“When it comes to Africa, people in almost every field of sciences find their own challenges and questions, since a countless of problems waiting to be solved complicates life on the continent beyond the unparalleled historical and geographical conditions.
I am convinced that these problems should not be seen as static factors, but as challenges that need to be addressed in the future, at national, continental and global levels. I am confident that by involving science, research and business, we can create common results and opportunities on this unique continent. As vice-president of the Central European Knowledge Center for Africa Business Studies, my goal is to use all means at our disposal to help advance the above-mentioned processes so that they can be not only external observers but also active and successful participants of Hungarian experts.”
He was born on 5 June 1973 in Gyoma. He is an agricultural engineer, soil engineer, university professor and doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Since 2017, he has been managing the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Center (NAIK) as director general.
He completed his studies at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Gödöllő University of Agricultural Sciences and at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Vienna. After obtaining his doctorate, he continued to work as a lecturer and researcher, and from 2004 to 2008 he was the deputy dean of the International Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Szent István University, and from 2005 he was the director of the Crop Production Education Farm. From 2012 he was the deputy dean for economic affairs of the Faculty, and from 2012 to 2015 he held the position of dean. Since 2015 he has been a professor at the University of Kaposvár and Szent István University. At present, in addition to teaching the compulsory subjects of the BSc and MSc courses, he also participates in the Doctoral School of Plant Sciences as a supervisor and lecturer. He is a member of the Kálmán Kerpely Doctoral School of the University of Debrecen.
In addition to teaching in Hungarian, he joined the English-language BSc and MSc in Agricultural Engineering in 2010. In 2015, he was appointed president of the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development. From 2017 to July 2020, he is the director general of the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Center (NAIK), and from August 2020 he is the rector of the renewed Szent István University. In February, he became acting rector of the new Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), established by the transformation and integration of the university. In May 2021, he was appointed rector of the MATE.
His main area of research is the study of the effect of tillage systems on the physical and biological condition of soils in field and small-plot experiments, the development of green manure and nutrient-retaining crop technology under changing climatic conditions. Since 2003, he has been researching the possibilities of planting disadvantaged production areas with energy crops – and his colleagues have developed technologies that can be used in practice for the cultivation of woody energy crops.
As the founding vice president of the Central European Knowledge Center for Africa Business Studies, he assists the organization in its mission, professional work, and building scientific relations.