Today, the Academic Senate elected Martin Klimánek, the current vice-rector for strategy, sustainability, and special-purpose activities, as the new rector of Mendel University in Brno. He will replace Jan Mareš at the helm of the university on March 31, 2026. Two candidates ran for the position of the 35th rector today: Klimánek and the current rector, Jan Mareš. Martin Klimánek was elected in the first round, receiving 24 votes from the 31 senators present.
One of the new rector’s main priorities is to implement the Strategic Plan and Sustainability Strategy that the university set out this year. “We live in very turbulent times, where universities represent a pillar of education, stability, and development, and it is our mission to create a responsible and sustainable environment within our society and to communicate our goals openly. A mission that includes quality education, innovative research, and the development of society means a lot of work, and we must take a responsible approach to the individual visions of each and every one of us,” Klimánek assessed.
Based on his theses, the new rector intends to focus not only on sustainability, but also on knowledge transfer, digitization, cyber security, and the well-being of employees. “I will incorporate strategies for responsible and sustainable development into the university’s processes and increase our institutional resilience and the security of our campuses and dormitories,” the new rector promised.
Martin Klimánek was born in Brno in July 1977. He graduated from Matyáš Lerch Grammar School in Brno and then enrolled at what was then Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, majoring in forest engineering. While still a student, he worked at the Institute for Forest Management and subsequently for a company that deals with the processing of forest management plans and outlines for forest owners. His professional focus is on applied geoinformatics in precision forestry and spatial decision support. He has focused his attention on topics such as digital terrain modeling and topographic modeling, spatial data infrastructure and location-based services, forestry thematic cartography, and the application of unmanned aerial systems in forestry planning.
He has been working at the university continuously since 2003. In 2006, he successfully completed his doctoral studies (Ph.D.) and was subsequently appointed head of the Department of Geoinformation Technologies at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University. In 2013, he habilitated in the field of forest management. Since 2014, he has held the position of vice-rector for three consecutive terms. Initially, he was responsible for educational activities, then he focused on strategy, development, and special-purpose facilities, and currently his responsibilities have expanded to include sustainability.