The Council of the SAS re-elected Pavol Šajgalík as the President of the SAS
At an online meeting on March 18, 2021, the members of the Council of the SAS re-elected Pavol Šajgalík as the President of the SAS. His third term will begin on June 6, 2021, and will last until 2025.
In his vision, the newly elected President of the SAS, Pavol Šajgalík, emphasised that the adoption of the Act on Public Research Institution and the successful completion of the transformation of the SAS is a necessary and key condition for the development of the SAS. "It is an important step towards acquiring the status compatible with the outside world," he told the members of the SAS Council at the beginning of his presentation.
During his term of office, the "old-new" President of the SAS will ensure strict adherence to the apolitical position of the SAS, with an emphasis on the ethics of the researcher and scientific work. He will also commit to launching programs to help young researchers who have completed their doctoral studies and to simplify the process of admitting foreign researchers from outside the European Union.
Another goal of Pavol Šajgalík is to create joint workplaces with research universities: "We have already discussed with the rectors about what the model of such joint workplaces should look like. We were inspired by a model in France, where they already have such forms of cooperation. Most of them are excellent workplaces that drive science and research forward in that country. "
"In this way, I would like to sincerely thank the SAS Assembly for the trust it has placed in me. I believe and hope that this period will be less turbulent than the other ones. And as before, I will now also do everything to achieve in this country and abroad such a status that we can all be proud to be part of the Slovak Academy of Sciences,” thanked shortly after the publication of the results the newly elected President of the SAS.
Pavol Šajgalík graduated from the Faculty of Science of the Comenius University in Bratislava (Department of Experimental Physics). He is a recognised expert in the field of materials research, structural ceramics, ceramic nanocomposites, phase transformation and microstructure. He has been working at the SAS all his professional life. He worked in various positions at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, for 14 years as a Director. In 2013, he became a member of the Presidium of SAS, and in 2015, after the dismissal of the previous President, he was elected by the SAS Council as the head of the institution. He was elected to office for the second time in 2017.
He is the Vice President of the Council of the Slovak Republic for Science, Technology and Innovation, the Vice President of the Slovak Commission for Scientific Degrees, a member of the Pandemic Commission of the Slovak Government, a member of scientific councils of several research universities, and an elected member of the World Academy of Ceramics. He holds various positions in several professional companies at home and abroad. He completed many research stays abroad, especially in Germany, Japan, the USA, Taiwan and China. He has won many awards and honours at home and abroad.
In 2015, the President of the Slovak Republic awarded him the Ľudovít Štúr honours of the III. class for extraordinary merits in the development of science, technology and education. He won the Bridge Building Award of the American Ceramic Society and also the Stuijts Award of the European Ceramic Society for significant contribution in the field of ceramic materials research. He is married, has two daughters and two granddaughters.
The President of the SAS is appointed by the President of the Slovak Republic. The proposal for the appointment is submitted by the Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport based on the election result of the Council of the SAS.