Biotehnički fakultet
Biografija - Spalevic Velibor

Licna web strana: www.geasci.org/Spalevic ...
Termini predavanja i polaganja ispita, akademski kalendar [link]
Narrative Curriculum Vitae
Prof. Dr. Velibor Spalevic Address: 25, Alekse Šantića, 85316 Bečići, Budva, Montenegro 20, Novaka Miloševa, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro Mob. / Viber / WhatsApp: +382 67 201 222 Email: velibor.spalevic@gmail.com http://www.geasci.org/Spalevic www.ucg.ac.me/objava/blog/17230/objava/1-biography-spalevic-velibor Prof. Dr. Velibor Spalević was born in 1970 in Ivangrad (today Berane), Montenegro. He spent his early life in Andrijevica and Ivangrad, where he completed his primary education, attended a lower music school (piano), and graduated from the local Gymnasium. During his youth, he also completed the School for Sports Pilots – Glider Training in Berane and was an active member of the Folklore Ensemble “Celuloza” (now known as Kolo) in Berane, reflecting his early engagement with both technical disciplines and cultural activities. In 1989, he enrolled at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Department of Land Reclamation, where he graduated in 1995 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He obtained his M.Sc. in 1999 (1995-1999) and completed his Ph.D. in Ecological Engineering for Soil and Water Resources Protection at the same faculty in 2011 (2006-2011). His doctoral research, largely supported by international collaboration and partly conducted at Cornell University under the mentorship of Prof. Harold van Es, and at the Department of Geography, University at Buffalo with Prof. Chris Renschler, focused on erosion modelling and watershed management in the Polimlje region of Montenegro.
Academic and Professional Career
Dr. Spalevic began his professional career in 1995 in the local administration of the Municipality of Berane, after which he joined the Biotechnical Institute of the University of Montenegro. There he advanced to the position of Senior Researcher in 1999. His research and teaching career have been continuously tied to the University of Montenegro, where he currently holds the position of Professor at the Biotechnical Faculty and Professor at the Department of Geography, Faculty of Philosophy. Between 2019 and 2021, he also lectured at the Faculty of Architecture on Methodology of Scientific Research. As a university professor, he teaches subjects in agricultural engineering, environmental science, and physical geography, including Agricultural Mechanization, Soil Geography, Geoinformatics, Biogeography, Eco-management, and Landscapes and the Environment. His teaching and mentoring activities extend to postgraduate levels, where he has supervised and co-supervised master’s and doctoral candidates at universities in Serbia, Croatia, Belgium, Italy, Brazil, and Morocco. Between 2001 and 2014, Prof. Spalevic worked extensively for the European Commission, first as Senior Task Manager and Assistant Head of Operations at the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR), and later as Task Manager for the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro. In this capacity, he managed more than one hundred EU-funded projects in the fields of agriculture, environment, climate change, and rural development, with a combined annual budget estimated between 13 and 18 million euros. These projects, in addition to providing general support to the sectors under his direct supervision, significantly improved Montenegro’s scientific and research infrastructure, contributing to the establishment, renovation, and equipping of laboratories at the University of Montenegro’s Biotechnical Faculty, Faculty of Science, and Institute of Marine Biology, with a total investment of approximately 3.5 million euros. He also managed the development of key national policy documents, including the Montenegro Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy (2007–2013) and the Montenegro Fisheries Development Strategy. In 2014, he was appointed Head Researcher and Chairman of the Board at the Institute of Forestry of Montenegro, where he led projects related to watershed management, erosion control, and forestry research. Between 2016 and 2018, he initially served as National Coordinator and subsequently as Director of the IFAD Project Coordination Unit in Montenegro, acting on behalf of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) of the United Nations. His work there focused on rural infrastructure, value chain development, and the transformation of mountainous rural regions through sustainable agriculture and economic diversification.
Scientific Work and Editorial Contributions
Over the course of his career, Prof. Spalevic has published more than 560 scientific papers, including 180 SCOPUS-indexed and 135 SCI-listed articles in leading international journals such as Catena; Land Degradation & Development; Journal of Hydrology; Journal of Environmental Management; Environmental Research; Forest Ecology and Management; Natural Hazards; The Holocene; Journal of Soils and Sediments; Remote Sensing; Sensors; Environmental Earth Sciences; Engineering Geology; International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction; Hydrological Sciences Journal; Journal of Mountain Science; Geoheritage; Journal of African Earth Sciences… He has also co-authored several books and book chapters published by Springer and other international publishers. One of the Scientific Editors of the "Eurasian Journal of Soil Science" (ISSN: 2147 - 4249) and Member of the Scientific Committee of the "Spanish Journal of Rural Development - SJRD" (Print ISSN: 2171-1216, Online ISSN: 2172-2277). Member of the journal editorial board of the "Malaysian Journal of Soil Science" (ISSN: 1394-7990) and the "Perm Agrarian Journal" (ISSN 2307 - 2873) of the Perm State Agricultural Academy, as well as of the the journal "Ecologica Montenegrina" (ISSN: 2336-9744); The Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Horticulture (Print ISSN 1843-5254; Electronic ISSN 1843-5394); Open Geosciences, eISSN: 2391-5447, handling Editor; Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, handling Editor; the journal "Tokovi", a magazine for scientific, literary and social issues; "Educa" (ISSN: 2303-7342), the Magazine for Education, Science and Culture.
Research and Innovation
Prof. Spalevic is the author of the IntErO model (Intensity of Erosion and Runoff), analytical tool for calculating erosion intensity and runoff, based on the Gavrilovic method, that has been recognized and applied internationally. The method is officially certified by the Ministry of Science of Serbia (2019) and has been implemented under international agreements in Iran and North Macedonia. His research has focused on soil and water conservation, erosion modelling, watershed management, rural development, and land degradation assessment. He has participated in and coordinated numerous international and national projects, including the Land and Soil Sensors System (LANDS) under the Interreg IPA ADRION Programme (2024–2029), the Pan-European Network for Sustainable Hydropower (PEN@Hydropower) COST Action CA21104 (2022–2026), and the Reconstructing Past Climates and Landscapes project (IGGCAS–UNS/CA-2017, 2021–2027). He is also involved in the GreenCrop initiative on the sustainable use of traditional crops in the circular economy (2024–2027), the GEA Project Activity of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (2025), and the part of the team about the Innovation Voucher Project (IV 018 22) in Montenegro (2024).
International Recognition and Awards
In 2018, Dr. Velibor Spalević received the University of Montenegro Award for exceptional achievements and significant contributions to the advancement of scientific research and the international reputation of the University, following a nomination from the Faculty of Philosophy, Study Program of Geography. The same recognition was awarded again in 2021 and 2023, upon the recommendation of the Biotechnical Faculty. According to the Commission’s evaluation and in line with official regulations, he was ranked also first for both 2024 and 2025; however, the awards were not conferred, because of the repeated recognitions to previous laureates, acknowledging his earlier three awards. At the 16th International Education Fair “Signposts,” held in Novi Sad, Serbia, in March 2021, the Commission for Quality Assessment of Educational Institutions presented Dr. Spalević with a special diploma in recognition of his contribution to the development of higher education. Dr. Spalević has also received several international honours for his scientific and professional work, including recognition from the Perm State Agricultural Academy in Russia, the International Agriculture Symposium “AGROSYM” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Agricultural and Natural Research Centre of Khorasan Razavi in Mashhad, Iran, acknowledging his outstanding contributions to the fields of agriculture, environmental science, and education.
Memberships and International Engagement
Prof. Spalevic is actively involved in international scientific organizations. He has served as Council Member and Chair of the Youth Committee of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC), and as a Committee Chair (2019–2022) within the European Geosciences Union (EGU) – Soil, Environment, and Ecosystem Interactions Division. He is also a member of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), Engineering Academy of Serbia, Engineering Academy of Montenegro, and the Committee for Agriculture and Forestry of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU). He has participated in several COST Actions, including CA21104, and served as Montenegro’s National Contact Point (NCP) for Horizon 2020 in the area of Climate Action and Environment (2015). He has been a member of the Scientific Board of the Senate of the University of Montenegro (2019–2022) and a member of multiple international conference committees. He is the founder and Chair of the GEA – Geo Eco-Eco Agro International Conference (2018, 2020, 2025), categorized by the Montenegrin and Serbian Ministries of Science as a reference international scientific event.
Training and Capacity Building
Throughout his career, Prof. Spalevic has completed over twenty international training programs and research fellowships across Europe, Asia, and North America. These include professional courses on watershed management, erosion control, project cycle management, and environmental policy, conducted in institutions such as the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU, Vienna), Tarbiat Modares University (Iran), FAO (Rome), GIZ (Germany), and Cornell University (USA). He was a fellow of the Young Scientist Program (2004), funded by Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug’s foundation and mentored by Prof. Harold van Es (Cornell University) and Prof. Chris Renschler (University at Buffalo).
Scientific Output and Mentorship
By late 2025, Prof. Spalevic’s record includes over 560 publications and contributions to international monographs, conference proceedings, and journals. His citation indices on Google Scholar (5000 citations) and SCOPUS (2000 citations) place him among the productive Montenegrin scientists. He has mentored over 20 undergraduate theses and participated as a mentor or co-mentor in doctoral research in Belgium, Brazil, Serbia, Croatia, and Italy. His former students and collaborators now hold academic and research positions across Europe, Australia, Asia and South America.
Summary
Prof. Dr. Velibor Spalevic is an internationally recognized scientist, educator, and project leader with three decades of professional experience spanning university teaching, scientific research, and international development cooperation. His career bridges academia, environmental policy, and applied innovation, with particular expertise in soil erosion modelling, sustainable land use, and rural development. Through his leadership in national and international projects, editorial roles, and academic mentorship, he has made a substantial contribution to advancing geo, geoscientific, agricultural, environmental research in Montenegro and beyond.
Vidi jos:
Velibor Spalevic on ResearchGate
Velibor Spalevic on Google Scholar
Velibor Spalevic on Scopus Author Preview
Velibor Spalevic Number of publications (SCI, SCIE, SSCI, A&HCI) by authors at the BTF
Velibor Spalevic Number of publications (SCI, SCIE, SSCI, A&HCI) by authors at the UCG
