The former mayor of Pristina, academic Salih Gashi, has died at the age of 81.
In honor of his work, on April 23 (Wednesday), a memorial meeting will be held at the premises of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts at 10:00, followed by tributes until 11:30. At 11:30, the procession will depart for Baran i Ulët. The funeral will also take place on April 23, 2025, at 16:30, at the Baran i Ulët cemetery.
Gashi was also a professor at the Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences of the University of Pristina.
Biography published by ASHAK:
Salih T. Gashi was born in 1944 in the village of Baran in Peja. He completed his primary school in his hometown and his high school in Peja. In 1962, he enrolled in the chemistry department of the Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences (FSHMN) in Prishtina and after the second year, he continued his studies at the University of Belgrade, where he graduated in 1966. After completing his studies, he worked at the Trepça Combine, Mining and Flotation in Kishnica and Novo Brdo (Artana), as the head of the chemistry laboratory. In the 1969/70 academic year, he enrolled in postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Technology of the University of Zagreb, where he received his master's degree in 1971 with the topic "Study of polystyrene fractionation", while a year later he was elected assistant of physical chemistry in the chemistry department of the FSHMN of the University of Prishtina. In 1978, he defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Research on the porous structure of reverse osmosis membranes and their use for the purification of polluted waters” at the University of Zagreb. In the same year, he was elected as an assistant professor for the subject of physical chemistry at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. During this period, he was a specialist at the University of Brno and at the “Hidroprojekt” Institute (Brno, former Czechoslovakia). In 1979/80, he continued his postdoctoral studies at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Aberdeen (Great Britain). In the same year, he received recognition for his successful work at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In 1984, he was elected as an associate professor for the subject of physical chemistry at this faculty. In 1985, he was invited as a visiting professor at the University of Jena and at the Institute of Macromolecules of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and gave lectures in the field of reverse osmosis. S. Gashi prepared heterogeneous reverse osmosis membranes for the first time at the University of Prishtina. In 1988 he was elected a member of the “European Society of Membrane Science and Technology”, and in 1993 a full professor in the chemistry department at the FSHMN. In the same year he was elected editor-in-chief for the publication of natural science textbooks at the University of Prishtina. He has made a valuable contribution to the development of the physical chemistry departments at the University of Prishtina. In 2000-2002 he was elected chairman of the Municipal Assembly of Prishtina. In 2012 he received recognition from the FSHMN and in the same year he was elected a corresponding member of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts. Since 2013 he has been a member of “ALLEA's working group on Science Education”. He was a corresponding member of the “Euro Science Open Forum”. In 2017, he was elected editor-in-chief of the ASHAK scientific journal "Research-Kërkime", while in December 2024, he was elected a full member of the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Salih Gashi left a valuable scientific legacy, as a participant in many projects, author or co-author of over 50 scientific papers in the field of physical chemistry, published in prestigious journals in different countries of the world and participant in as many scientific conferences and gatherings, where he represented the University of Pristina and later the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts.
The mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, wrote about his death on Tuesday.
He called Gashi among the tireless contributors to the reconstruction and institutional consolidation of the capital at a difficult time for the country.
"With dedication, wisdom and integrity, he left his mark on public service and on the journey of the Democratic League of Kosovo. My sincerest condolences to the Gashi family, friends, collaborators, the academic community and all citizens of Pristina. May his memory be eternal," Rama wrote on Facebook.
President Vjosa Osmani has also reacted to Gashi's death.
"Professor Gashi belonged to the generation that, with dedication, knowledge and integrity, built bridges between knowledge and society. He was a dedicated contributor to the University of Pristina, a respected figure in academic circles and a wise voice in the institutional and public life of Kosovo.
"His extraordinary contribution to education, science and society will forever remain part of our collective memory and an inspiration for generations to come," the Presidency statement said.
