Dušan Velič (15 October 1966 – 31 July 2023) was a Slovak

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

and politician. He served as a State Secretary at the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization from April 2021 to May 2023.

Early life and education

Dušan Velič was born on 15 October 1966 in

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

. He studied at the

Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (STU) () is the biggest and oldest university of technology in Slovakia. In the 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities it was ranked in the first 150 in Computer Science, the only university in ...

, graduating in 1990. Following his graduation, he went on to get his PhD at the

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

, which he obtained in 1996.

Academic career

After his PhD, Velič spent two years as a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

at the

Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society The Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI) is a science research institute located at the heart of the academic district of Dahlem, in Berlin, Germany. The original Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physical Chemistry and Electrochem ...

. In 1998, he joined the

Comenius University Comenius University Bratislava () is the largest university in Slovakia, with most of its faculties located in Bratislava. It was founded in 1919, shortly after the creation of Czechoslovakia. It is named after Jan Amos Comenius, a 17th-century ...

, where he taught until his death. He became a full professor at the Comenius University in 2021. In the early 2000s, he co-founded the International Laser Centre in Bratislava, where he remained active until his death.

Political career

Dušan Velič joined the Slovak government as a State Secretary at the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development in April 2021, following the resignation of Vladimír Ledecký. In the

2022 Slovak regional elections The 2022 Slovak regional elections were held on 29 October 2022. For the first time, 2022 Slovak local elections, local elections took place simultaneously. Summary results The Hungarian Alliance (Slovak political party), Alliance candidates re ...

, he ran for the Governor of the

Bratislava Region The Bratislava Region (, ; (until 1919); ) is one of the Regions of Slovakia, administrative regions of Slovakia. Its capital is Bratislava. The region was first established in 1923 and its present borders exist from 1996. It is the smallest of ...

with the endorsement of the For the People and We Are Family parties. He finished fourth with 8.08 % of the vote. He was poised to run also in the

2023 Slovak parliamentary election Early parliamentary elections were held in the Slovakia, Slovak Republic on 30 September 2023 to elect members of the National Council (Slovakia), National Council. Regular elections were scheduled to be held in 2024. However, on 15 December 202 ...

, on the list of the

OĽaNO Slovakia (), known as Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (, OĽANO) until 2023, is a populist political party in Slovakia. Founded in 2011 by former businessman Igor Matovič, the party champions anti-corruption, anti-elitist and an ...

Personal life and death

Dušan Velič died on 31 July 2023, when his motorbike crashed into a car that entered the road from an adjacent parking lot. He was 56. Velič was the uncle of the OĽaNO MP

Andrej Stančík Andrej Stančík (born 1 June 1995) is a Slovak politician, who has been an MP of the National Council since 2020. He is a member of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽANO) movement caucus. Early life Stančík was born in P ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velic, Dusan 1966 births 2023 deaths People from Žilina For the People (Slovakia) politicians Slovak chemists Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava alumni Wayne State University alumni Academic staff of Comenius University Road incident deaths in Slovakia Motorcycle road incident deaths