Reception of ASEF Research Abroad 2025 Fellows

On Wednesday, February 12, 2025, ASEF organized a reception and presentation of the new ASEF 2025 fellowship holders in the Prešeren Hall of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU). The event was attended by distinguished guests, including Prof. Dr. Igor Papič, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Gregor Majdič, Rector of the University of Ljubljana, and Dr. Rok Sekirnik, Director of the ASEF Institute.

At the beginning of the event, guests listened to speeches that emphasized the importance of supporting young researchers and the opportunities brought by cooperation between ASEF, Slovenian academic institutions and global research institutions. The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Prof. Dr. Igor Papič, emphasized:

“Higher education, science and research can only develop through international cooperation, so it is right that Slovenian students have the opportunity to gain international experience. In doing so, they find that they have a lot of knowledge, that Slovenian higher education is of high quality and internationally comparable. Those who return to Slovenia are enriched by this international experience, while those who decide to stay abroad strengthen Slovenia’s international reputation. The mentors in the ASEF program are proof of this. These are Slovenians who work at reputable foreign universities, enjoy an international reputation, while at the same time remain closely connected to Slovenia.”

The event program also included a presentation of the ASEF scholarship program ‘Research Abroad’, which aims to provide young researchers from Slovenia with experience at the world’s best universities and research institutes. This was discussed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andrej Košmrlj, Head of ASEF Fellowship Programs, and Asst. Luka Petravić, Dr. Med., ASEF 2023 Fellow, who was on a research visit to the University of Chicago.

The main event was the presentation of the new ASEF 2025 fellows, who will conduct research at prestigious research institutions around the world in the coming months. This year’s fellows come from various fields, including biochemistry, computer science, physics, chemical engineering and Slovenian studies. The fellows will not only upgrade their knowledge, but also contribute to the recognition of Slovenia’s research potential in the world.

ASEF FELLOWS 2025: ● Zara Bunc ● Marko Fišer ● Gal Gantar ● Valter Hudovernik ● Martin Jazbec ● Tomaž Jurkovič ● Maša Karčovnik ● Tina Košuta ● Tara Miler ● Teja Pelko ● Nikiša Plešec ● Hana Podjed ● Luka Jože Pušlar ● Duška Stopar ● Polona Zabret ● Mark Žnidar

ASEF MENTORS 2025: ● prof. Jure Leskovec (Univerza Stanford) ● prof. Andrej Košmrlj (Univerza Princeton) ● prof. Dimitri Krainc (Univerza Northwestern) ● prof. Jure Zupan (Univerza v Cincinnatiju) ● prof. Dawn Song (Univerza v Kaliforniji, Berkeley) ● prof. Alenka Poplin (Državna univerza Iowa) ● prof. Janina Golob Deeb (Univerza Commonwealth v Virginiji) ● prof. Boštjan Kobe (Univerza v Queenslandu) ● prof. Kaja Antlej (Univerza Deakin) ● prof. Peter Verovšek (Univerza v Groningenu) ● prof. Matevž Rašković (Tehnološka univerza v Aucklandu) ● prof. Gregor Gorjanc (Univerza v Edinburghu)

The event aimed to remind the public of the importance of supporting young Slovenian researchers and enabling their development and networking with the best research institutions around the world. ASEF continues to be an academic bridge between Slovenia and the world, encouraging exceptional young talents to contribute to the development of science and society on a global level.