SiEnE's Experts Group is the key expert body of the partnership, responsible for the integration of Slovenian partners in Si MoD, EDA and NATO programmes. The members of the Experts Group are responsible for the provision of expert content and the coordination of the partnership’s activities with members.
Mojca Volk, Ph.D
Primary field: Communications and Cybersecurity
Mojca Volk, Ph.D. is Scientific Associate and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and Senior expert in communications and cybersecurity at TECES | SiEnE (Slovenia). Her main areas of expertise are cybersecurity and 5G/6G solutions for specialised vertical industries, including critical infrastructures, defence and military, and public protection and disaster relief. She has extensive experience in national and international R&I partnerships and cooperation and is currently involved in various R&I projects funded by EDF, EDA and national Slovenian agencies. She is also intensively involved in entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer activities, is the principal lecturer of Innovation in Mechanical Engineering, and is co-founder of two innovative spin-out companies from the University of Ljubljana, Cyber Systems Ltd. And Internet Institute Ltd. She is member of the Scientific and research council for interdisciplinary sciences at the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), the technical council on Artificial Intelligence at the Slovenian Standardisation Institute (SIST/TC), Expert in the The Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence, EDA CapTech Information CngE, and memeber of NATO SDG 6G.
Blaž Peternel, Ph.D.
Primary field: Digital Platforms
Blaž Peternel is a highly experienced engineer with a Ph.D. in telecommunications and 20 years of expertise in the field. Over the years, he has developed a wide range of skills in Mobile Communications, Telecommunications, Wireless Technologies, Network Design, and Software Development. In addition, he excels in interpersonal skills, team leadership, business strategy, and project management. As a high-level SiEnE expert and head of research and development at the innovative IT company Smartis, his primary research interest focuses on the development of digital platforms, which are online technologies or ecosystems that enable various services, products, and interactions.
Friderik Knez
Primary field: Sustainable Buildings
Complementary field: Fire safety, Fire toxicity
Friderik Knez is a physicist with over 30 years of R&D experience at ZAG (Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute), where he has served as the Head of the Fire Laboratory since 2016. His expertise spans sustainability, advanced materials for energy efficiency and circularity, general building physics, and fire safety, particularly in energy systems like batteries and photovoltaic systems. He is actively involved in four Horizon Europe projects, one LIFE project, and two national projects. Additionally, Friderik Knez is part of the core TECES | SiEnE expert team. It convenes the EOTA PT 12 group on sustainability within the European Organisation for Technical Assessments (EOTA).
Prof. dr. Gorazd Stumberger
Primary field: Electrical engineering
Complementary field: Electric power generation, Transmission and distribution; Energy conversion; Electricity networks; Energy management systems; Smart grids; Micro grids; Energy flexibility; Electric machines and drives
Gorazd Štumberger, PhD, is a Full Professor of Electrical Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Maribor in Slovenia. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maribor. His research interests include electric power generation, transmission and distribution; power system protection; smart grids, microgrids, renewable energy sources and energy management systems; modelling, optimization, simulations and control of power systems elements, electric machines and drives.
He was a visiting researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (WEMPEC), USA, in 1997 and 2001 and at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, in 1998 and 2000. Between 2010 and 2019 he was a member of the scientific council for engineering at Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS). He is a member of the professional council of the Slovenian Strategic Research and Innovation Partnership Smart Buildings and Home with Wood Chain, leader of the ARRS research program Control of electromechanical systems, and a member of editorial boards of 3 international journals.
Gorazd Štumberger was a project leader of 6 research projects financed by ARRS and 18 industrial projects. He authored 156 articles published in scientific journals and is a holder of 3 international and 3 national patents, and co-author of 7 international patent applications.
Andrej Kitanovski, Ph.D.
Primary field: Heating and Cooling,
Complementary field: Solid State Energy Conversion, Refrigeration and heat pump technology, Heat and Mass Transfer, Thermal Storage, Thermal Management, Energy in buildings, District Energy Systems
Andrej Kitanovski, Ph.D., is a professor and the Thermal and Environmental Engineering Laboratory for Refrigeration and District Energy chair at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. His research work includes the improvement and development of new technologies in the fields of refrigeration, heating, heat pumps and district energy. He is actively involved in developing advanced heat management technologies and collaborates with renowned companies at home and abroad. In 2004, he co-founded the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), where he currently chairs the Working Group on Solid-State Cooling and Heating under the International Institute of Refrigeration. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the first-place Swiss Technology Award and the Zois Award of the Republic of Slovenia for outstanding scientific research and technological innovation.
Prof. dr. Katrašnik Tomaž
Primary field: Energy engineering
Complementary field: Energy engineering; internal combustion engines; Alternative fuels; advanced combustion concepts; Exhaust emissions; Hybrid powertrains; Electric vehicles; Fuel cells; Batteries; Combined heat and power plants; Numerical modelling of systems and components
Prof. Dr. Tomaž Katrašnik (M), Ph.D. (2004), MSc (2001) in mechanical engineering and BSc (1999) in physics, all at University of Ljubljana and 2 Postdoc projects. He is a full professor and head of the Laboratory for Internal Combustion Engines and Electromobility at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Currently, he is, at the same institution, acting also as a Vice-Dean for R&D and International Cooperation. His research focuses on meso- and macro-scale modelling of batteries and fuel cells, conventional, hybrid, electric and fuel cell powertrains as well as on internal combustion engines, alternative fuels, advanced combustion concepts, exhaust emissions and combined heat and power plants, where he additionally performs detailed experimental analyses. In these areas he actively participates in multiple international and national research projects as well as in direct funded project with international and national industrial partners. He is author of more than 150 peer reviewed journal and conference papers and multiple of these papers are published in journals featuring top impacts factors in the fields. He is a member of EGVIA and EARPA as well as President of Strategic board of Slovene Strategic and Innovation Partnership (SRIP) Mobility and Leader of Sustainable energy pillar in SRIP Networks for the transition to Circular economy
Doc. dr. Miran Rodič
Primary field: Electric drives, power electronics
Complementary field: Electric drives; Control of AC motors, Electric drives, Electric vehicles, Rapid control prototyping, Hardware-in-the-loop, Functional safety, Model-based control. Power electronics: Control of power electronics converters, Electric vehicles, Rapid control prototyping, Hardware-in-the-loop, Functional safety, Model-based control.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Miran Rodič received a BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. from the University of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics. He continued studies with the work in the frame of the postdoctoral project. He is employed as an assistant professor at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics. His research interests are in the fields of control of electric drives and power electronics systems, computer-aided control design, advanced testing systems (Hardware-in-the-loop, dynamic emulation), electrical mobility, and functional safety. In these areas, he participates in numerous national and international research projects and direct marketing projects. He has published research findings in several articles at conferences and in scientific journals. He is a member of the expert council of the Strategic Development Innovation Partnership (SRIP) Mobility, the international organizing committees EPE-PEMC and EPE, and the coordinator of the international CEEPUS network AutoAuto (autonomous vehicles). He is also active in the field of the SI-HU-AT trilateral for autonomous driving.
Devid Palčič, M.Sc.E.E.
Primary field: Digital Transformation
Devid Palčič, M.Sc.E.E., holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, specialising in Robotics. He is an experienced researcher in robotics, artificial intelligence, and automation systems. With over 30 years of experience in diverse development projects, he oversees the Intelligent Building Management System (iBMS) at Robotina. Throughout his career at Robotina, he has played a key role in the specification and design of numerous products and is a co-author of all the company's patents.
