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. After postdoctoral research at Rockefeller, Rakonjac joined Plant & Food Research in New Zealand in 1990. Rakonjac joined the faculty of Massey University in 2003, rising to full professor in 2023.

Research
Rakonjac specialises in the biology and structure of bacteriophages, and the development of technology for use in veterinary, medical, and agriculture fields. In 2003, she was awarded a Marsden grant to study bacteriophage technology, and in 2010 she was an associate investigator on a Fast Start Marsden grant led by Massey researcher Dragana Gagic, titled Stuck on you: exploring the role of adhesins in microbial symbioses. 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. Rakonjac has founded two companies, Nanophage Technologies and Retrabac Therapeutics. Retrabac Therapeutics is developing topical antibiotic treatments for drug-resistant bacteria, 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.

Honours and awards
In 2019, Rakonjac was awarded the New Zealand Microbiology Society's Distinguished Orator Award.