Biography
Ankica Kovač, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Croatia where she holds position of the Head of Power Engineering Laboratory. Ankica holds her PhD in a renewable hydrogen production. Her research interests include the whole hydrogen value chain from hydrogen production (water electrolysis in conjunction with RES), hydrogen storage, distribution, to the hydrogen usage in the fuel cells. She is the Guest Editor of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and Energies Journal. Ankica has authored and co-authored numbers of scientific papers published in international scientific journals and conference proceedings. She is involved in projects collaboration with other academic institutions, industry, and policy makers both on national and international level.
Ankica is the founder and chair of the Renewable Hydrogen Energy Conference – RH2EC (https://rh2ec.com) which, for the first time, was held in September 2021, all virtual. She designed the first Croatian hydrogen-powered bicycle and installed the first Croatian hydrogen refuelling station. Because of the original and innovative design of the hydrogen refuelling station, it was protected as intellectual property on the national level (trademark) and international level (design). To promote transportation based on hydrogen, in cooperation with Toyota Croatia Inc., she organized Croatia Mirai Challenge as the road trip from Zagreb to Brussels. Currently, Ankica is the project leader of ‘Securing electrical energy in the case of climate extremes and natural disasters’ within which will be a developed hydrogen core based on renewable hydrogen production and usage in fuel cell stack, for mobile and stationary applications. This project is funded through European Fund for Regional Development. Furthermore, she is the project leader of ‘Advanced methods of green hydrogen production and its transportation’ funded through the Croatian Science Foundation.
Ankica is the representative of University of Zagreb in Hydrogen Europe Research. As a member of the Executive Committee of The Collaboration Programme on Advanced Fuel Cells, she is the representative of the Republic of Croatia. Ankica is a member of the Council of the President of the Republic of Croatia for Energy Transition, vice president of the Croatian Hydrogen Association, and vice president of the Expert Working Group for development of Croatian Hydrogen Strategy. Within the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education, she is a president of the Expert Working Group for the pilot project of the mapping and forecasting for the thematic priority area Energy and Sustainable Environment. Ankica was awarded the Croatian Woman of Influence Award in the category of Leadership and Innovation.