Tuesday, 25 November 2025 Alumni UP with new president and coordinator
The University of Primorska Alumni Club is entering a new period of operation with new leadership. Martin Senič, a member of the UP Famnit Alumni Club, a doctoral student of Conservation Biology, and an assistant at the Department of Biodiversity, has taken over the position of president of the club, while Taja Pajmon Rak is taking on the role as the UP Alumni Club coordinator. In the coming period, in cooperation with the Alumni Clubs at the faculties, they will ensure the continuous operation of the club and the organization of activities for the members.
Martin Senič obtained his master's degree in Nature Conservation with a thesis entitled »Analysis of the life history patterns of the bare-faced curassow (Crax fasciolata) based on data obtained with camera traps in the northern Pantanal, Brazil,« for which he also received the Srečko Kosovel Award of the University of Primorska. He continues his research in the Pantanal as part of his doctoral thesis.
He has rich experience in the field of organization and coordination of educational, social, and professional events both within and outside the university environment. During his master's studies, he chaired the Student Council of UP Famnit and the Society of Conservation Biologists and participated in various university bodies and committees. Even then, he actively participated in numerous student projects, which he continues to do today. Among other things, he is also the coordinator of the Biological Evenings and student internships.
In addition to his membership in the Department of Biodiversity, Martin is also a member of the research group »Computational Bioacoustics Research Unit – CO.BRA« which operates under the auspices of the Federal University of Mato Grosso.
Taja Pajmon Rak is a member of the UP Famnit Alumni Club and a graduate of the Biodiversity study programme. Throughout her studies, she gained extensive experience in organizing student life by leading the Student Council of UP Famnit and the Student Council of the University of Primorska. In addition, she also has a lot of experience organizing numerous leisure activities and projects, such as managing associations, regular or project-based cultural events, and scientific conferences. Among other things, she has already executed several "alumni" projects within few various cultural associations on the occasion of milestone anniversaries.
She is looking forward to the new role and, on this occasion, wrote that she »is looking forward to new challenges and the implementation of her previous experiences in a new environment. I wish for the most productive and positive cooperation with other club members and the local community, and the inclusion of the members of both in the club's future activities. I believe that only together can we create a pleasant and stimulating environment for the further development of the club, as well as its members; both in a career or personal sense.«
Upon taking the position, Martin shared the following thoughts: »I hope that together with Taja and other coordinators and representatives of the Alumni Clubs at the faculties, we will succeed in directing the UP Alumni Club onto a new path. In this mandate, we still face some challenges and decisions, the goal of which is for UP Alumni to come to life in its true form and create an environment where our alumni members will gladly return, meet, and share their experiences.
I am aware that this requires regularly maintaining contact and building relationships with our alumni even after graduation, involving them in the university environment, and offering them opportunities for networking. It is also important to build a relationship and trust between the Alumni Club and the employees at UP who want to co-create the organization of various activities, as well as with the local environment. On this occasion, I want to invite all employees to contact us with ideas and initiatives at the email alumni@upr.si. We will gladly consider them when preparing the action plan for the coming period.
Our goal is to organize diverse events that will enable networking, the exchange of experiences, further education, or simply socializing with old friends who met in this environment as students. Alumni are also our potential partners, mentors, scholarship providers, and employers for our students in the future. Therefore, a key focus in the coming period will be on strengthening the network and creating a supportive environment where all these activities can truly come to life.
I look forward to the challenge ahead of us and hope to see you at one of our upcoming events. On this note, we can already invite all alumni and UP employees to the very next such event, the UP Alumni New Year's Toast, which will take place on December 11, 2025 (apply here).«
