Zigmas Lydeka

Garbės profesorius / Honorary Professor (Suteiktas vardas 2018-02-28)

Zigmas Lydeka was born on 23 August 1954, in the village of Žyniai, Vilkaviškis district. He graduated from the Faculty of Engineering Economics of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1977 and continued working at the Institute until 1980. From 1980 to 1983 he pursued doctoral studies at the Department of Economic Theory at Saint Petersburg State University, and in 1983 defended his dissertation, earning a Ph.D. in Economics. Until 1990, he worked as a senior lecturer and associate professor at the Department of Economic Theory of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute. From 1990, he worked as an associate professor at the Faculty of Business and Management of Vytautas Magnus University (1990-1993, 1994-1997) and served as the vice-dean of the Faculty in 1993-1994. In 1997, he was elected to the position of the Head of the VMU Economics and Finance Department (until 1999), and from 1998 to July 2002 he was the Dean of the VMU Faculty of Economics and Management. From July 2002 he worked as a professor at ISM University of Management and Economics and held the position of Vice-Rector for Research. He was elected as the Rector of Vytautas Magnus University by the Senate on 24 May 2006 and re-elected for his second term by the University Council on 28 August 2010.

In 1993, the Research Council of Lithuania nostrified the academic title of Associate Professor (awarded in 1988) and conferred Lydeka the title of Doctor of Social Sciences. In 1999 he was awarded the title of Habilitated Doctor of Social Sciences and in 2000 the academic title of Professor.

His research interests include philosophy of economics, methodology of system transformation, business theory and practice, and company reorganisation. Prof. Lydeka has published 1 monograph, 3 collective monographs, 4 textbooks, and more than 100 scientific publications, and is the scientific editor of textbooks, monographs, and methodological tools. He is a member of the editorial boards of 2 international and 6 Lithuanian scientific journals. He supervised 5 successfully defended doctoral dissertations, chaired 9 habilitation committees, participated in over 50 doctoral dissertation defence councils, and 12 habilitation committees. Additionally, he was a member of 7 committees for defending the degree of Habilitated Doctor and served as an opponent for more than 20 doctoral dissertations. Lydeka has delivered over 40 presentations at scientific conferences in Lithuania and abroad, actively participated in various international research projects, and conducted applied research in Lithuania.

Until 2004, he was a member of the Council of Higher Education of Lithuania. From 1999 to 2006, he was a member of the Research Council of Lithuania (Chairperson of the Standing Expert Commissions for the Funding of Studies and Research), a member of the Commission for Lithuanian Science Prizes, an expert of the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, and an expert of the Methodological Centre for Vocational Education and Training. More recently, Lydeka has been an active member of various government commissions.

In 2002–2003, he was awarded the State Scholarship of the Highest Degree for Distinguished Scientists. In 2008 he was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in 2009, he received the Gold Medal of the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno.

On 28 February 2018, Prof. Zigmas Lydeka was awarded the title of VMU Honorary Professor for his contribution to the development of Vytautas Magnus University, his leadership of the University in 2006–2015, and his significant contributions to the field of economics in Lithuania.