Dr. Mimi Urbanc works in human geography and, more recently, research policy. Her research in human geography focuses on common land, resource management, and especially cultural landscapes, with particular interest in landscape perception and change, spatial identity, people’s relationships with landscapes, and representations of landscapes in literature, photography, and film. In research policy, her interests include the societal impact of science, research evaluation, and European integration in research.

She has participated as a principal investigator in several European and national projects and has contributed to the development of international research collaboration. Her work is connected with international networks such as EARMA (European Association of Research Managers and Administrators), ENRESSH (European Network for Research Evaluation in the Social Sciences and Humanities), Rete Montagna, PECSRL (Permanent European Conference for the Study of Rural Landscapes), and ISCAR (International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps). 

Her future research addresses the impact of the European Landscape Convention on landscape development and, in science policy, issues related to the evaluation of the social sciences and humanities.

Other activities
Member of the editorial boards of the Geografija Slovenije and Georitem book collections and the scientific journal Acta geographica Slovenica, where she is also the area co-editor for human geography
Within the Association of Geographers of Slovenia, member of the Editorial Board of the popular journal Geografski obzornik (2003–2015), of the Press Committee (2002–2015) and the Presidency (2010–2017), Chair of the Awards and Prizes Committee (2010–2017, 2022–) and Chair of the National Committee (2010–2017).
Member of the ISCAR (International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps) (2010–2021)
Member of the Multilingualism and language biases in research assessment working group of the CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), (2024–)
Editor of the Europe and Central Asia Assessment Reviews under the auspices of the Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2018)
Head of the Advisory Board of the international SyCULTour project (2011–2014)
Editor-in-Chief of the book series Exploring Cultural Spaces of Europe, Peter Lang Publishers (2012–2019)
Member of the PECSRL ('Permanent European Conference for the Study of Rural Landscapes') Committee (2010–2017)
Member of the EUCALAND - European Cultural and Agricultural Landscapes network (2010–)
Member of EARMA - European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (2011–)
Member of La Rete Montagna (2017–)
Member of the Finance Committee of the LifeWatch Eric Network (2021–)
Guest Co-Editor, Acta Geographica Slovenica (2023)

• Urbanc, M., Ledinek Lozej, Š., Šmid Hribar, M. 2026:. Mountain Pastures in the Slovenian Alps: Their Role in Shaping and Sustaining the Cultural Landscape. In: Discourses on Mountains of Montenegro and Slovenia. Historical Geography and Geosciences. Springer.
• Urbanc, M., De Jong, S.  2025: Navigating societal impact: strategic management in Horizon 2020 SSH projects. Minerva : a review of science, learning and policy.
• Kozina, J., Stachowiak, K., Ciglič, R., Gašperič, P., Urbanc, M.  2024: European screen locations in the Indian flm industry : evolutionary, spatial, and collaborative perspectives. GeoJournal. 89, 155.
• Urbanc, M., De Jong, S.  2025: Navigating societal impact: strategic management in Horizon 2020 SSH projects. Minerva : a review of science, learning and policy,  24 pages. DOI: 10.1007/s11024-024-09566-8.
• Kozina, J., Stachowiak, K., Ciglič, R., Gašperič, P., Urbanc, M.  2024: European screen locations in the Indian flm industry: evolutionary, spatial, and collaborative perspectives. GeoJournal, 89,  155. DOI: 10.1007/s10708-024-11149-9.
• Šmid Hribar, M., Urbanc, M., Zorn, M. 2023: Commons and their contribution to sustaining Slovenian cultural landscapes. Acta geographica Slovenica 63-3. DOI: 10.3986/AGS.11591.
• Tucker, C., Šmid Hribar, M., Urbanc, M., Bogataj, N., Gunya, A., Rodela, R., Sigura, M., Piani, L. 2023: Governance of interdependent ecosystem services and common-pool resources. Land Use Policy. 106575, 127. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106575.
• Pipan, P., Šmid Hribar, M., Urbanc, M. 2023: Motivation, robustness and benefits of water commons: insights from small drinking water supply systems. Acta geographica Slovenica 63-3. DOI: 10.3986/AGS.11592.
  Šmid Hribar, M., Hori, K., Urbanc, M. et al. 2023: Evolution and new potentials of landscape commons: insights from Japan and Slovenia. Ecosystem services 59, 101499. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101499.
• Urbanc, M., Fridl, J., Resnik Planinc, T. 2021: Landscapes as represented in textbooks and in students' imagination: stability, generational gap, image retention and recognisability. Children's geographies, 19–4, 446-461. doi: 10.1080/14733285.2020.1817333.
• Urbanc, M., Šmid Hribar, M., Kumer, P. 2020: Culture in Slovenia. V: Perko, D. et al. (ur.) The geography of Slovenia : small but diverse, (World regional geography book series, ISSN 2363-9083). Cham: Springer Nature, 193-–208.
• Urbanc, M., Ferk, M., Fridl, J., Gašperič, P., Ilc Klun, M., Pipan, P., Resnik Planinc, T., Šmid Hribar, M. 2016: Oblikovanje predstav o slovenskih pokrajinah v izobraževalnem procesu [Shaping the Geographical Imagination of Slovenian Landscapes in Education]. Geografija Slovenije 34. Založba ZRC.
• Urbanc, M. 2011: Pokrajinske predstave o slovenski Istri. Georitem 15. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.

• Geography of Slovenia - national research programme (research programme • January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2027)
• Ethics, integrity and gender equality in the research area of Slovenia: between policies and their implementation (applied research project • September 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023)
• Cultural landscapes caught between public good, private interests and politics (fundamental research project • October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2017)
• The Indian film industry as a driver of new socio­economic connections between India and Europe (international research project • March 1, 2019 - February 28, 2022)
• GRACE (international research project • January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021)

• Silver award of the Association of the Geographical Societies of Slovenia, 2025
• Bronze award of the Association of the Geographical Societies of Slovenia, 2013
• Prešeren Student Award, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, 1997