He was born in Brusnica as the son of Mladen Žujović, head of the Rudnik district (1811-1894) and Jelena, née Danić.

Before Žujović, only two other scientists showed any interest in geology of Serbia, Johann Gottfried Herder and Ami Boué.

As the first educated geologist in Serbia, he was elected in 1880 as a substitute at the Department of Mineralogy with Geology at the Great School in Belgrade.

In his book, Stone Age, published in 1893, relying mostly on French scientists, he reviewed the contemporary state of knowledge in paleoanthropology.

With this work, Žujović covered everything that was necessary for the territory of Serbia to be considered a geologically explored area.

In Serbian politics, he was a devoted democrat, Senator in 1901 and the member of the People's Radical Party of Nikola Pašić.

Also, Žujović held the post of Minister of Education and Religious Affairs on two occasions, from 16 May to 30 July 1905, and from 11 October 1909 to 12 September 1910.

Jovan Žujović, geologist, researcher, politician, diplomat, erudite, scientist who marked the golden age of Serbian geology, died on July 19, 1936 in Belgrade.