IN MEMORIAM: Prof. Dr. Davorin Kovačić, grad. civ. eng. (Mar. 29th, 1945 – Feb. 17th, 2019)

Abstract

Our distinguished professor, Davorin Kova i , passed away on February 17 th , 2019. He was a member of the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering from 1991 to 1996, and he participated in scienti c and professional work with numerous colleagues at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering in the elds of geotechnical engineering and environmental geotechnics. Professor Davorin Kova i was born in Zagreb on March 29 th , 1945, where he nished elementary school and grammar school. He enrolled in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, at the University of Zagreb in 1964, graduated in 1969, and was awarded the title of a graduate engineer in civil engineering. He obtained his Master's degree in 1976 with the theme "The analysis of an excavation process using nite elements and critical state model" at The College, Swansea University, Wales, UK. He received his doctorate in 1989 at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb with the topic "Nu meri ko rješavanje dvodimenzionalne konsolidacije tla" ("Numerical analyses of two-dimensional soil consolidation") and gained the academic title of Doctor of Technical Sciences, in the eld of civil engineering. In 1970, he was employed at the Department for Concrete Structures of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Zagreb as an expert associate. As early as 1972, he moved to the company Geotehnika-Institut Geoexpert, Zagreb as an associate designer. From 1974 to 1975, he resided in the United Kingdom as a postgraduate student at The College, Swansea University, Wales. After that, he returned to the Institut Geoexpert, rst as a designer and later as a group manager. After gaining the academic degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences, from 1989 to 1991 he became the manager of the Depatment for Research and Development of Geotehnika, Zagreb. In that period, he had already started his academic career. From 1983 to 1990, he was a guest lecturer for the subject of Foundations at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Mostar. In 1991, he was employed at the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb, rst as an assistant professor, and later as an associate professor of technical sciences, in the eld of civil engineering, branch of geotechnics. He was the lecturer for the subjects: Soil mechanics and foundation engineering, Geotechnical structures, Numerical methods in soil and rock mechanics and Geotechnical Principles of Land lls. He also taught the course Application of numerical methods in geotechnics in the postgraduate study of Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. After that, he returned to the economic sector where he was the general manager of the company BBR Conex, d.d.