Zsuzsanna Pluhár - Professional CV

Studies and professional activity

Studies and professional carrier
  • 2005-: associate professor at the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Faculty of Horticultural Science, Szent István University (formerly: Corvinus University of Budapest)
  • 2001-2005: assistant professor at the Dept. of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Faculty of Horticultural Sciences, Corvinus University of Budapest
  • 1999-2001: assistant teacher at the Dept. of Medicinal Plant Production, Szent István University
  • 1996-1999: PhD studies at the Dept. of Medicinal Plant Production, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest
  • 1994-1996: scentific assistant at the Dept. of Medicinal Plant Production, Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest
  • 1988-1994: MSc studies in horticultural engineering (graduated as MSc in horticultural engineering in 1994, with excellent degree) at the Univ. of Horticulture and Food Industry, Budapest, specialized for medicinal plant production
  • 1984-1988: Varga Márton Secondary School of Horticulture, Budapest (qualification in ornamental plant production, issued in 1988)
Language knowledge
  • English: intermediate level state certification (extended by agricultural aspects)  (1996)
  • French: intermediate level state certification (2000)
Scientific degree
  • PhD in agricultural sciences, 2001 (Szent István University)
  • Habilitation in crop science and horticulture, 2010 (Corvinus University of Budapest)
Fellowships, grants obtained
  • 1998-1999: Soros Predoctoral Fellowship
  • 2002-2005: György Békésy postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2008-2011: János Bolyai Researcher’s Grant
Awards
  • 2009: Rector’s Certificate of Merit (Corvinus University of Budapest)
  • 2012: Bolyai Scientific Award (Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
  • 2014: Ferenc Entz Medal (Faculty of Horticutural Science)
Public activity at the University
  • Deputy dean for research and international affairs (2011-2015, 2015-2018, 2018-)
  • Member of the Faculty Council: 2004-2005, 2011-2015
  • Member of the Faculty Committee of International Affairs (since 2011)
  • Member of the Faculty Committee of Science (since 2011)
  • Member of the Faculty Committee for Education Development: since 2004
  • Member of the Faculty Committee for Habilitation Acts: since 2009
Memberships in Scientific organizations
  • Hungarian Society of Horticultural Science (membership since 2002)
  • International Society of Horticultural Science (membership since 2002)
  • Secretary of the Medicinal Plant Board, Horticultural and Food Science Committe of HAS (since 2003)
  • Chair of the Medicinal Plant Board, Horticultural and Food Committe of HAS (since 2018)

Scientific activity and achievements

Research areas
  • studies on morphological and chemical variability of medicinal and aromatic plants and variety breeding (e.g. Hypericum perforatum, Thymus spp., Verbena officinalis)
  • introduction of medicinal and aromatic plants into cultivation (e.g. Isatis tinctoria, Tagetes lucida, Alkanna tinctoria, Rubia tinctorum, Thymus spp.)
  • development of supercritical fluid extraction methods of medicinal plant drugs (e.g.Thymus, Salvia, Alkanna, Rubia,  Majorana,  Hyssopus, Satureja, Ocimum,  Rosmarinus spp.)
  • investigations on dye plants of different origin (e.g. Isatis tinctoria, Tagetes spp., Alkanna tinctoria, Rubia tinctorum)
 
Publications
 
Link to the applicant’s publications and citations in the Hungarian Scientific Bibliography Database (HSBD) is as follows: https://m2.mtmt.hu/frontend/#view/Publication/SmartQuery/1127/
 
Publication statistics according to the HSBD (listed on 4th December, 2018
  • Publications in total: 194
  • No. of independent citations: 201
  • Hirsch index: 7
  • Impact factor: 21.28
  • Scientific lectures delivered at conferences: in Hungarian: 12, in English: 14
Reviewer at scientific journals and projects
I am regularly asked for reviewing of scientific manuscripts submitted to acknowledged journals including Acta Biologica Hungarica, Central European Journal of Biology, Chromatographia, Industrial Crops and Products, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants, Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, Journal of Essential Oil Research, Kertgazdaság, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Natural Product Communications, Natural Product Research, Phytochemistry, stb.) and project proposals submitted (e.g. Hungarian Scentific Research Fund, Bolyai Researcher’s Grant).
 
Innovations, patents
As a result of our breeding works, the first Hungarian variety of garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) was developed and recognized in 2015 by the National Food Chain Safety Office and listed on the National List of Varieties under the name of ’Pannon Timol’ (authors: Zsuzsanna Pluhár 60%, Szilvia Sárosi 20%, Péter Rajhárt 20%) (List of Vegetables, Medicinal herbs and spices, p. 10: http://portal.nebih.gov.hu/web/guest/-/nemzeti-fajtajegyzek)
 
Leadership and participation in research projects
2014-2016           Participant of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
(OTKA NN 108633) Thymus vulgaris L.
2011-2015           Faculty coordinator of the gene bank project supported by the European Union
2011-2015           Faculty coordinator of the annual national gene bank projects szupported by the
Ministry of Agriculture
2008-2011           Participant of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
(OTKA K 068550)           
2010-2012           Participant: TÁMOP 4.2.1/B-09/01/KMR-2010-0005, 3rd subproject chapter 1.1. Thymus spp.
2003-2006           Leadership of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
 (OTKA F 043555) Thymus spp.
2002-2005           Department coordinator of a NKFP project (NKFP-4-0037/2002)
2002-2005           Participant of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
                (OTKA T 38352)
2000-2001           Participant of the FVM K+F project (216-a/2000) Hypericum perforatum L.
1999-2002           Participant then leader of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
(OTKA F030003) Solidago virgaurea L.
1999-2001           Participant of the project supported by the Hungarian Scentific Research Fund
(OTKA T030658) Origanum vulgare
1997-2000           Participant of the MKM FKFP 0888/1997 project) on dye plants
 
 
 
Supervision of PhD students
  • Gabriella Kutta (2006-2010): Supercritical fluid extraction of volatile and non-volatile phenolic compounds, characteristic for the Lamiaceae family (PhD degree was awarded in 2010) /Summa cum laude
  • Hella Simkó (2009-2014): Studies on chemical and morphological diversity and growing possibilities of indigenous thyme (Thymus) species (PhD degree was awarded in 2014) /Summa cum laude
  • Dóra Szabó (2015-2018): Effects of water deficiency on physiological properties, production,  antioxidant activity and active compounds of Thymus vulgaris accessions (absolutorium achieved in 2018)
  • Enikő Détár (2016-2020): Factors influencing essential oil properties and phenolic compounds of different Lavandula varieties in three growing location in Hungary (complex exam after the first 2 years was completed in 2018)
Scientific activity at Doctoral Schools
Activity at the Doctoral School of Horticultural Science:
- principal member, course instructor and supervisor of PhD students,
- secretary and member of the Preparatory Committe of Habilitations (since 2009)
Reviewer of PhD theses: 6 times
Participation in the work of PhD reviewers’committes (chair, secretary, opponent, member):
12 times
Participation in habilitation procedures (referee, board member): 2
 
TDK/OTDK activity
Member of the Board of referees, 5 times
 
Organization of professional and scientific events
 
Event 
 
Activity executed
Date
Researchers’ Night
department program coordinator
26/09/2008.; 24/09/2010
Researchers’ Night
university coordinator
2011, 2012, 2013,
Researchers’ Night
faculty coordinator
2016, 2017
Lippay-Ormos-Vas Scientific Symposium, Session of Medicinal Plant Research
program coordinator, secretary
06-07/11/2003; 19-21/10/2005; 07-08/11/2007; 28-29/10/2009
New age: biotechnology serving medicinal plant research (scientific session of the Hungarian Scientific Festival, 2018, organized by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
organizer, chair
2018. 11. 23.
Exhibitions at the Fekete Sas Pharmacy Museum, Székesfehérvár
organizer, professional curator
2006, 2016, 2018
 
Summary of professional and scientific study trips abroad
  • 1993: Austria, Germany (visit at medicinal plant research institutes-as a specialized student)
  • 1994: Italy (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 1995: Slovakia (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 1996: Egypt (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 1998: England (delegate at the ESCOP sympozium)
  • 2000: Greece, Crete (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2002: Portugal, Lisbon (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2004: France, Digne les Bains (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2007: Austria, Graz (participating in an international conference)
  • 2008: Czech Republic, Brno (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2009: Slovenia, Ljubljana (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2010: Poland, Wroclaw (participating in an international conference)
  • 2010: Italy, Pisa (study trip of a Scientific and Technical Cooperation project)
  • 2011: Schwitzerland, Saas-Fee (participating in an international conference)
  • 2012: Romania, Cluj Napoca (as a vice-dean: participation at the CASEE workshopon)
  • 2012: China, Yangling (as a vice-dean: a study trip and signing a bilateral agreement with the NWAFU)
  • 2012: France, Montpellier, (as a vice-dean: participation, lecture in a bilateral agrarpromotion program)
  • 2012: France, Angers (participating in an international conference and study trips)
  • 2014: Czech Republic, Lednice (as a vice-dean: participation, lecture in a project workshop)
  • 2014: Spain, Valencia (lecturing in the frame of the Erasmus teaching staff mobility)
  • 2014: Azerbajdjan Ganja (delegate at a conference and negotiations for extending partnership)
  • 2014: Turkey, Istanbul (participation in a conference)
  • 2015: Poland, Poznan (NN OTKA project workshop and study trip)
  • 2015: Germany,Stuttgart-Hohenheim (lecturing in the frame of the Erasmus teaching staff mobility)
  • 2016: Slovenia Ljubljana (participating in project closing conference and workshop)
  • 2018: Russia, Moscow (lecturing in the frame of the Erasmus credit mobility program and as a vice-dean: negotiations for extending our partnerships)

Teaching experience

Summary
  • Overall lecturing experience: 24 years (since 1994)
  • Programme leader of the BSc in Horticultural Engineering Programme (since 2016, in Hungarian and in English) at the Szent István University
  • teacher and course leader in undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses
  • lectures, seminars, practical courses and specialization in medicinal and aromatic plants
  • supervision of approx. 10 students per year (no. of graduated students: 101)
  • supervision of the scientific work of PhD students (2 graduated in PhD School of Horicultural Science, actually 2 is under supervision)
Courses in BSc in Horticultural engineering
  • Medicinal plants and spices (course leader, compulsory course)
  • Medicinal plant production (lecturer)
  • Wonderful world of spices (course leader, optional course)
  • New trends in horticulture (course leader, optional course: in Hungarian and in English)
Courses in MSc in Horticultural engineering
  • Up-to-date technologies of medicinal plant production (in Hungarian and in English) -course leader (compulsory course)
  • Biologically active compounds in horticultural crops (lecturer) (in Hungarian and in English)
Courses at the PhD School of Horticultural Science
  • Acive substances of medicinal and aromatic plants (in Hungarian and in English)
Lecturing abroad in the frame of teaching staff mobility
  • 2014: Spain, Valencia (ETSIAMN-UPV:Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y del Medio Natural, Universitat Politècnica de València)
  • 2015: Germany,Stuttgart-Hohenheim
  • 2018: Russia, Moscow (Timirjazev Akademija)
  • 2001-2011 Beregovo, Ukraine: lecturer and course leader in the frame of correspondence courses in BSc in Horticultural engineering
  • since 2013: Senta, Serbia: chair of final exam committees in BSc in Horticultural engineering
Development of new learning materials
- development of learning materials as chapters of textbooks (2000, 2007, 2013), e-books, etc.
- editing e-books in Hungarian and in English to the MSc course program of ’Up-to-date technologies of medicinal plant production (compulsory subject) which are available as follows:
-in Hungarian: http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop412A/2011-0028_korszeru_gyogynovenytermesztesi/adatok.html
-in English: http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop412A/2011-0028_up_to_date_technologies/up_to_date_technologies_of_medicinal_plant_production_1_1.html
- new chapters were prepared and published in English in 2017 in electronic form for undergraduate students at the website of the Dept. of Medicinal Plant Production, to the BSc in Horticultural engineering programme belonging to the courses entitled Medicinal plants and spices and to Medicinal plant production.
 
Development of new teaching programmes
- participating in the development and improvement of curricula of different undergraduate and graduate programmes of the Faculty of Horticultural Science as a member of the Committe for Education Development (since 2004)
- organization of educational activity of the Department of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants
-introduction of teaching program for new courses as course leader (in Hungarian & in English)
            Up-to-date-technologies of medicinal plant production
            Wonderful world of spices
            New trends in horticulture
- organization of course programmes, distribution of learning materials by e-learning, e-book, etc.
- 2001-2011 regular lecturing and course leading in the frame of the over-the-border correspondence course in Beregovo, Ukraine, and preparation of all the demos and learning materials belonging to the BSc courses in the field of medicinal plant production