ADDRESS FROM THE VICE-DEAN
About 60% of the surface area of our beautiful Slovenia is covered with forests, which places us among the top countries in terms of forest coverage in Europe. Slovenia is therefore a country rich in wood with an exceptional and diverse tradition of using wood. Wood offers beauty through unique textures and colors. It is warm to the touch, smells pleasant, has excellent mechanical properties, and its processing is environmentally friendly. No toxic gases are released during the formation of wood, and greenhouse gases are even consumed during its formation, which has a favorable effect on reducing their emissions and mitigating climate change.
Today, the use of wood is closely related to the development of advanced technologies, and new forms of wood usage are coming to the forefront, from nanotechnology to biotechnology. Wood is becoming increasingly important in many areas. It is a raw material for chemical processing, indispensable as a building material, a high-quality and ecological material for living environments and furniture. It is still an irreplaceable material in top-class musical instruments.
The Department of Wood Science and Technology state-of-the-art research facilities and a world-renowned research and education team. Our professors, assistants and researchers have a wide range of knowledge acquired through numerous projects, research, studies and their current professional activities. The broad knowledge and competences in the field of wood science enable our staff to participate in strategic decisions in planning activities to improve the competitiveness of the Slovenian forest-wood chain.
Traditional methods of industrial production are changing - the fourth industrial revolution is underway. Intelligent networks are the main drivers of change, such as increasing flexibility, automation, robotization and, above all, digitalization of production processes and systems, and thus greater competitiveness of the industry.
To meet these challenges, we need professionals who know and master wood and wood-based materials, their processing and treatment technologies, construction and design, and the management of wood and wood product management. Only experts with a wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge will be able to effectively respond to changing challenges in practice and manage wood sustainably.
Our study programs at the Department of Wood Science and Technology at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana offer the acquisition of these knowledge and competencies. We are the only ones in Slovenia who offer higher education in wood science at all three levels - undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral studies. At the Department of Wood Science and Technology, we are proud to have successfully trained more than 2000 graduates so far. At the Department of Wood Science and Technology, we educate young people with a broad outlook who will co-create a new and sustainable- oriented economy.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maks Merela
Vice dean for the field of Wood Science and Technology
PRESENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT
Wood is one of the most important natural resources and the most promising material for Slovenia, as it is the only renewable resource we have in abundance. The wood processing industry has a long and rich tradition and good prospects for the future.
The study of wood science and technology enables the deepening of knowledge about wood and wood composites and modern technologies for wood processing, as well as the enrichment of knowledge about construction and the design and management of wood and wood products.
The distinct interdisciplinary nature of the study opens up very broad employment opportunities for graduates in manufacturing companies and trade, as well as in research and development institutions and entrepreneurship, where they will carry on the rich tradition of woodworking and wood processing.
The study of wood science and technology is carried out at the Department of Wood Science and Technology. It includes the professional study programme in Wood Engineering, the academic study programme in Wood Science and the master study programme in Wood Science and Technology. The scientific fields of wood and biocomposites and the economics of natural resources are included in the interdisciplinary doctoral study Biosciences.