prof. dr. Hojka Kraigher

Curriculum vitae

[Short CV]

Prof. Dr. Hojka Kraigher is the Head of Department for Forest Physiology and Genetics and of the Research Program Forest Biology, Ecology and Technology at the Slovenian Forestry Institute. Her expertise is in physiology and ecology of forest trees and their symbionts, and in conservation of forest genetic resources. She was coordinating a European project dedicated to capacities “EUFORINNO”, and is at present coordinating a LIFE+ implementation project on development of a system for forest genetic monitoring “LIFEGENMON”. She is the authorized person by the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Food responsible for conservation of forest genetic resources and certification of the forest reproductive material, and has been the national coordinator EUFORGEN since 1997 (1995). She serves as the President of the Scientific Council for Biotechnical Sciences at the Slovenian Research Agency, and is the Scientific Advisor to the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts for the field of forestry.

[Full CV]

Prof. dr. Hojka Kraigher, BSc Biol. (1983), BSc For.Eng. (1985), MSc Biol. (1991), PhD Agric.Sci.(1994).

Senior Scientist at the Slovenian Forestry Institute (SFI), Head of Department for Forest Physiology and Genetics, Head of the Research Programme Forest Biology, Ecology and Technology; Assoc. Professor of Botany at University of Ljubljana, lecture courses: Forest Mycorrhiza (undergraduate), Physiology of forest trees and interaction in forest soils (doctorate), Conservation of forest genetic resources (doctorate) at Uni-Lj, as well as two courses for the high education (polytechnics) on Introduction Ecology, and on Conservation biology and Ecology and Natura 2000. Married, two sons.

EXPERTISE:

·         Physiology and ecology of forest trees and their symbionts;

·         The role of belowground diversity and turnover of fine roots and mycorrhizal mycelia in mycorrhizosphere processes and carbon dynamics;

·         Ectomycorrhizal diversity, structure and function;

·         Mycobioindication of stress in forest soils;

·         Conservation of forest genetic resources;

·         Certification of forest reproductive material.

SABBATICALS:

1987 University of London, Wye College, UK (3M),

1988 University of Liverpool, Botany Department, UK (3M),

1988 University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, UK (7M),

1991 & 1993 LMU Munich, Inst. for Systematic Botany, D (4 x 0,5 M),

1991-1994 University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, UK (4x3M),

1996 Palacky University, Olomouc, CR (0,5 M),

2002 Real Jardín Botanico, Madrid, Spain (0,5 M),

2012 Forestry Department, University of Helsinki, Finland (1 M),

2013 ZALF Leibniz Zentrum, Müncheberg, Germany (0,5 M),

2014-2015 PLECO University of Antwerpen, Belgium (3 M)

SUPERVISION: 6x PhD, 3x co-mentor at PhDs, 2 MSc, 1x co-mentor at MSc, several BSc.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER (selection): 125TH Anniversary IUFRO congress September 2017

EDITORIAL & reviewing (selection): Associate Editor Canadian Journal of Forest Research; Edit. Board: Acta Silvae et Ligni; Frontiers Plant Sciences; Reviewer: Plant & Soil; Mycorrhiza; iForest; Frontiers Microbiology; European journal of Forest Research; Biogeochemistry; Environmental pollution; Tree Physiology; Plant Biology and others.

EXPERT ADVISORY AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS:

SLOVENIAN RESEARCH AGENCY:

2003-2006: National coordinator for the field of Forestry, wood science and paper

2011-2014, 2015 - 2018: Chair of the Scientific Council for Biotechnical Sciences

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food:

1996 – 2000: Committee on the Slovenian Plant Gene bank;

1998 – 2003: Committee for the preparation of the Act on Forest reproductive material, regulations and norms (FRM, 1998-2001 chairperson).

2002 on: the authorized person for the Powers Conferred to the Slovenian Forestry Institute by Public Law under the Forest Act : i)issuing certificates for forest seed and seedlings in accordance with regulations on seed and seedlings, ii)performing expert supervision of forest seed and seedling activities.

2013: Committee for harmonization with new EU regulations on plant reproductive material, plant health and the requirements for official control bodies and laboratories

2014 on: Working group for the preparation of the Country report for the state of the world’s biodiversity for food and agriculture, for preparation of the national guidance documents under the EU ABS Regulation, and other advisory services to the ministry

2016 on: Working group for further development of regulations on FRM

Ministry of the environment and spatial planning:

1996 – 2000:  Committee for the preparation of the national strategy for conservation of biodiversity -  coordinator of the WG for forest genetic resources, member of the WGs on fungi & mycorrhiza, and of the WG on forest soils.

OSCE: 2003 (FRM, Serbia).

TAIEX: 2010 (FRM, Croatia), 2011 (FRM, Macedonia),

FP EU: 2006-2012: evaluation of different EU FP projects; in 2010-2011: Impact assessment of projects from the field of forestry within the KBBE schemes in FP5, 6, 7.

NOMINATIONS:

1995 onwards: EUFORGEN - National Coordinator (in all phases)

2012 onwards: Advisor to the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) for the field of forestry, member of the Council for the protection of the environment at SAZU

2013 - 2015: Member of the SCIENCE EUROPE, LEGS COMMITTEE

2017 onwards: Vice-chair of the Tree biology and biotechnology WG at EPSO (www.epsoweb.org)

ORGANIZATION & PROGRAMME COMMITTEE OF INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS:

TEMPUS 1995, COST E6 1999, EUFORGEN 2000, 2007, COST FP 0803 2010 Belowground Complexity, EUFORIA 2015, 125th Anniversary IUFRO congress 2017:  session no. 45

LEADER / PARTICIPANT LEADER OF INTERNATIONAL AND BILATERAL PROJECTS:

·         TEMPUS_M_JEP04667 (1992-1995 – project organizer); 

·         EUFORGEN (national coordinator (1995 - 2019),  

·         COST actions – national coordinator: E6, 631, E38, FP0803, FP0903, FP1305;  

EU projects (CP – coordinating partner; PP – project partner):

·         BIOD'IBERIA Project A9 (2002);

·         QLRK1-CT99-1349 NAT-MAN 5FP EU (2000-2003), leading PP SFI (50% = 107.000 €); 

·         EVK2-2001-00343 CASIROZ 5FPEU (2002 – 2006), leading PP SFI (50% = 160.000 €);

·         EUFGIS 009 AGRI GEN RES 870/2004(2007-2010), leading PP SFI (50% = 86.000 €);

·         FP7 CAPACITIES PROGRAMME: Coordinator of the project EUFORINNO: European Forest Research and Innovation  (RegPot No. 315982; 2.910.724,93 €, 2012 – 2016), CP;

·         LIFE+ EU Environmental Funds: Coordinator of the project LIFEGENMON: LIFE for FOREST GENETIC MONITORING SYSTEM  (LIFE13 ENV/SI/000148; 5.484.162 €; 2.734.952 € from EU; in total 2.048.538 € for SFI; 6 partners (SI, GR, DE; 2014 –2020), CP.

Bilateral projects:

·         1991 – 1994 ALIS LINK, Cambridge UK;

·         1998 – 1999 PROTEUS, INRA, Fr;

·         2001 – 2004 Molecular ecology of ectomycorrhizae, Real Jardín Botanico Spain;

·         2005 – 2006 FRANGUSAVA, Serbia;

·         2006 – 2007 FRANGUSAVA, Croatia;  

·         2008 – 2009 Diversity of types of ectomycorrhiza on poplars (Populus sp.), Serbia;  

·         2008 – 2009 Ectomycorrhiza and fine root growth of woody species form the upper forest border, Bosnia and Herzegovina;

·         2012 – 2013 Fine root and mycorrhizal mycelia turnover role in carbon dynamics under climate change, Finland; BI-FI/12-13-011

LEADERSHIP OF NATIONAL PROGRAMMES, PROJECTS AND TASKS:

·         leading a permanent task within the Civil Forest Service of in average 80.000 € annually, for guidance and professional support in the field of forest seeds and nurseries, the Slovenian Forest Gene Bank,

·         leading the as the authorized person of the State authority through powers conferred by public law under the Forest Act to the Slovenian Forestry Institute: approval of forest seed objects, certification of forest reproductive material, leading the National list of FRM and the member of the professional WG of the DG SANCO Technical working group on forest seeds, submitting to FOREMATIS

RECENT NATIONAL PROJECTS & PROGRAMMES (for the whole list of national research projects see http://www.sicris.si/search/rsr.aspx?opt=3&lang=slv&id=6014):

·        -  L4-4318 (2011 –2014) Carbon dynamics in forest soils and the mycorrhizosphere

·         - V4-1140 (2011 - 2014) Designation of measures to ensure genetic-based forest protection

·         - V4-1438 (2014 –2017) Provision of forest reproductive material…& large-scale disasters

·         - V4-1616 (2016-2019) Estimation of the system for conservation of forest genetic resources and of the state of forest seed husbandary ….

·         - P4-0107 Research programme Forest Biology, Ecology and Technology (1998-2003, 2004-2008, 2009-2014, 2014-2019)