Portrait
“Studying is guaranteed to teach you how to become a change maker”
Leopold Ilić enrolled on a Master’s degree programme at FH JOANNEUM after completing his Bachelor’s degree and remained professionally connected to his alma mater.
What I studied:
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management, EMU20
- Master’s degree in Energy and Transport Management, MET23, ongoing
My job: Research Associate at FH JOANNEUM in Graz, Austria
How to contact me: Employee portrait, LinkedIn
My friendship book entry
Me in three emojis: 
In my free time: I like to keep moving.
When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor; today, instead of saving people’s lives, I save the environment.
If I hadn’t studied environmental management, I would have ended up in marketing somewhere.
This was the coolest internship: at the Leoben municipal utilities, during my bachelor’s degree.
This is where I spent my time after the lectures: straight to the sports as a counterbalance.
My favorite place on campus: the mobility laboratory.
The best food on campus: Schnitzel Wednesdays.
This is how I celebrated my graduation: with friends and family over many weeks.
About my studies
If my degree program were an animal, it would be an emu, obviously (note: the German abbreviation for the degree program is EMU).
This is what you are guaranteed to learn on the program: how to become a changemaker.
The best course was: everything to do with project management.
I had a bit of a struggle with this course: thermal energy engineering.
My tip for students
Don’t give up, even if it’s sometimes very technical or challenging – there’s a lot of excitement behind it. Never let yourself be discouraged by people who say you can’t do it.
Leopold at his graduation in 2023.
As a research associate, Leopold conducts research in energy projects.
Leopold advises prospective students at university fairs.
About my job
In my job, I work on exciting energy projects such as Ecom4Future, do student marketing by visiting schools and trade fairs, and create content for our social media channels. I found the job ad on LinkedIn right after graduating and applied. My studies prepared me well for the marketing and research parts of the job – from the basics of energy systems to project management, marketing and organizational skills. I particularly appreciate the flexibility, the pleasant working atmosphere and the strong team spirit. Knowledge of Excel and an open mind when approaching people are important for the job.
One of the highlights so far has been the travel and trade fair visits – being on the road and gathering new impressions. I am currently working on my master’s thesis on the side, which is easy to combine thanks to the flexible working hours. So my next goal is to successfully complete my master’s degree!
Our Graduates
Would you like to get to know other FH JOANNEUM graduates and find out more about their studies and career paths? You can find all the portraits here.