Prof. Dr. Miha Japelj (1935–2026) has passed away
We are saddened to announce the passing of Prof. Dr. Miha Japelj, a full member of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering, an exceptional chemist, a long-time researcher, and one of the key contributors to the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Slovenia.
As an educator, he taught organic chemical technology and pharmaceutical chemistry for decades, leaving a lasting impression on many generations of students with his breadth of knowledge and precision. Together with Boris Andrijanič, he founded the Krka Awards Fund, which has been promoting research excellence among young people for more than half a century.
The IAS gratefully honors Prof. Dr. Miha Japelj for his outstanding contribution to the development of Slovenian science, engineering, and the academic community. His expertise, integrity, and dedication will remain an enduring part of our shared heritage.
Prof. Japelj devoted most of his prolific professional career to research and development at the Krka pharmaceutical plant in Novo Mesto. He was a driving force behind close collaboration between industry and the university, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU), the IAS, and research institutions in Slovenia and abroad. Prof. Japelj is the author of numerous patents for the synthesis of pharmaceutical active ingredients, such as 1,4-benzodiazepines, antibiotics, quinolones, ACE inhibitors, antiviral compounds, and others. He carried out the extraction of pyrethrum in an industrial plant. From 1970 to 2002, Dr. Japelj taught the course Organic Chemical Technology at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology (FKKT). Until 2010, he continued to actively teach pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Maribor and later at higher education institutions (VITES and FINI) in Novo Mesto. Dr. Japelj is the author and co-author of 50 scientific articles and 86 patents. He served as a court-appointed expert in the field of chemistry in Novo Mesto, the Dolenjska region, and Bela Krajina.
1935 Born in Ljubljana
1959 Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, University of Ljubljana
1960–2003 Employed at Krka, Pharmaceutical Factory, Novo Mesto
1964 Master’s degree in chemical technology, University of Ljubljana
1969 Ph.D. in organic chemistry, University of Ljubljana
1973 Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana
1979 Associate Professor, University of Ljubljana
1984 Full Professor, University of Ljubljana
2014 Full Member of the Slovenian Academy of Engineering
Translated with DeepL.com
