Blaž Komac is principal research associate at the Anton Melik Geographical Institute of the Scientific Research Center of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, where he has worked since 2000. He studies the effects of landscape changes related to natural disasters. His primary research focuses on avalanches, floods, erosion processes, and geomorphological changes in alpine and karst environments. In his work, he combines physical geography with human geography aspects such as resilience, damage caused by natural disasters, and sustainable development in Slovenia and the wider region.
He received his doctorate in geography from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana in 2005. As a research project leader (including the national program Geography of Slovenia and projects on snow avalanches), editor of scientific journals (Acta geographica Slovenica, Ujma), and lecturer at the ZRC SAZU postgraduate school and previously at the University of Primorska, he actively shares his knowledge with students and the professional community. He is a member of the European Sicence and Technology Group E-STAG at UNDRR and participates in other international and national research networks and initiatives to reduce the impact of natural disasters. He is the author or co-author of more than 500 publications, including monographs on landslides, floods, and natural disasters in Slovenia.
Blaž Komac is principal research associate at the Anton Melik Geographical Institute of the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). His main research field is the geography of natural disasters, focusing on geomorphological and hydrological processes and assessing landscape vulnerability through spatial analyses. He conducts complex geographical and social research on landslides, snow avalanches, floods, and erosion, comparing conditions in Slovenia with European and global experiences. This approach enables a better understanding of their dynamics, frequency, and consequences.
In his research, he combines physical-geographical methods with human-geographical analyses of societal vulnerability and resilience, and also incorporates paleoenvironmental studies to comprehensively understand long-term environmental changes in the context of climate impacts on the landscape. As the head of the national research program Geography of Slovenia and projects such as the impact of climate change on avalanches in Slovenia and climate-induced natural disasters and the response of the protection system, he co-created the Geographical Atlas of Natural Disasters in Slovenia – GANNS®, which integrates historical and spatial data on hazards and natural disasters to improve vulnerability assessment.
He is the author and co-author of numerous scientific articles, monographs, and professional contributions on natural disasters, climate trends, and spatial aspects of environmental change. He is editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Acta geographica Slovenica and the professional journal Ujma. He contributes to publications and collections, such as the collection Naravne nesreče / Natural disasters.
- Komac, B., Ciglič, R., Hrvatin, M., Volk Bahun, M., Štaut, L., Zorn, M. 2023: Geographical atlas of natural disasters in Slovenia. Geografski vestnik 95-1.
- Kuhlicke, C., Steinführer, A., Begg, C., Bianchizza, C., Bründl, M., Buchecker, M., De Marchi, B., Di Masso Tarditti, M., Höppner, C., Komac, B., Lemkow, L., Luther, J., McCharthy, S., Pellizzoni, L., Renn, O., Scolobig, A., Supramaniam, M., Tapsell, S., Wachinger, G., Walker, G., Whittle, R., Zorn, M., Faulkner, H. 2011: Perspectives on social capacity building for natural hazards: outlining an emerging field of research and practice in Europe. Environment science & policy 14- 7.
- Komac, B. 2009: Social memory and geographical memory of natural disasters. Acta geographica Slovenica 49-1.
- Zorn, M., Komac, B. 2011: Damage caused by natural disasters in Slovenia and globally between 1995 and 2010. Acta geographica Slovenica 51-1.
- Komac, B., Natek, K., Zorn, M. 2013: Geographical aspects of floods in Slovenia. Geografija Slovenije 20. Založba ZRC.
- Komac, B., Zorn, M. 2008: Landslides in Slovenia. Georitem 8. Založba ZRC.
- Komac, B.: 2023: Regional sea level rise: data, drivers and effects. Geografski vestnik 95-2.
- Komac, B., 2022: Large forest fires in Slovenia. Geografski vestnik 94-2.
- Komac, B., Zorn, M. 2023: Impact of climate change on snowpack and avalanches in Slovenia: the Soča Valley case study. Geographia Polonica 96-1.
- Zorn, M., Komac, B.2022: »The Soča, the most beautiful river in Europe« – between hydroelectric power and natural protection. Kronika 70-2.
- Geography of Slovenia - national research programme (research programme • January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2027)
- Climate natural disasters and response of the protection, rescue and relief system in the Republic of Slovenia (target research project • October 1, 2021 - March 31, 2023)
- The impact of climate change on avalanches in Slovenia (research project • October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2025)
- CapHaz-Net (framework program • June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2012)
- OTREMED (applied project • September 1, 2010 - August 31, 2013)
- Slovenian Exonyms (applied project • February 1, 2008 - January 31, 2011)
- Terraced Landscapes (applied project • December 1, 2004 - December 31, 2007)
- Advancement of computationally intensive methods for efficient modern general-purpose statistical analysis and inference (applied project • March 1, 2016 - February 28, 2019)
- Possible ecological control of flood hazard in the hill regions of Hungary and Slovenia (international research project • November 1, 2017 - October 31, 2020)
- Natural disasters (bilateral project • January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2012)
- BLUE - Restoring urban blue spaces through nature-based solutions and social interventions to improve human well being and environment (fundamental research project • January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2027)
- Associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska (until 2015)
- Associate professor at the Podiplomska šola ZRC SAZU
- The University of Ljubljana Prešeren Award for students, University of Ljubljana, 2001
- The distinction of the Association of the Geographical Societies of Slovenia, Association of the Geographical Societies of Slovenia, 2004
- President of the GIAM Research Council
- Editor-in-Chief of the journal Acta geographica Slovenica
- Editor-in-Chief of the jounal Ujma, issued by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief of the Republic of Slovenia
- Member of editorial board of International journal of disaster risk management