PHYSIOGNOMY

Physiognomy

BRIEF REVIEW OF ACADEMIC IDENTITY

AND THE ORIENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ICHTHYOLOGY

AND AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY

 

The Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment (DIAE) (PD 109/2006), operates in order to promote knowledge and train young scientists capable of pursuing a scientific and professional career in the field of aquatic production and management of the aquatic environment.

Today, DIAE is the only five-year higher education department that awards a Bachelor's degree - Integrated Master's degree (Government Gazette 496/20-02-2019/tr. B') at level 7 of the National and European Qualifications Framework in the Science of Ichthyology with recognized professional rights. The graduates of the Department of Ichthyology are qualified and have the potential to be employed in Public Organizations, in the Private Sector and in International Organizations, as specifically defined by:

  1. P.D. 344/2000 (Journal of Laws No 297/29-12-2000, No A'), chap. f', Art. 16, 17
  2. P.D. 50/2001 (Journal of Laws No 39/05-03-2001/A'), Article 7, paragraph c'
  3. P.D. 347/2003 (Journal of Laws No. 315/31-12-2003/v. A), par. 4
  4. the Law 4262/2014 (Government Gazette 114/10-05-2014/edition A), article 41, par. 4, para. 5
  5. the Law 4440/2016 (Government Gazette 224/02-12-2016/article 36), article 36

More specifically, these items relate professionally to the sectors:

  • Aquaculture, a growing sector of the national economy with continuous growth and comparative advantages and a very high export share. In 2019, the production of sea bream and sea bass amounted to 120,500 tonnes worth 545.6 million euros. Exports increased by 4% compared to the previous year and amounted to 88,651 tonnes, worth €420 million. According to a survey on the professional rehabilitation of graduates of the DIAE, 37% of graduates are working in the aquaculture sector. The high production activity in Greece has turned aquaculture fish into a major source of income for the Greek economy, which is constantly leading to the search for and employment of more and more fish farmers in the sector (new jobs).
  • Fisheries, where the graduates hold positions in the regional directorates and are involved in the sustainable management of the fish stocks of the Greek seas and the assurance of high nutritional value and quality of fish (harvested fish) in the market of our country and beyond. Our graduates work in policy-making positions in the context of meeting the obligations of the Common Fisheries Policy and implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy for the protection of fish stocks and the calculation of harvest levels that maximize the economic position of fishermen.
  • Technology of Fishery Products and Food, where graduates staff the packaging, handling, and processing units of fish, either from Aquaculture or from Collective Fisheries, in order to provide quality and safe fishery products of high added value, while many are employed in the food industry in general, as the Department provides knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, processing, quality, safety and authenticity of food.
  • Aquatic Environmental Management, where graduates work in areas related to the protection of the marine environment, terrestrial water management and the assessment of aquatic natural wealth and in positions that raise public awareness of the need to protect the marine environment and natural resources in general.

Regarding the undergraduate studies, they last five (5) years and the curriculum is a dynamic programme that is constantly adapted to the modern requirements of the subjects taught in the Department. The studies in the Department are structured in such a way as to provide students with increasingly specialised knowledge in the subjects of the Department. The Department has been successfully evaluated by external evaluators of the Principle of Quality Assurance and Certification and its curriculum has been accredited.

Currently, the Department has twenty-two (22) members of the faculty, six (6) members of Special Laboratory Teaching Staff, four (4) members of Special Technical Laboratory Staff and three (3) administrative staff.

The research activity of the faculty members of the Department is remarkable. The authorial activity of the faculty members of the Department is also very important, as the total number of publications in the 18 years of its operation exceeds 1,500, gathering 15,740 citations. The total number of publications is 1531 (accessed 13/09/2022 Scholar) and the total number of citations is 28,208, with a total impact factor of 327 (h-index 13/03/2022 Scholar). For the year 2021 the average number of publications per faculty member is 3.73 (source Scholar 2021) with a total number of citations of 3,253 (Citations Scholar 2021). In the Scopus Elsevier database the total number of publications is 1,002 (accessed 13/03/2022 Scopus) and the total number of citations is 22,650 with a total impact factor of 282 (h-index 13/03/2022 Scopus). The average number of publications per faculty member is 3.09 (Scopus 2021) with a total number of citations of 2,628 (Scopus 2021 citations).

According to the data of the Special Research Funding Account of the University of Thessaly, the total budget of the Department's programmes amounts to 12.8 million euros. The total number of active programmes is 63 with a budget of 4.619.237,99 € (13/03/2022 Special Account for Research Funds UTH), while the total number of research programmes is 38 with a budget of 2.820.427,82 € (13/03/2022 Special Account for Research Funds UTH), which corresponds to 128.202,23 € per faculty member.

The Department has five (5) Postgraduate Programmes with one (1) awaiting the official approval of its establishment. Three (3) of the operating MSc's and the one under establishment are interdepartmental, and one (1) of them is English speaking and are as follows:

  1. Sustainable Management of Water Resources
  2. Mediterranean Aquaculture
  3. Education for Sustainability and the Environment (interdepartmental), in which, according to the decision of the Senate of the University of Thessaloniki, a certification of pedagogical and teaching competence is granted (Government Gazette 5781/30-12-2020)
  4. Host-Microbe Interactions (English)
  5. Technology, Quality and Safety of Food of Animal Origin (interdisciplinary)
  6.  Modern Technologies for Environmental Risk Management (interdepartmental under establishment).

Finally, it is worth mentioning that DIAE, in collaboration with the Research Group in Theoretical and Applied Economics (Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée, GREThA) of the University of Bordeaux, are preparing the creation of a transnational postgraduate programme, which has been approved by both departments.

DIAE established -in the beginning alone and now in collaboration with other academic departments and research centres of the country- the International Congress on Applied Ichthyology, Oceanography and Aquatic Environment, which takes place every two years and which is now a fixed scientific appointment of scientists in the field.

There are 522 undergraduates, 262 postgraduates and 25 doctoral degrees awarded. In addition, the Department currently has 748 undergraduate and 218 postgraduate students, while 30 doctoral candidates currently working on their doctoral studies. 84% of the graduates are employed in Greece, mainly in the competitive private sector (86%) and more than half are employed in the aquaculture sector.

It is clear that in its 20 years of operation, DIAE has provided high quality higher education services in a country that:

  1. The aquaculture sector is one of the most important sectors for the national economy with exports that for many years have been the leading export sector for agricultural products,
  2. the need for and supply of animal proteins of high biological value is constantly increasing, according to FAO studies,
  3. there is an urgent need to develop new or improved products, processes, technologies and management and organisation systems at all levels of the supply chain in order to increase the quality, safety and added value of these products and to reduce production costs in the aquaculture sector.
  4. the sustainable management and protection of marine stocks, the marine environment and inland waters is a dominant global issue, and
  5. maintaining fishing activity contributes to social cohesion, job creation in coastal and island regions and the preservation of population in areas of geopolitical importance.

All of the above demonstrates the great contribution of the Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment and highlights the imperative, non-negotiable and indispensable need for its existence, continuation and further development.

In summary, we consider that the strengths of the DIAE are as follows:

  • Unique five-year department of Fish Ichthyology in the Greek University Education
  • Laboratories that represent the objects and character of the Department
  • Modern and flexible Curriculum
  • Satisfactory level of undergraduate students (based on their admission grade in relation to their choices in their application form)
  • Successfully evaluated and certified Curiculum
  • Satisfactory number of research projects carried out by faculty members
  • Relatively young age of high-level and generally recognised faculty members (publications, citations, responsibility for major scientific works, etc.)
  • Adequacy of teaching equipment (all classrooms have projectors and PCs)
  • Modern website, which is currently being redesigned, and a high level of information and service provision
  • Ability to communicate with students and their representatives
  • Successful interface with the local community and productive actors

DEPARTMENT