Mihaela Koletnik, PhD in linguistics (Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, 1999), is a full professor of Slovene at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, where she teaches diachronic Slovene linguistics.  

Her research focuses on north-east Slovene dialects, dialectal terminology and phraseology, phenomenon of the insertion of foreign language elements into border-area dialects, and new role of dialects in the context of globalization, particularly their use in the media and popular culture. She has authored over 120 scientific papers, three monographs (Slovenskogoriško narečje, in Eng. The Slovenske Gorice Dialect, 2001; Panonsko lončarsko in kmetijsko izrazje ter druge dialektološke razprave, in Eng. Pannonian Potters’ and Famers’ Terminology and Other Dialectological Discussions, 2008; Medjezikovni stiki v besedju iz pomenskega polja kmetija v slovenskogoriškem narečju, in Eng. Interlinguistic Contacts in the Lexicon for “Farmhouse” in the Slovenske Gorice Dialect, 2015) and co-authored a monograph titled Non-Standard Features of the Slovene Language and Slovene Popular Culture (2018). Her bibliography is available at http://izumbib.izum.si/bibliografije/Y20130303110357-12507.html.

To date, she has participated in several projects and programme groups as well as led one international project, namely TEMPUS SHEQA Strategic Management of Higher Education Institutions Based on Integral Quality Assurance System. As a visiting professor, she lectured at various universities abroad (Austria, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Croatia).

Professional experience and managerial positions: Head of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature (2002–2007); member of the Senate of the Faculty of Arts (2008–2014); Vice Dean for Science and Research at the Faculty of Arts (2011–2013); Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at the University of Maribor (2013–2015); member of the Scientific Council of the Slovenian Research Agency for humanities (2015–2020).​