One of the new rector’s main priorities is to implement the Strategic Plan and Sustainability Strategy that the university has set out this year. “We live in very turbulent times, where universities represent a pillar of education, stability, and development, and it is our mission to create a responsible and sustainable environment within our society and to communicate our goals openly. A mission that includes quality education, innovative research, and the development of society means a lot of work, and we must take a responsible approach to the individual visions of each and every one of us,” Klimánek assessed.
Based on his theses, the new rector intends to focus not only on sustainability, but also on knowledge transfer, digitization, cyber security, and employee wellbeing. “I will incorporate strategies for responsible and sustainable development into the university’s processes and increase our institutional resilience and the security of our campuses and dormitories,” promised the new rector.
Martin Klimánek was born in Brno in July 1977. He graduated from Matyáš Lerch Grammar School in Brno and then enrolled at what was then Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, studying forest engineering. While still a student, he worked for the Institute for Forest Management and subsequently for a company that develops forest management plans and outlines for forest owners. His professional focus is on applied geoinformatics in precision forestry and spatial decision support. He then became more involved in topics such as digital terrain modeling and topographic modeling, spatial data infrastructure and location-based services, forestry thematic cartography, and the application of unmanned aerial systems in forestry planning.
He has been working full-time at the university since 2003, completing his Ph.D. studies in 2006 and subsequently being appointed head of the Department of Geoinformation Technologies at MENDELU’s Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology. In 2013, he habilitated in the field of Forest Management and has been Vice-Rector since 2014, serving three terms. Initially, he was responsible for educational activities, then strategy, development, and special-purpose facilities, and now he has a similar portfolio that also includes sustainability.