The Organizing Committee of Biosystems Engineering 2019 is delighted to announce another distinguished keynote speaker, Professor István Szabó from Szent István University, Hungary. His speech will be on ICT related agritechnologies, trends and new challenges.

Professor István Szabó graduated from Gödöllő University of Agricultural Sciences – the predecessor of Szent István University – in 1987 as an agricultural mechanical engineer. As part of his training program he spent multiple semesters at the Goryachkin Agricultural University in Moscow, Russia and at the Wageningen University in Netherlands. Since his graduation he has been involved in teaching and research activities at different levels of university positions at Szent Istvan University, Gödöllő, Hungary. In 1991 he received his Doctor of University (dr.univ) degree and later in 2001 a PhD degree in the field of technical sciences. In the year of 2008 he has been awarded the dr. habil. (habilitated doctor) degree. Since 2005 he has been the Director of the Institute of Mechanics and Machinery at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and during the period of 2008-2016 he served as the Dean of the Faculty, while between 2016 and 2018 he was appointed as the vice rector for International Relations of Szent István University.

His research interest includes new methodologies in engineering design, computer aided engineering and information technologies in agriculture. He is the author of several books and more than 200 scientific articles. Recently he is the program leader of the AgIT FIEK project, which is a 6 mEUR research program aiming at developing advanced IT solutions for tractors and implements.

Apart from his engagements at Szent István University, he is a visiting professor of Technical University in Baia Mare (Romania), an Honorary Professor at University of Szeged, and contributor to the doctoral program of the Kazakh National Agrarian University. Professor Szabó holds several positions at different professional organizations. Among others he is member of the presidium of CASEE and co-chair of the Bio-system Engineering Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. For many years he has been chairing important civil organizations including the Szent István University’s International Relations Foundation, the e-Collegium Foundation and the Agricultural Talent Management (ASTA) Foundation.