• Institute for Oliveculture
• Institute of Viticulture and Wine Production

Maja Podgornik, PhD

Senior Research Associate, Head of institute

• +386 5 611 79 30

Research Areas

• Biotechnical sciences
• Olive growing and agricultural production technologies
• Climate change and agricultural adaptation
• Soil science, plant nutrition and sustainable soil management
• Irrigation, fertigation and plant water status
• Plant protection
• Precision agriculture, remote sensing and digital technologies

Biography

Maja Podgornik is a senior research associate and Head of the Institute for Oliveculture at the Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper). Her research focuses on olive production, soil management, irrigation and plant water status, with particular emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and the adaptation of Mediterranean agriculture to climate change.

She graduated in Agronomy from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana in 2003 and obtained her PhD in 2008 with a doctoral dissertation entitled Comparison of Nutrient Leaching on Selected Golf Courses. She also completed a pedagogical-andragogical education programme at the Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana.

She gained her first professional experience at Koper Grammar School and at the Centre for Oliveculture of the Agricultural and Forestry Institute of Nova Gorica. Since 2005, she has been involved in research at the Institute for Oliveculture of ZRS Koper through national and international research projects.

Since 2015, she has served as Head of the Institute for Oliveculture, and since 2023 she has also served as Acting Head of the Institute for Viticulture and Oenology at ZRS Koper. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Scientific Council of ZRS Koper. Since 2018, she has served as the professional lead of the Public Service for Olive Growing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia.

She has also been involved in higher education at the University of Primorska, where she taught courses in soil science and land use, horticulture and fruit growing between 2008 and 2016. Her research has been presented at numerous scientific conferences and meetings, and she has published more than 90 bibliographic works, including original scientific articles.

Education

• PhD in Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 2008
• Pedagogical and Andragogical Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, 2004
• Degree in Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 2003

Professional Positions

• 2016–present: Senior Research Associate, Institute for Oliveculture, ZRS Koper
• 2015–present: Head, Institute for Oliveculture, ZRS Koper
• 2023–present: Acting Head, Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, ZRS Koper
• 2016–present: Member, Scientific Council of ZRS Koper
• 2018–present: Professional Lead, Public Service for Olive Growing, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia
• 2008–2016: University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies
• 2005–2016: Researcher and academic staff member, Institute for Oliveculture, Science and Research Centre Koper

Professional Activities and Memberships

Slovenia

• Head of the Institute for Oliveculture, ZRS Koper (2015–present)
• Acting Head of the Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, ZRS Koper (2023–present)
• Member of the Scientific Council of ZRS Koper (2016–present)
• Professional Lead of the Public Service for Oliveculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (2018–present)
• Member of the Expert Committee for Olive Growing, Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia (2021–2023)
• Member of the Council for Olive Growing, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (2020–2023)
• President of the Association of Olive Growers’ Societies of Slovenia (2019–2023)
• Member of working groups preparing proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 (2021–2023)

International

• Representative of the Republic of Slovenia in the Expert Group on Statistics of the International Olive Council (IOC), appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (2021–present)

Specialist Training and Awards

2018: Scholarship for specialist training in olive oil quality assessment, University Specialisation Course in the Organoleptic Assessment of Virgin Olive Oil, University of Jaén, Spain.

Selected Research Projects

• LIFE4ADAPT (2025–2032): Adapting to Climate Change (LIFE23-IPC-SI-LIFE4ADAPT, No. 101147797) — Head of the Koper Demonstration Centre and coordinator of ZRS Koper activities
• IRP-38 CLIMAGROW (2025–2029) — Head of ZRS Koper activities
• P5-0453 (2024–2027): Mediterranean Agricultural Practices and Societies in Adapting to Environmental Change — Member of the programme group
• AI-GRAPE (2024–2026): Supporting the Digitalisation of Viticulture for the Management of Harmful Organisms in the Italy–Slovenia Cross-Border Area — Project Leader for ZRS Koper
• BioTech2Agri (2024–2026) — Project Leader for ZRS Koper
• Waste4Soil (2023–2027): Transforming Food Waste into Sustainable Soil Amendments for Improved Soil Health and Food Systems — Project Leader for ZRS Koper
• V4-2406 (2023–2027): Comparison of Irrigation and Fertigation Technologies and Strategies in Selected Crops — Project Leader for ZRS Koper
• MED-STI-K (2023–2025): Knowledge Hub for Green, Sustainable and Innovative Mediterranean Agriculture — Project Leader
• GO-TO S-OIL (2022–2025): Preservation and Improvement of Soil Production Potential for Sustainable Olive Production — Project Leader
• Public Service for Olive Growing (2018–present) — Professional Lead
• SOLJKE (2020–2022): Promoting Public–Private Partnerships through the Development of Innovative Products in Olive Growing — Project Leader
• Automation and Economic Feasibility of Irrigation in Olive Growing (2019–2022) — Project Leader

Selected Publications

PODGORNIK, Maja, BUČAR-MIKLAVČIČ, Milena, LEVART, Alenka, SALOBIR, Janez, REZAR, Vida, BUTINAR, Bojan. “Chemical characteristics of two-phase olive-mill waste and evaluation of their direct soil application in humid Mediterranean regions.” Agronomy. 2022, vol. 12, no. 7, article 1621, pp. 1–10.

PODGORNIK, Maja, FANTINIČ, Jakob, BUČAR-MIKLAVČIČ, Milena, et al. Olive Tree, Drought Conditions, Soil and Deficit Irrigation. Koper: Science and Research Centre Koper, Institute for Oliveculture, Annales ZRS, 2022. 102 pp.

NOČ, Matic, PEČAN, Urša, PINTAR, Marina, PODGORNIK, Maja. “Soil water dynamics and olive yield (Olea europaea L.) under different surface drip irrigation treatments in northern Mediterranean.” Acta agriculturae Slovenica. 2024, vol. 120, no. 2, pp. 1–17.

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