About the Author:

Professor Breda Kegl earned her M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. She teaches and conducts research in the area of internal combustion engines. Her research focuses on diesel engines with emphasis to usage of alternative fuels, engine performance and emissions, and diesel engine optimization. She is Head of the Engine Research Laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Maribor. Professor Breda Kegl has received the Golden symbol of Jozef Stefan and the Silver sign of the University of Maribor for outstanding achievements in knowledge transfer to practice and creative work in science. She was engaged in the EU project MOBILIS, in many industrial projects in Austria, Croatia, India, Poland, and Serbia. She conducted one year of her postdoctoral research at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany. For many years she was one of the mentors of the Formula Student team at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Maribor. She chaired two international conferences and several national workshops. She is a coauthor of around sixty original scientific papers.

Professor Marko Kegl earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He teaches and conducts research in the area of mechanics and computational engineering. His research focuses on optimization of mechanical systems with emphasis to optimization of time-dependent mechanical systems and sizing, shape, and topology optimization of statically loaded structures. He is Head of the Laboratory for Applied Mechanics at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Maribor. Professor Marko Kegl conducted one year of his postdoctoral research at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany as a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is a coauthor of over thirty original scientific papers.

Professor Stanislav Pehan earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He started his career in the automotive company TAM, at first as an automotive designer and later as the Executive Director of the Development Department. Now he teaches and conducts research in the area of mechanical design and tribology. His research focuses on development and design procedures of vehicles, drives, and gears. Professor Stanislav Pehan has received the Silver Sign of the University of Maribor for outstanding achievements in knowledge transfer to practice and creative work in science. For many years he was one of the mentors of the Formula Student team at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Maribor. He is a coauthor of around twenty original scientific papers.