Lidija Zadnik Stirn, PhD, Full Professor
Univerza v Ljubljani (University of Ljubljana, UL)
How did you arrive in your current position?
It has been a long, exciting, and rewarding journey. After graduating in Applied Mathematics and qualifying Operations Research as a mathematical-informational-organizational science with strong application to the environment, especially forestry, landscape management, and wood technology, I joined University of Ljubljana as a seminar assistant. At the same time, I taught cross-sectoral analysis and stochastic processes to students of forestry and wood technology and participated in research in the field of forest management planning. With the support of my colleagues/teachers/supervisors at the Faculty of Economics and Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana, and based on newly developed ecological, economic, and social paradigms I have developed a mathematical decision model for optimal management of forests in my PhD thesis. Dissemination of the model in the form of a scientific article in the Forest Ecology and Management Journal, and joining some international associations (IUFRO, IFORS. IFIP) allowed me to collaborate on an interdisciplinary and international level. I have been fortunate to work with top scientists in Europe and the USA, including on a Fulbright grant, on innovative research in managerial and environmental economics, and decision support systems closely related to forestry. This experience enabled me to participate in research projects in Slovenia, and in EU projects, to publish articles on topics such as economic, environmental, and social optimization in forestry, wood products, and bioenergy, to develop and successfully conduct new subjects in the field of modeling, quantitative methods, decision-making, at University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, and to supervise graduate and PhD students, mainly at my home university in Slovenia.
Which scientific question are you the most eager to answer?
I have always been interested in combining managerial economics, informatics, and forestry, quantitative and qualitative modelling, participatory decision making, ecosystem function assessment, and forest management optimization. Together with colleagues/collaborators it has always been emphasized that efficient use of renewable natural resources (forests) and raw materials (wood) is an important issue for research and society, both in Slovenia and internationally. It was also noted that forest production focuses on two basic factors, space, and time, which occur in extraordinary dimensions. Based on this, the development of mathematical/optimization decision support models focused on multipurpose use, sustainability, resilience, long-term strategies, and unpredictable influences, using multi-criteria, dynamic, stochastic and group decision methods was placed in the first line of our research.
What is the future of your research?
Ecological and social changes are a major challenge for future research. Scientific knowledge on the demand and supply of renewable energy resources (biomass) and the forest bioeconomy should be of immediate importance for addressing the challenges of climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. New approaches developed for decision support systems governance, Big Data analysis, and forecasting methods, including risk, should be incorporated into future modelling of the forest sector and beyond. As future research problems are even more complex, different sectors should collaborate, interdisciplinarity, teamwork, and global collaboration should be considered.
Open Science, especially Open Data, is highly debated on various levels. What is your opinion?
Certain types of "open science and open data" (funded by the "public") should be accessible to everyone, free of charge and without financial barriers, because they promote collaboration and knowledge sharing, enable the use and reuse of research data, software, and methods, and allow researchers, policymakers, and the public to analyze and draw insights from the information that can lead to new discoveries and innovations. So, I think the Open Science and Open Data initiative (now already the EU 2030 Open Science Action Plan) is very important, I support it, but there are some things to respect. Effective management and funding of the national ecosystems for open science and open data in conjunction with national structures and infrastructures, as well as integration with international links and infrastructures, must be ensured through specific regulations. In addition, authorship should be protected, misuse prevented, and ethical standards considered.
How do you maintain your work-life balance?
It is well known that work-life integration, i.e., work-life balance, is challenging and indispensable. A good work-life balance promotes harmony between the different aspects of life. Benefits gained from one area can support and strengthen the others. A popular catchphrase is “do what you love and love what you do." Positive relationships, social support, taking time to nurture and develop yourself, and spending time with family, friends, and colleagues all contribute to resilience. I am glad that these attitudes have worked in my case as well. I have always tried to optimize time, and most importantly, I have been fated to meet the right people in the right place. I have been fortunate so far to have been able to work with wonderful people. Working with my colleagues at home and abroad, and with my students, has always been teamwork, with positive energy and respect for and for everyone. These approaches provided the impetus and willpower for joint activities and ultimately contributed to success. Of course, my family has always supported me. We are a family with different professions and interests, but we have always been supportive, stimulating, and complementary.
How difficult is it to have a carrier in science? How do you keep your motivation?
An academic career has been a challenge, even a constant stimulus for me to learn/educate, i.e., to keep abreast of the latest research and developments, to seek employment opportunities in specific environments, universities, institutes, for research projects and internships, to network, to meet scholars and researchers in the areas of my research interests, to attend conferences, and to publish the research results have been the constant tasks in my academic career. They were challenging, with my personal ups and downs, but also inspiring. I was motivated by my curiosity, developed resilience, was surrounded by like-minded people, spent time with my loved ones, received support from my friends when needed, and celebrated the successes along the way. This is how the rewarding career was kept going.
How did you personally benefit from being a part of the ASFORCLIC consortium so far?
ASFORCLIC was a continuation of my previous research approaches, and I benefited because the project had a unique approach. The approach was of course multidisciplinary and confirmed some of my predictions/paradigms regarding the category of time relevant to forestry issues and was consistent with the open science strategy. This means that the project involved several PhD students who contributed new energies, data from their environment, and their views on the future development and use of forests and wood in the light of apparent climatic, social, and technological changes; many fruitful workshops were held with stakeholders; two sectors (forestry and wood technology) were meaningfully linked into a research value chain that focused on the future use of wood by new species that are resilient to projected climate changes. Therefore, I am glad that I could be part of ASGORCLIC.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N°952314.