Katarina Šavikin je snovno, srednje i fakultetsko obrazovanje stekla je u Beogradu. Farmaceutski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu upisala je 1985. godine. Diplomirala je aprila 1990. godine, sa prosečnom ocenom 9,21. U toku studija na Farmaceutskom fakultetu bila je stipendista Fondacije za mlade talente.

Posle diplomiranja upisala se na poslediplomske studije na Biološkom fakultetu PMF-a, smer Fiziologija biljaka. Magistarsku tezu pod nazivom „Ispitivanje sadržaja diosgenina u kulturi tkiva Dioscorea balcanica Košanin” odbranila je juna 1993. godine i stekla naziv magistra bioloških nauka. Za magistarsku tezu dobila je nagradu Privredne komore Beograda.

Doktorsku disertaciju pod nazivom „Endemo-reliktna vrsta Dioscorea balcanica Košanin (Dioscoreaceae) – potencijalni producent diosgenina u kulturi in vitro“ odbranila je 1996. godine na Biološkom fakultetu Univerziteta u Beogradu.

Zvanje naučnog saradnika stekla je 30. aprila 1997. godine, zvanje višeg naučnog saradnika 31. oktobra 2000. godine, a u zvanje naučni savetnik promovisana je 4. marta 2004. godine.

U zvanje redovnog profesora za užu oblast Farmaceutske nauke izabrana je 2018. godine.

Od marta 1995. godine zaposlena je u Institutu za proučavanje lekovitog bilja „Dr Josif Pančić“ i trenutno je na mestu pomoćnika direktora za Sektor nauke. Član je Upravnog odbora i Naučnog veća Instituta, kao i Matičnog naučnog odbora za biotehnologiju i poljoprivredu Ministarstva nauke, tehnološkog razvoja i inovacija Republike Srbije.

Učestvovala je na 12 projekata resornog ministarstva, od kojih je na pet bila rukovodilac, u većem broju međunarodnih i bilateralnih projekata (SEERA.NET Plus; HORIZON 2020-MSCA-RISE; Cross-border Programme Serbia – Montenegro IPA II; OPCW; UNESCO), projektima Fonda za inovacionu delatnost (Programu saradnje nauke i privrede; Inovacioni vaučeri) kao i u nizu razvojnih istraživanja Instituta koja su rezultirala novim proizvodima na tržištu.

Objavila je preko 200 naučnih radova. Indeks citiranosti (h-indeks) iznosi 33, prema Scopus indeksnoj bazi. Nalazi se na Stanford listi 2% najcitiranijih naučnika na svetu za 2020. godinu.

Kao mentor ili član komisije učestvovala je u izradi 2 magistarske teze i 14 doktorskih disertacija. Recenzent je većeg broja međunarodnih časopisa i član društva Society for Medicinal Plants Research (GA), Nemačka.

Uže oblasti naučnoistraživačkog rada su farmakognozija, fitoterapija, etnomedicina, prirodni produkti, “zelene ekstrakcije”, razvojna istraživanja u cilju formulacije novih proizvoda na bazi biljaka.

Govori i piše engleski jezik.

https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-2086-9593 

Katarina Šavikin received her primary, secondary and university education in Belgrade. She entered the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Belgrade in 1985. She graduated in April 1990, with an average grade of 9.21. During her studies at the Faculty of Pharmacy, she was a scholarship recipient of the Foundation for Young Talents.

After graduating, she enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology. She defended her master's thesis entitled "Examination of diosgenin content in the tissue culture of Dioscorea balcanica Košanin" in June 1993 and earned the title of Master of Biological Sciences. For her master's thesis, she received an award from the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce.

She defended her doctoral dissertation entitled "Endome-relic species Dioscorea balcanica Košanin (Dioscoreaceae) - a potential producer of diosgenin in in vitro culture" in 1996 at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade.

She obtained the title of scientific associate on April 30, 1997, the title of senior scientific associate on October 31, 2000, and was promoted to the title of scientific advisor on March 4, 2004. In 2018, she was elected to the position of full professor for the narrow field of Pharmaceutical Science.

Since March 1995, she has been employed at the Institute for Medicinal Plants Research "Dr Josif Pančić" and currently holds the position of assistant director for the Science Department. She is a member of the Steering Committee and Scientific Council of the Institute, as well as the Parent Scientific Committee for Biotechnology and Agriculture of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.

She participated in 12 projects of the relevant Ministry, in five of which she was the manager, in a number of international and bilateral projects (SEERA.NET Plus; HORIZON 2020-MSCA-RISE; Cross-border Program Serbia – Montenegro IPA II; OPCW; UNESCO), projects of the Fund for Innovations (Science and Economy Cooperation Program; Innovation Vouchers) as well as in a series of development researches of the Institute that resulted in new products on the market.

She has published over 200 scientific papers. The citation index (h-index) is 33, according to the Scopus index database. She is on the Stanford list of 2% of the most cited scientists in the world for 2020.

As a mentor or committee member, she participated in the preparation of 2 master's theses and 14 doctoral dissertations. She is a reviewer for a number of international journals and a member of the Society for Medicinal Plants Research (GA), Germany.

The narrower areas of scientific interests are pharmacognosy, phytotherapy, ethnomedicine, natural products, "green extractions", development research in formulation of new herbal products.

She speaks and writes English language.

https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-2086-9593