With a passion for technology and processes, Miha Grilc studied Chemical Engineering and became a pioneer in catalytic biomass conversion in Slovenia, initially focusing on the kinetics of catalytic hydrotreatment of liquefied biomass. Their research has since evolved into cascade fractionation and defunctionalization of biobased building blocks and, more recently, into custom reactor and pilot design/fabrication.

After returning from a postdoctoral position at Universität Leipzig, Germany, and securing the first projects, Miha Grilc established a subgroup for catalytic biomass conversion, comprising 5 PhD holders and 8 PhD students.

Selected Achievements:

• Awarded 4 research and 7 bilateral projects funded by the National Agency (ARIS)
• Collaborated on industrial projects with Total, Evonik, BASF, and Sulzer (> €2 million in total)
• Participated in 2 Horizon projects: e-CODUCT and Dream
• Publications: 97, with 3,643 citations (Google Scholar, 25.11.2024)
• Submitted 6 patent applications
• Active as a peer reviewer, guest editor, invited speaker, and member of multiple scientific societies and program/management committees