It is my great pleasure to inform our readers that on 16 September 2022, Associate Professor Ing. Arch. Branislav Puškár, PhD, takes up the position of Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia (FAD-STU) for the four-year term 2022-2026. As the FAD-STU is a partner institution of the WIETE, his appointment is also important in this context. Participation of FAD-STU’s academics in WIETE activities spans across several years, from the early stages of the WIETE’s establishment, and includes a partnership between the two organisations signed in September 2015. Under the agreement the two partners have engaged in joint activities to promote research and development projects in engineering and technology education in regard to programmes taught at the FAD-STU, with Professor Robert Špaček of the FAD-STU (presently President of the WIETE International Academic Advisory Committee) overseeing the joint activities on behalf of the FAD-STU. This partnership has had strong support of the two consecutive Deans of the Faculty that is Professor Ľubica Vitková and Professor Pavel Gregor.

Associate Professor Ing. Arch. Branislav Puškár graduated from the then Faculty of Architecture at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2005 and was awarded a PhD by the same institution in 2008. In 2018, he obtained his habilitation from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Technology in Brno in the Czech Republic based on his thesis entitled: Intelligent Building Architectural Concept Scenarios.

Branislav Puškár has worked in the FAD-STU since graduation, conducting teaching and research activities in architecture of residential buildings, with particular emphasis on intelligent buildings. His research interest focus on international and domestic projects carried out under the auspices of the Austrian Academy of Sciences research and development projects, and he has received several awards in architectural competitions, and was nominated for the ARCH 2020 award. He has authored and co-authored numerous local and international books, published scientific papers in peer refereed journals and conference proceedings within his research area, and has been the author and co-author of several realised architectural and artistic works. He is a member of the state examination commissions of several universities in both the Czech and Slovak republics, as well as being a lecturer and consultant on intelligent buildings for national institutions and ministries of the Slovak Republic.

As he commences his duties on 16 September 2022, the WIETE staff, members, associates and sympathisers wish Associate Professor Puškár all the success in his new and challenging position, fruitful co-operation within and outside the FA-STU, and look forward to his support and collaboration with WIETE members to fulfil the WIETE mission of Serving the International Engineering and Technology Community.

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