abovementioned faculty in Serbia. Her research interests cover social sciences in the sports field, aggression, interpersonal violence, and the everyday life of the social actors in the sports domain. She had an opportunity to participate in the CEEPUS student exchange program at the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Primorska in Slovenia for six months during the academic year 2021/2022. So far, she has attended three training schools and one doctoral school and has presented at several national and international meetings and conferences. She has published several scientific papers in national and international journals.
Stevo Popovic
FULL PROFESSOR
10+ years’ experience with particular focus on planning, conducting, and evaluating research studies dealing with health and exercise, which also include clinical trials. As a sports and exercise scientist I use knowledge of how the body works to help people improve their health and sporting ability at large. However, I have also profound insight into physical anthropology, and I understand the complexity of how physical activity affect the human body and its composition; but, also into social anthropology that helps to understand the social side of the same issues. With a background as a Ph.D. from the University of Novi Sad and postdoc from the University of Ljubljana, as well as a teacher and research at the
University of Montenegro, I have achieved the following key competencies: knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses, project and data management, study design expertise, excellent communication skills, and dissemination skills in both written and oral etc. I currently hold several leading positions in the national and international projects, as well as leading roles and memberships in the governing bodies of professional and scientific organizations.
My friends describe me as tenacious, detail oriented, and successful who is a very determined and highly motivated person. I do take my job seriously but I’m able to see things in perspective and believe I’m quite easy-going to work with. I am an optimist rather than a pessimist – but I am also a realist and I cope well when the going gets tough – I am very good at finding solutions to problems. Above all, I would say I am an honest, positive and enthusiastic person – and I relish a challenge.
- ORCID
- Email: stevop@ucg.ac.me
Saša Pišot
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Saša Pišot, PhD, is a sociologist, research fellow and assistant professor at the Institute for Kinesiology Research at the Science and Research Centre Koper, Slovenia.
Her research focuses on topics related to sports sociology, more specifically on social factors in shaping lifestyles and their influence on the physical performance of certain population groups (elderly, children and youth, women) and other social phenomena related to kinesiology.
In her career, she has taught applied kinesiology at the University of Primorska, social gerontology at the University Alma Mater Europaea in Maribor, Slovenia, and in 2019 was a visiting professor at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia). She has published over 30 original scientific articles and reviews in renowned international scientific journals (over 700 WOS and Scopus citations) and regularly presents her research at international conferences.
She is currently involved in several national and European research projects (Erasmus +, HORIZON 2020). In addition, she has moderated several public events and round tables and was a president of the organising committee of the “Child in motion” conference 2021 and 2023. She is a member of several professional societies: European Association for Sociology of Sport, Slovenian Society of Kinesiology, Slovenian Association of Ski Instructor and Trainers and since 2021 she is a field editor of the scientific journal Annales Kinesiologiae and from 2023 a member of the Commission for Equal Opportunities in the Field of Science at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.
Email: sasa.pisot@zrs-kp.si
Emanuele Isidori
FULL PROFESSOR
Emanuele Isidori is a Full Professor in General, Social, and Sports Pedagogy at the University of Rome Foro Italico, Italy. He holds two PhDs, one in Educational Sciences from the University of Perugia, Italy, and another in Physical Activity and Health from Alfonso X University, Spain. His extensive education also includes multiple master’s degrees in diverse areas like E-Learning, Adult Education, Teaching Italian Language and Culture to Foreigners, International Relations, Counseling, and Geographical Studies. In Spain, Isidori is qualified as a Profesor Catedrático de Universidad. At his primary university, he leads the General Pedagogy Laboratory and serves as Vice-Rector for International Relations and Staff Training. He is also an active member of the NADO Italy Committee for Education, Anti-Doping Training, and Research. Internationally, Isidori is a permanently Professor at New Vision University in Tbilisi, Georgia, a DAAD scholarship researcher, and a guest lecturer at various institutions, including the International Olympic Academy in Greece. He has also held a visiting professorship at California State University Long Beach’s Department of Kinesiology in the USA. Isidori is an accomplished author with over 300 publications in pedagogy, philosophy, and sports ethics, contributing significantly to the field of Sports Studies and earning multiple awards for his research. He is involved in teaching at doctoral levels at his university and collaborates with sports science doctoral programs at UCAM, Spain, and Babes-Bolyai University, Romania. Additionally, he oversees editorial duties for various text series and scientific journals in Educational Sciences and Sports Studies.
Email: labopedagogia@gmail.com
Ana Penjak
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Ana Penjak is a teacher of English language and literature and Italian language and literature. She holds a Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary fields (humanities and social sciences). Her doctoral thesis was on the female body as means of communication in William Shakespeare’s tragedies.
Ana is an associate professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Croatia. Since 2018, she has been appointed Head of the International Relations Office and Chair of her Department. Ana’s prime interest focuses on addressing female body in literary texts and in sports context. Today, her scholarly interests focus more on language-related issues, i.e. on investigating English for specific purposes in a sports context. She is currently working on a manual for English for specific purposes for sports and exercise science students. She has published 50 scientific articles, published one book (On Female Body in Context, 2022), co-edited two book publications (Arthur Maria Steijn, Ana Penjak, and Celia Morgan (eds.), Staged Experiences, BRILL, 2019; Michael Heitkemper-Yates and Ana Penjak (eds.), The Practice of Narrative: Storytelling in a Global Context, BRILL, 2019) and participated in more than 22 international conferences. Ana speaks three languages: English (C2), Italian (C2), and French (B1).
Email: ana.penjak@kifst.eu
Nikola Andrić
YOUNG RESEARCHER
Nikola Andrić is a PhD student at the FSPE UNS, under the mentorship of prof. dr Marko Stojanović. He worked as a teaching assistant for the Theory of Sports Training from 2022 to 2023, before transitioning to the role of young researcher in 2024. He’s been a part of “Training Expertise” since 2019 where he specialized in reconditioning, sports performance, and injury prevention. His research interest also focuses on the social dynamics of coaches and athletes and how the coach-athlete interaction shapes the training process, motivation, and the overall results of training, while also exploring how social and interpersonal factors, such as poor coach-athlete relationships and lack of social support in sports increase the chance of injury. He aims to understand how communication patterns, coach-athlete power dynamics, coaches’ approach and devotion, and psychological factors affect not only the athletic performance, but also the athlete’s confidence, health, self-image, and commitment to the sport. He receives multiple local, university, and national scholarships, including the prestigious “Dositeja” scholarship for young talents. He was awarded second place for the best student paper at a Scientific Conference in Zagreb in 2019. He’s spent the 2018/2019 academic year on an ERASMUS exchange program at the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split (Croatia). His academic contributions include multiple publications in international journals, as well as participation in several national and international high-end scientific conferences, as well as national and international EU-funded projects.
Email: nikola.trenaznaekspertiza18@gmail.com
Our gallery
