Leadership

Dr. Mihaela Pavličev
University of Vienna

Mihaela Pavličev is evolutionary biologist with a wide range of interests. After finishing her PhD in Ecology at the University of Vienna, she took several postdoctoral positions in molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary quantitative genetics (Vienna Natural History Museum, Universities in St. Louis and Oslo, Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition in Altenberg). In 2013 she was recruited as faculty to the University of Cincinnati Medical School/ Cincinnati Children`s Hospital in Ohio, and returned to the University of Vienna in December 2019, as a full professor for Theoretical Evolutionary Biology in the Department of Evolutionary Biology. Pavlicev`s work focuses at the interface between the organismal structure (its physiology and development) and evolutionary change. This fascinating field touches both on explanations of how the patterns of organismal diversity beyond species arise, as well as why the populations vary along the very specific patterns, thereby also addressing the patterns of pathological variation, i.e., disease. Pavlicev applies both theory as well as empirical research, using vertebrate reproduction as her main system of expertise.

Dr. Veronika Fikfak
International Law at University College London, School of Public Policy

Dr. Veronika Fikfak is a Full Professor in Human Rights and International Law at University College London, School of Public Policy and a co-Director of the UCL Institute for Human Rights. Veronika leads a team of six researchers on the ERC project Human Rights Nudge, which looks at how states respond to judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. She is currently working with the Department of Executions in Strasbourg on incorporating insights from this project into policy recommendations to 46 states of the Council of Europe. She is a managing editor of the American Journal of International Law Unbound and sits on the Board of the European Society of International Law. She also serves as a judge ad hoc at the European Court of Human Rights. Dr Fikfak’s research interests lie in the fields of international law, human rights, and public law. Her current research focuses on reparations for human rights violations, compliance with international norms, interaction of domestic and international law, and system design. She employs quantitative and qualitative approaches in her work, informed by psychology and behavioural economics. Her work has been funded by the European Research Council, UK’s ESRC Future Research Leaders Grant, the British Academy, Norway’s Research Council, Carlsberg Foundation, and the Humboldt Foundation. She has published articles in European Journal of International Law, American Journal of International Law, and International Journal of Constitutional Law, among others.

Dr. Uroš Seljak
University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Uroš Seljak, is a Professor of Astronomy and Physics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been a faculty member since 2008, with a joint appointment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He earned his B.S. in 1989 and M.S. in 1991 from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and completed his PhD at MIT in 1995. He held a Smithsonian Fellowship at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1995 to 1998 before joining the faculty at Princeton University, ICTP Trieste, and Zurich University. He is a recipient of Warner Prize (2001), Gruber Prize (2021), Packard Fellowship (2000), Sloan Fellowship (2001), NSF CAREER Award (2002) and APS Fellowship (2013). He is a member of American National Academy of Science (2019) and of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024). In 2023 he received honorary doctorate from University of Ljubljana. In 2022 he established Dr. Uros Seljak Prize for the best research paper by a Slovenian undergraduate student. As a theoretical cosmologist, Seljak’s research focuses on extracting the fundamental properties of the universe through cosmological observations. The standard cosmological model, which includes the Big Bang, inflation, dark matter, and dark energy, forms the basis of much of his work, though he explores alternative theories such as dynamic dark energy and the cyclic universe. His research addresses key questions regarding the nature of dark energy and dark matter, the origins of cosmic structures, the future of the universe, and the properties of neutrinos. Through his work, Seljak aims to deepen our understanding of the universe’s evolution and composition.

Prof. dr. Gregor Dolinar
University of Ljubljana

Prof. Dr Gregor Dolinar teaches mathematics and statistics for all three study cycles at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. He earned his doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, where he was later promoted to the rank of full professor. His research focuses on functional analysis, linear algebra, graph theory, and the application of statistics, particularly in electrical engineering and medicine. He has published the results of his research with co-authors from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, China, Hungary, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, the USA, and Slovenia. Prof. Dolinar has also lectured at international universities, including in Moscow, Ankara, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Zürich, Debrecen, and Zagreb. From 2013 to 2017, he served as Vice-Dean for Education and subsequently held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, from 2017 to 2023. His leadership and management experience extends to several national and international organisations, and he is an active member of various committees, including the International Mathematical Olympiad, Kangourou sans Frontières, the National Examinations Centre, the Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia, and the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia. Prof. Dolinar is also dedicated to popularising mathematics among young people by involving them in international mathematical competitions.

He was appointed Vice-Rector for Research and Development at the University of Ljubljana for the term from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2029.

Katja Cerar
University of Ljubljana

Katja Cerar completed her Bachelor's and Master's degree at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport. She began her career in the private sector as a project, health promotion and sports coordinator. She later continued her career in the public sector. Since 2015, she has been responsible for promotion and support activities for international students, cooperation with international partners and within international associations and networks. She actively participates in and coordinates the activities of the University of Ljubljana Global Alumni and Associate Network and the Rectors' Forum of Southeast Europe and Western Balkans.