By Resolution No. 01-05-04/106 (June 6, 2025) of the Academic Council of the Georgian Technical University, Academic Departments No. 502 “Railway Transport” and No. 505 “Automotive Transport and Logistics,” previously existing within the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering, were merged to establish Academic Department No. 502 “Transport and Logistics.”
The fields represented within the newly formed Academic Department No. 502 “Transport and Logistics” have long-standing traditions that encompass important historical stages, specifically:
Railway Direction:
In the 1930s, specifically in 1931, the Transcaucasian Railway Transport Engineering Institute was established in Tbilisi. Later, in 1936, the Tbilisi Railway Transport Engineering Institute was formed on its basis. At that time, it consisted of five faculties: Railway Operations; Railway Construction; Mechanical; Electric Transport; Industrial and Civil Construction. The institute housed 18 departments. It was located in what is now the 1st Academic Building of GTU. Its laboratories and study rooms were equipped with the highest level of technical resources available at that time.
In 1959, this higher educational institution was merged with the Georgian Polytechnic Institute (later the Georgian Technical University), where the following departments were established: “Carriage Construction, Rolling Stock Management and Railway Transport Operations,” “Electrical Transport,” and “Railway Automation, Telemechanics, and Communications.”
In 2006, as a result of structural reorganization at GTU, these departments were consolidated into a single Railway Transport Department.
Automotive Transport Direction:
In 1940, the “Automotive Transport Department” was established. In 1946, a new department titled “Automobiles, Tractors, and Auto-Tractor Engines” separated from it.
In 1971, it was divided into two departments: “Automobiles and Tractors” and “Internal Combustion Engines.” In 1984, these departments were re-merged and renamed the “Department of Automobiles, Internal Combustion Engines, and Fuel-Lubricant Materials.”
In 1998, this department was merged with the “Automotive Transport Department,” forming a new department that brought together almost all automotive specializations and again received the name “Automotive Transport Department” (currently a department).
From 1946 to 1960, the Department of “Automobiles, Tractors, and Auto-Tractor Engines” was chaired by Prof. R. Dvali, Academician of the Georgian Academy of Sciences. From 1960 to 1984, the department was headed by Prof. R. Partskhaladze, a member of the Georgian Engineering Academy. The Department of “Internal Combustion Engines” was led by Prof. D. Petriashvili (1971–1977) and Assoc. Prof. J. Iosebidze (1977–1984). Prof. J. Iosebidze chaired the Department of “Automobiles, Internal Combustion Engines, and Fuel-Lubricant Materials” from 1984 to 1998, and headed the Department of “Automotive Transport” until 2021.
Logistics Direction:
The “Logistics” Department was established in 2011. In 2021, the “Automotive Transport” and “Logistics” Departments were merged under the name “Automotive Transport and Logistics Department.” From 2021 until October 2, 2025, this combined department was headed by Prof. J. Iosebidze.
Over the years, the department has trained specialists in the following fields:
• “Automobiles and Automotive Management”
• “Automobiles and Tractors”
• “Internal Combustion Engines”
• “Organization and Management of Road Transport Operations”
as well as in the following specializations:
• “Rational Use of Fuel-Lubricant Materials”
• “Environmental Safety of Automobiles”
• “Customs Procedures in Land Transport”
• “Transport Logistics”
Notably, the last four specializations were introduced in Georgia for the first time by the Automotive Transport Department.
Additionally, from 2015 to 2021, an English-German dual-degree bachelor's program in “Logistics” was implemented in collaboration with Wildau University (Germany).
Aviation Direction:
Aviation transport in Georgia boasts deep-rooted traditions and a distinguished history. The country has produced - and continues to produce - high-ranking pilots and national heroes. Aviation plays a vital role in both national defense and civil aviation. Georgia, and GTU in particular, has extensive experience in aviation engineering education.
Training of aviation engineers at Georgian Technical University began in the 1960s. In 1968, at the initiative of the Tbilisi Aviation Factory, the Aircraft Engineering Department was established within the Faculty of Mechanics and Machine-Building, with Assoc. Prof. Vladimir Barkaia serving as the acting head.
In 1969, Prof. Givi Bokuchava (PhD in Engineering) was appointed head of the department. He recruited graduates of the Moscow Aviation Institute - Otar Tusishvili, Ramin Zukakishvili, and Amiran Terterashvili - who, together with him, took practical steps to develop the department’s educational, methodological, and material-technical base. During the department’s existence, educational materials and laboratories were established for specialized aviation courses, including Aerodynamics, Aircraft Structures, Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Systems, and others.
In 1992, the Aviation Education and Research Institute was established on the basis of the Aircraft Engineering Department. However, in 2005, Georgian Technical University discontinued student admission to the program.
One of the key initiators of re-establishing the aviation engineering program was Pantiko Tordia, General Director of “TAM Management” LLC. With his direct involvement, the Academic Council of Georgian Technical University decided to restore the bachelor’s program in Aviation Engineering, appointing Prof. Ramin Zukakishvili as program head.
Scientific Directions of Department No. 502 – “Transport and Logistics”
To this day, the main research areas of the Academic Department No. 502 “Transport and logistics” include:
• improving the efficiency of automotive transportation;
• developing logistical methods for enhancing vehicle durability, fuel economy, traffic, and environmental safety;
• improving the structural design, repair, and dynamics of railway rolling stock (locomotives and carriages) and its components;
• improving the organization and management of railway transport processes (enhancing throughput and carrying capacity);
• developing and improving railway stations and junctions;
• improving railway power supply and electromechanical systems;
• diagnostics and improvement of railway automation and telemechanics systems;
• development and improvement of aviation engineering technologies and aircraft systems, and others.
The department’s staff have published numerous monographs and scientific articles both in Georgia and internationally. Two of their monographs have been awarded the Georgian State Prize in Science and Technology.
Notable contributions include studies on vehicle fuel economy and environmental impact, as well as a discovery-level finding known as the “Effect of a Secondary Layer of Nanodispersed Diamond on Frictional Surfaces.”
Methods developed by the department’s researchers for assessing and improving fuel efficiency, along with competitive automotive oils and lubricants marketed under the brand “Kolcheti,” are currently in the implementation phase.
Significant projects have been carried out at the Tbilisi Electric Locomotive Plant (Temka), the Tbilisi Metro, Georgian Railway JSC, the Wagon-Building Company, and other institutions. The department maintains strong collaborative ties with related departments and laboratories both in Georgia and abroad, including Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. Over the years, numerous grant-funded projects have been successfully implemented.
Leveraging its scientific and pedagogical expertise, the Academic Department of Transport and Logistics at the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering continues to conduct significant research and educational-methodological work, aimed at training highly qualified specialists and supporting the faculty’s further development.
As of October 2, 2025, the Academic Department of Transport and Logistics is headed by Prof. Avtandil Sharvashidze, Corresponding Member of the Georgian Engineering Academy.
Contact Information
💧 Avtandil Sharvashidze – Head of Department
M. Kostava St. 68; 1st Academic Building; Room 664
✉️ a.sharvashidze@gtu.ge
💧 Megi Paturashvili – Junior Specialist, Category II
M. Kostava St. 68; 1st Academic Building; Room 664
✉️ megi.paturashvili@gtu.ge