Prof. Dr. Ivan Marovic | Project Management | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Dr. Ivan Marovic is a distinguished academic with over two decades of experience in civil engineering, progressing from research assistant to full professorship at the University of Rijeka, Croatia. His expertise lies in Project Management with a particular focus on management information systems, multi-criteria decision analysis, and soft computing methods applied to civil engineering challenges. He has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Best Doctoral Thesis Award by the Croatian Association of Civil Engineers, the Vera Johanides Award by the Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences, and the Global Peer Review Award (Clarivate Analytics) for ranking among the top 1% of reviewers worldwide in Environment and Ecology as well as in Cross-Field research. Prof. Marović has demonstrated exceptional leadership in research, having led and participated in multiple national and international projects such as “Development of performance management model for construction projects based on soft computing methods (PerfMAN),” “CRESCO Adria,” “GAIA COFUND,” and several University of Rijeka-funded initiatives focusing on construction project optimization, climate adaptation, and infrastructure performance. His prolific academic output includes 40 Scopus-indexed and 38 Web of Science-indexed publications, achieving 457 citations (Scopus), 383 citations (WoS), and h-indices of 13 and 11, respectively, reflecting a consistent contribution to advancing sustainable construction and project management methodologies. His editorial involvement spans guest editorships in Sustainability and Applied Sciences, and membership on the editorial board of Advances in Civil and Architectural Engineering. As an active member of numerous scientific committees across Europe including OTMC, PrometheeDays, and DBMC conferences he has contributed to shaping the discourse in civil engineering research. Beyond academia, he has been actively engaged in consultancy and innovation-driven collaborations, notably co-investigating the award-winning “Innovative Connector for Joining Thin-Walled Steel C-Profile Structural Elements,” which received a silver medal at the ARCA International Exhibition for Innovation. His professional memberships include the Croatian Operational Research Society and the Croatian Association of Construction Management. A dedicated mentor, he has supervised over 45 bachelor’s and master’s theses and one doctoral dissertation. For his outstanding academic, research, and industry contributions, Prof. Marović continues to be recognized nationally and internationally as a leading figure in civil engineering project management and sustainable infrastructure development.