Prof. Maks Strmčnik graduated in piano and music theory and then studied composition at the Academy of Music of the University of Ljubljana. In 1989, he received the Prešeren Fund Award for his compositional work, and in 1999 the Kozina Award, bestowed by the Society of Slovene Composers. He was Head of the Department of Sacred Music at the Academy and received the title of Full Professor in 2006. He was a member of several chamber orchestras and released a number of albums of Baroque and contemporary music.

Prof. Ranko Novak, designer, architect, and long-standing Professor, is a luminary of design whose work is distinguished by superior creativity and quality. His achievements have enriched the field of Slovenian design and he has made an important contribution to its all-round development and reputation. His foremost contribution to the operation, reputation, and development of the University of Ljubljana are the proverbial students who have outgrown their teacher, for he instilled a lifelong curiosity and commitment to design excellence in many of his students.

Prof. Dr. Peter Raspor is an internationally recognised expert on yeasts and food safety. He has received three honorary doctorates and numerous awards for his services. He was Secretary General of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies and President of the European Federation of Food Science and Technology. As a teacher, head of department, and leader of the programme group, distinguished by his inexhaustible energy and organisational skills, he has pushed boundaries and educated numerous successful experts, making a key contribution to the organisation of biotechnology and microbiology studies.

Prof. Dr. Nikolaj Torelli is an Honorary Doctor of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia, a member of the Council for Environmental Protection, and Councillor to the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts for natural sciences. He has contributed to the development of terminology and conducted research in wood science, tree physiology, arboriculture, and forestry. He has worked in Central Africa and Mexico for several years as an expert for sustainable management of tropical forests with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN. He worked tirelessly to build links between forestry and woodworking, and strengthened the reputation of the University of Ljubljana.

Prof. Dr. Borut Bohanec has been a devoted teacher in all three cycles of Agronomy and Biotechnology studies at the University of Ljubljana’s Biotechnical Faculty, and has also served in a number of leadership roles. His work has inspired generations of students at the Biotechnical and other faculties. He has made important contributions to the scientific development of modern plant breeding methods and plant biotechnology, and has been an active public advocate of GMOs.

Prof. Dr. Aleš Vahčič is considered the father of contemporary entrepreneurship in Slovenia, credited with forming a wide circle of university teachers of entrepreneurship at the University of Ljubljana and other schools in Slovenia and abroad. Almost all teachers of entrepreneurship in Slovenia are connected to him in one way or another. He has introduced a number of innovations related to the development and promotion of entrepreneurship, and has put many entrepreneurial ideas into practice. He was receptive to new trends in entrepreneurship around the world. He dedicated his career to achieving the excellence that distinguishes the work of a university professor.

Academician Prof. Dr. Stanko Kristl, an Academy member, Full Professor, architect, innovator and humanist, is one of the foremost Slovene architects and founders of modernist architecture. His oeuvre includes exceptional architectural projects, scientific research, and articles that have left a significant mark on our environment and shaped the thinking of generations of architects in Slovenia and abroad. His pedagogical legacy is equally rich, as he has taught many generations of students at the Faculty of Architecture and the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana.

Prof. Dr. Anuška Ferligoj is a Professor of Statistics at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana. She established the doctoral programme in Statistics and the master’s programme in Applied Statistics. She is the President of the Statistical Council of the Republic of Slovenia and Scientific Supervisor at the NRU HSE International Laboratory for Applied Network Research in Moscow. She has received numerous awards, including the Boris Kidrič Fund Award, the title of Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia, the Simmel Award by INSNA, and an honorary doctorate from the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. She is an elected member of the European Academy of Sociology.

Prof. Dr. Borut Zupančič joined the University of Ljubljana in 1977 and worked there until his retirement. His research is focused on modelling, simulation and control, and he has received several national awards for his research work. The comprehensiveness and quality of his pedagogical work is demonstrated by his lectures, supported by 14 textbooks and other teaching materials, and by as many as 77 mentorships and co-mentorships. He co-authored a scientific monograph published by Prentice Hall.

Prof. Dr. Mitja Brilly is one of the leading experts in hydrology and water management. He has raised the international profile of Slovenian hydrological science through his long and exceptionally active career, which included participation in UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme. He has successfully passed on his experience and knowledge to younger generations and educated ten doctors of science who are continuing his work. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Medal of Merit of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Marijan Kočevar is an internationally recognised scientist, an excellent lecturer in organic chemistry and an exemplary mentor to students and researchers, including international ones. He has led research in the field of green chemistry and catalysis; he has introduced research at high pressures (up to 20 kbar) in Slovenia, as well as microwave-assisted research at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology. He has published in renowned international journals and lectured at international conferences and universities. He has received several awards and recognitions.

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Podgornik is the most important and renowned Slovenian theoretical biophysicist, known mainly for his studies of van der Waals and electrostatic interactions, polyelectrolytes, DNA and viruses. As a teacher, mentor and programme coordinator, he has significantly shaped modern research and pedagogical work in biophysics at the University of Ljubljana over the past 25 years. With his achievements and a wide network of collaborators, he has made an extraordinary contribution to the international reputation of the University in this field.

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Osolnik has made an important contribution to scientific and pedagogical work, through which he opened and continues to open the way to understanding cultures. His teaching gave students the opportunity to form their own views while learning about the characteristics of the South Slavic cultural space. The work of Dr. Osolnik has been marked by these cultural characteristics, focusing on the similarities and differences between literary traditions, literary criticism, and the juxtaposition of South Slavic literary traditions.

Prof. Dr. Stojan Petelin has dedicated his scientific and teaching career to working with young researchers and students at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport. His outstanding achievements include numerous scientific articles and pedagogical and professional publications, both at home and abroad. He has led and participated in more than 100 research projects and studies, taking part in national and applied projects. He is the recipient of the Golden Plaque of the University of Ljubljana and a member of the Council for Energetics of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. Dr. Viljan Mahnič has dedicated most of his career to working at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Computer and Information Science, as well as its predecessors, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. His research has focused on information systems software technology and the theoretical basis of programming languages. He has also participated in the development of the study of information science at the Faculty and across the entire University. In 2000, he founded the Software Engineering Laboratory, which he ran until his retirement.

Prof. Dr. Stanka Setnikar Cankar has served as Vice Dean and, for a decade, as Dean of the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Public Administration, in which capacity she made a significant contribution to institutional development, especially in the areas of study programmes and research cooperation. Furthermore, she has made an exceptional contribution to the introduction of Bologna study programmes, which the Faculty was among the first to adopt, and to obtaining the EAPAA accreditation for programmes in the field of public administration.

Academician Prof. Dr. Uroš Skalerič has been a Full Professor at the Department of Oral Diseases and Periodontology of the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Medicine and a full member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2009. From 2014 to 2020, he served as Secretary-General of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the Faculty’s Vice Dean between 1995 and 2005, and Head of the Department of Stomatology between 1998 and 2013. In 2016, he received the Zois Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of Oral Diseases and Periodontology.

Prof. Darko Slavec was employed at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering for 35 years. His academic career encompassed drawing, painting and photography. His life’s work goes beyond pedagogical, artistic or professional achievements. Through a deep understanding of cosmic symbolism, he has enabled generations of students to appreciate the difference between light and dark, teaching them that reality is not the only thing that should guide artists and designers. His legacy is the open minds of his students, who have had and continue to have a significant role in shaping the image of our society.

Academician Prof. Dr. Jože Krašovec is a foremost Slovenian scientist, humanist and theologian. He was a lecturer at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Theology, Head of the Chair of Bible Studies and Judaism, and Head of the Institute of Biblical Studies, Judaism and Early Christianity. He is a corresponding member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, a regular member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a delegate of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts at the International Association of Academies of Sciences. He has published more than 200 scientific and professional articles and more than 20 scientific monographs.