Who Is Aleksandar Čupić

Aleksandar Čupić (born 1978 in Prokuplje) is a Serbian university lecturer, doctor of science and assistant professor at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering. He works in the Department of Postal Traffic and Networks. His professional work focuses on postal traffic, transport network design and the use of information technology.

Alongside his academic career, he works in farming. He lives with his family in Sopot, where they run a farm, and he is the father of six children.

The wider public came to know him in 2025–2026. In February 2025, his farm hosted students who were walking to Kragujevac. In 2026 he became a candidate on the “Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju” (Student List – Students Win) ticket in the snap parliamentary elections held on 25 October 2026.

Early Life and Background

Aleksandar Čupić was born in 1978 in Prokuplje, a city in the Toplica District of southern Serbia, where he also grew up. His exact date of birth is not publicly known.

In an interview with Insajder, he said that both he and his wife come from the Toplica region. In his view, the country looks different from Belgrade than from Sopot or Prokuplje, even though differences over two or three hundred kilometres should not be so large.

Details about his childhood, his parents and his primary and secondary schooling are not publicly available.

Education

Aleksandar Čupić completed his undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering. The year he graduated is not publicly known.

He defended his master’s thesis, “Methodology for Selecting a Technical System for Automatic Parcel Processing in Main Postal Centres,” in 2007.

He defended his doctoral dissertation, “Transportation Network Design by Evolutionary Computation: An Express Postal Parcel Delivery Network Case,” on 25 December 2014. His supervisor was Dušan Teodorović, then a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) and a full professor.

The dissertation examines how evolutionary computation methods can be applied to designing a network for transporting express postal items.

Early Career

He began his career at the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering in Belgrade, where, by his own account, he has worked for more than two decades. An archived faculty page lists him as a teaching assistant holding a master’s degree in the combined department for postal traffic and networks and technical cybernetics.

According to the same page, the department’s staff at the time included Milorad Stanojević (full professor), Ranko Nedeljković (associate professor) and assistant professors Branka Dimitrijević and Bojan Stanivuković.

He published his earliest papers at professional conferences on postal traffic. One of them is a 2005 paper on evaluating the infrastructure characteristics of postal centres, co-authored with M. Bukumirović.

Research and the Rank of Assistant Professor

After defending his dissertation, Aleksandar Čupić continued working at the faculty, where he now holds the rank of assistant professor (docent). The date of his appointment to this rank is not publicly known.

At the PosTel 2014 symposium he presented the paper “An Interactive Approach to Designing an Express Parcel Transport Network.” He has also written about traceability in postal traffic (2013), innovation in the postal sector (2015) and the use of IoT technology in the postal system (2018). He wrote these papers with colleagues M. Bukumirović, M. Blagojević and B. Stanivuković.

In 2020 he published “Postboxes quantitative optimization model” in the journal Sustainability, with co-authors M. Šelmić and M. Nikolić. The paper deals with the quantitative optimization of the placement of postboxes.

According to his Google Scholar profile, his most-cited papers include the 2005 paper and the 2020 paper. Citation counts change over time.

Moving to Sopot and the Family Farm

Several years ago, Aleksandar Čupić moved with his family from Belgrade to Sopot. He cites dissatisfaction with the direction in which society was heading and a wish to live outside the city and raise six children there.

In Sopot he runs the “Dr Čupić” farm. His wife works in organic production, and he takes part in it as well.

In an interview with Nova.rs, he said he wants his own example to show that it is possible to leave the city and build a successful farm.

Support for the Student Movement

In February 2025, students from Novi Sad and Belgrade walked to Kragujevac for the “Let’s meet on Sretenje” protest. When the sports hall in Sopot was not available for overnight stays, local residents organised alternative accommodation themselves. The “Dr Čupić” farm was among the places arranged.

Aleksandar Čupić, together with members of his family, provided greenhouses and heaters so the students could sleep and rest. Students of the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering publicly thanked him at the time.

He later explained that he did not take the students in because he agreed with their ideas, but as an act of humanity. He added that he would have done the same had he not shared their views.

By his own account, he joined the students on almost all of their marches. He says he was especially moved when he saw his own students’ desire to change society, and that he felt a responsibility to stand with them.

Candidacy on the Student List

The group of citizens that put forward the Student List for the parliamentary elections was founded on 9 September 2026. It had 14 signatories, among them Aleksandar Čupić. Insajder describes him as one of its founders.

According to him, his candidacy was first proposed by students of the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, after consultations with his colleagues. Faculties across Serbia then accepted the proposal. He told Nova.rs on 14 September 2026 that he had no doubts about accepting the invitation.

He is 51st on the “Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju” ticket. The first name on the list is Ilija Srdanović, and the candidates also include academician Radomir Saičić.

He names transport and construction, agriculture, and family and population issues as the areas where he can contribute.

He took part in drafting one of the list’s 11 programme points, the one covering transport, telecommunications, construction, urban planning and infrastructure. According to him, a detailed document exists for each point.

Views and Public Messages

Čupić regards restoring dignity and competences to institutions as the movement’s first goal. He adds that, in his view, a “complete system reset” is needed, followed by a broad social dialogue.

In his interview with Insajder, he said the ultimate goal is the depoliticisation of institutions alongside the politicisation of society. He believes institutions should be strengthened by experts. He says he does not see himself as a politician.

Responding to criticism that the list’s programme is a wish list, he said each of the 11 points rests on a detailed elaboration. He rejected the claim that students had been indoctrinated, saying that students lead the movement rather than professors.

He also believes the divisions between a “first” and a “second” Serbia arose as a political tool, and that candidates have a duty to call for reconciliation. He says he never recognised himself in either of those two categories.

The Campaign: Surčin and Slavija

In early October 2026, a video from a Student List rally in Surčin drew wide attention on social media. In it, Aleksandar Čupić sings an altered version of the folk song “Hajde Jano,” with new verses supporting the students. The clip was shared by the portal Mašina and many users, and it also prompted a dedicated discussion on Reddit.

He told Insajder that he first heard the song in a video by students from Gornji Milanovac. Before performing it, he listened to it at least twenty times so he would not break down in tears on stage.

On 22 October 2026, he was one of the speakers at the Student List’s closing pre-election rally at Slavija Square in Belgrade. He told the crowd that the place “smells of freedom,” and then sang the altered song again.

The Election of 25 October 2026

The snap parliamentary elections took place on 25 October 2026. The first projection by the agency Ipsos and the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) gave the Student List about 52 percent of the vote and 138 of 250 seats. Nova.rs reports a preliminary 141 seats, so the figures differ.

Aleksandar Vučić, the first name on the “Ujedinjena Srbija” list, said at the Serbian Progressive Party headquarters that the Student List had won.

At the time of writing (26 October 2026), the available sources contain no confirmation of Aleksandar Čupić’s parliamentary mandate. Final results and the allocation of seats have not yet been published.

Personal Life

Aleksandar Čupić is the father of six children. His wife, who, like him, comes from the Toplica region, works in organic production. The family lives in Sopot.

The names of family members and other private details have not been made public.

Interesting Facts

• He is not related to Čedomir Čupić, a political scientist and professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences. They are different people, and any family connection is not publicly known.
• He listened to the song “Hajde Jano,” which he performed at pre-election rallies, at least twenty times before performing it.
• In one of his speeches, he said that students make up about two percent of the population, but that this is enough to start change.
• He believes the members of the Student List are not interested in a long political career.
• His farm in Sopot served as an overnight stop for students on their way to Kragujevac.

Influence and Public Role

Aleksandar Čupić is known to the public mainly for combining academic work, life in the countryside and support for the student movement. His research remains tied to postal traffic and transport networks.

His future role will depend on the final election results and the allocation of seats. Those questions were still unresolved at the time of writing.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Aleksandar Čupić?

Aleksandar Čupić is an assistant professor at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, a doctor of science and a farmer from Sopot. He is a Student List candidate in the parliamentary elections held on 25 October 2026.

Where was Aleksandar Čupić born?

He was born in 1978 in Prokuplje and grew up there. His exact date of birth is not publicly known.

How old is Aleksandar Čupić?

Based on his birth year (1978), he is 47 or 48, depending on his exact date of birth, which is not known.

Which faculty does Aleksandar Čupić work at?

He works at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, in the Department of Postal Traffic and Networks. By his own account, he has been employed at the faculty for more than two decades.

What is the topic of his doctoral dissertation?

The dissertation is titled “Transportation Network Design by Evolutionary Computation: An Express Postal Parcel Delivery Network Case.” He defended it on 25 December 2014, with Dušan Teodorović as his supervisor.

Why did Aleksandar Čupić become well known?

He became known for hosting students who were walking to Kragujevac in February 2025, and later for his candidacy on the Student List. He drew further attention with his altered version of the song “Hajde Jano” at pre-election rallies.

What place does Aleksandar Čupić hold on the Student List?

He is 51st on the “Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju” ticket.

Where does Aleksandar Čupić live, and how many children does he have?

He lives in Sopot, where he runs a farm with his family. He is the father of six children.

Is Aleksandar Čupić the same person as Čedomir Čupić?

No. Čedomir Čupić is a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, born in 1947. Whether the two are related is not publicly known.

Conclusion

Aleksandar Čupić is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering in Belgrade and a researcher of postal traffic and transport networks. He earned his doctorate in 2014, and several years ago he moved to Sopot, where he runs a farm and is raising six children.

The public came to know him in 2025, when he hosted students on their way to Kragujevac. Since 2026 he has been a Student List candidate. His role after the election of 25 October 2026 depends on the final allocation of seats.