Prof. Dr. Fatbardh Sallaku

Rector of AUT

Prof. Dr. Fatbardh Sallaku is a professor of natural resource management at the Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT), holding the title "Professor" since 2010. His research focuses on land and water protection, environmental degradation, rural development, and agro-environmental policies. After graduating in agronomy from AUT in 1990, he began his academic career at the same university. He earned his PhD in 1996 and has since held several leadership roles, including Head of the Department of Agriculture and Ecology (2008–2016) and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment (2016–2020). Since 2020, he serves as Rector of AUT. Prof. Sallaku has completed post-graduate research at several European institutions, including Queen’s University Belfast (UK), the University of Padova (Italy), Giessen University, and Humboldt University (Germany). He has authored around 90 scientific publications, with over 30 indexed in international journals such as Geoderma, Environmental Modeling & Assessment, and the Journal of Ecological Engineering. He actively participates in international scientific events and leads or collaborates on numerous national and international projects (TEMPUS, Interreg, FAO, USAID, etc.). His expertise is sought by organizations in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, particularly in EU agricultural policy, rural development, and environmental protection. Since 2021, he is a member of the Albanian Academy of Sciences and a visiting professor at Michigan State University, contributing to the "International Development: Theory and Practice" program.

Olsid Mema

Geo-Information Centre Director

Olsid Mema is an assistant lecturer in the Department of Agronomic Sciences at the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania. He holds a Master’s Degree in Geodesy from the Geodesy Department at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic University of Tirana. Currently, he is a PhD student at the Agricultural University of Tirana. Olsid serves as the Executive Director of the Centre, where he represents the Centre to project partners and stakeholders, coordinates project activities including the logistical preparation of training courses, summer schools, and research seminars and contributes as a GIS instructor. He is responsible for disseminating information about project activities and providing regular support to all involved partners. Additionally, he will oversee and coordinate the development of a consolidation strategy and guide efforts to secure future funding opportunities to ensure the long-term success of the Centre.

Bexhet Islamaj

Geo-Information scientist

Bexhet Islamaj is a GIS and IT professional with over 23 years of experience in GIS, software development, data analysis, and geospatial solutions. He holds a Master’s degree equivalent in Computer Science from the University of Tirana and has extensive experience working across the Western Balkan countries, including Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Greece. He is programmer in programming languages such as VB.Net, C#, and Python, as well as in geodatabase management such PostgreSQL/PostGIS, MS SQL Server, and MS Access etc. He has over 20 years of experience with ArcGIS, QGIS, and other GIS solutions, particularly in the agriculture, environment, and infrastructure sectors. In the GEO-WB6 project, he is responsible for developing the GEOdata Portal of the Geoinformation Centre.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Müller

Daniel Müller is a senior scientist at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) and professor of geography at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He has a master degree and doctorate in agricultural sciences and a habilitation in geography. The overarching goal of his research program is to advance the understanding of land-system change, including its multiple repercussions on human welfare, food production, carbon balance and biodiversity. His work is characterized by integrative approaches that combine his expertise in resource economics and natural sciences. He conducts empirical work at different spatial scales with a geographic focus on the Western Balkans, countries of the former Soviet Union, and China.

Max Hofmann

Research associate at IAMO

Max Hofmann is a research associate at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biology from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Max has over 10 years of experience in applying GIS in ecology, conservation, land-use and climatology. At IAMO, Max studies the effects of climate change on agriculture in Eastern Africa and countries of the former Soviet Union. He has been responsible for several GIS capacity building projects carried out by IAMO in past. In GEO-WB6, he coordinates the project activities and is the main responsible for the training courses and research seminars.