Igor Kovačev

Igor Kovačev is an Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, within the Department of Mechanization and Autonomous Systems in Agriculture. Employed since 1999, he progressed from Young Assistant to his current position (2015–present), with office location at the Department's Test site. His expertise spans agricultural engineering with focus on machinery optimization and sustainable farming systems.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Biotechnical Sciences (Agriculture, 2005–2012) on economic efficiency of non-conventional soil tillage systems
• M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering (1999–2004) on electronic-hydraulic hitch control in ploughing
• Graduate Engineer in Agricultural Engineering (1993–1998) on corn grain drying optimization

Research centers on energy-efficient agricultural machinery, with four core pillars: energy savings in soil tillage, rational farm machinery utilization, control systems development, and precision farming implementation. His work bridges theoretical modeling with field applications to enhance sustainability in arable crop production.

Publication trends (2008–2016) reveal consistent progression from fundamental tractor-soil interaction studies toward integrated precision farming solutions. Key thematic clusters include soil compaction mitigation, tillage system optimization for cereals, and sensor-based machinery control – all targeting resource efficiency in European agricultural contexts.

Project leadership demonstrates substantial grant acquisition capability:

• Scientific: MZOS-funded reduced tillage study (2007–2013, Coordinator)
• Development: EU-funded cRobot autonomous weeding system (2020–2023, Partner)
• Teaching: European Social Fund practice improvement project (2020–2023, Coordinator)
• University: Tractor emissions reduction (2017) and soybean residue biogas projects (2016, both Coordinator)

Professional engagement includes editing ATAE Proceedings (2015–2017), plus active membership in CROSTRO (since 2010), EurAgEng (since 2006), HUPT (since 2000), and Club of Bologna (since 2021), reflecting deep integration within European agricultural engineering networks.