O katedre

The main aim of the Department is teaching of general biology subjects with the emphasis on development of theoretical biological and ecological disciplines related
to general ecology and environment protection. Within the frame of accredited study programmes, the staff of the Department guarantee the study specialisation of
Ecology and Protection of Biodiversity.

The Department was established as the Department of General Ecology on 1. October 1991 by the decree of the Dean of the FEE, Ass. prof. MSc. Vladimír Konrád, PhD. It started its activity in the study year 1991–1992 as the first of new-established departments. In this initial period the Department staff consisted of three teachers. (Prof. Dr. Alexander Dudich, PhD. – from 1. 10. 1991, Prof. Dr. Peter Bitušík, PhD. – from 11. 12. 1991, Prof. Dr. Ján Gáper, PhD. – since 1. 8. 1992) and two technical assistants (Zlatica Šaková – from 1. 12. 1991, Prof. MSc. Slavomír Stašiov, PhD. – since 1. 3. 1992). First subjects provided and lectured at the Department were General Ecology, Physiology of Plants and Physiology of Animals.

The first head of the Department was Prof. Dr. Alexander Dudich, PhD. (1. October 1991 – 30 June 1997). He was followed by Prof. Dr. Peter Bitušík, PhD. (1. July 1997 - 1. July 2004). Since 1. July 2004, the Head of the Department has been Prof. MSc. Slavomír Stašiov, PhD. The Department has changed its name for several times. In the period from the establishment until 30. 6. 1997, its official name was Department of General Ecology. Afterwards the name was altered to the Department of Biology. Since 1. October 2000, the Department has had its present name. During its existence, the Department has experienced two relocations of its residence.

Until nowadays there have been employed and worked 29 internal and 4 external employees (Ass. prof. Dr. Vladimír Jamrich, PhD., Dr. Ján Kulfan, PhD., Ass. prof. Dr. Ján Patočka, DrSc., Ass. prof. Dr. Ján Veselovský, DrSc.) at the Department. Beside the external employees also some members of internal staff are no longer actual employees at the Department (Prof. Dr. Peter Bitušík, PhD., Martina Bublincová, Prof. Dr. Alexander Dudich, PhD., Ass. prof. MSc. Norbert Gáborčík, PhD., Ass. prof. Dr. Svetlana Gáperová, PhD., MSc. Rastislav Gális, MSc. Marek Hajdušík, Vlasta Herbanová, MSc. Katarína Kašiarová, Ass. prof. Dr. Eva Michalková, CSc., PhD., Katarína Molnárová, Zlatica Šaková, MSc., Dr. Monika Šimková, MSc. Branislav Šušlík, PhD., Dr. Dana Šubová, PhD., MSc. Alexandra Zahradníková, PhD.).

Since the establishment of the Department its teachers and researchers have supervised hundreds of bachelor and final master´s thesis and have been supervisors of 20 post-graduate (PhD.) students. The members of the Department have supervised 10 projects supported by grant agencies VEGA and APVV and participated in 17 other projects supported by these agencies. They also took part in 12 international projects.

The Department is currently the leading research department at the Faculty. Traditionally, it is the most productive and the most actively publishing Department of the Faculty.