OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF IPS PROFESSORS, STUDENTS, AND ALUMNI IN THE EXCELLENT IN SCIENCE 2025 SELECTION
Sincere congratulations to all awardees!
Outstanding achievements of IPS professors, students, and alumni in the Excellent in Science 2025 selection
Published: 14. nov. 2025
Excellent in Science, organised for the 14th consecutive year by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), once again highlights the outstanding research achievements of Slovenian scientists. Among this year’s award recipients are numerous researchers connected with the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School (IPS) – including professors, students, and alumni. The awards were presented as part of the ARIS Day 2025 event, held at the Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana, which was dedicated to strengthening collaboration between science and industry. The event was part of Science Month 2025 and funded by the EU NextGenerationEU program. More information and a recording of the first part of the event are available on the event’s website.
Physics • Matjaž Humar is among the awardees for the contribution “Tunable entangled photon-pair generation in a liquid crystal”, published in Nature.
Chemistry • Klemen Motaln, Anton Kokalj, Matic Lozinšek, Mirela Dragomir, and Kristian Radan co-authored the awarded research contribution “Reactive noble-gas compounds explored by 3D electron diffraction: XeF₂–MnF₄ adducts and a facile sample handling procedure”, published in ACS Central Science.
Chemical Engineering • Blaž Likozar and Matej Huš are among the awardees for their article on catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to ethanol: “Designing and understanding efficient catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to ethanol.”
Microbiology and Immunology • Nataša Hojnik, Janez Zavašnik, and Igor Križaj received recognition for the article “Combatting the antigenicity of common ragweed pollen and its primary allergen Amb a 1 with cold atmospheric pressure air plasma”, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Plant Production and Processing • Karmen Pogačar, Tjaša Lukan, and Kristina Gruden are part of the research team awarded for the paper “Protein complexes from edible mushrooms as a sustainable potato protection against coleopteran pests”, published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Interdisciplinary Research • David Levovnik and Marko Gerbec are recipients of the award for their contribution, “Examining the relationship between managers’ commitment to safety, leadership style, and employees’ perception of managers’ commitment”, published in the Journal of Safety Research.
Interdisciplinary Research • Veronika Stoka is a co-author of the scientific contribution “Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): from basic to advanced approaches”, published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.
Interdisciplinary Research • Helena Plešnik, Žan Rekar, Janja Snoj Tratnik, Milena Horvat, and Tina Kosjek are among the awardees for their contribution “Nontargeted urinary profiling strategy for endocrine-disrupting chemicals in women with ovarian malignancies”, accepted for publication in Environmental Science & Technology.
We sincerely congratulate all IPS award recipients as well as all other honorees!
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