Description

Dr. Debevec currently holds positions of Full Professor of Sport Science at the Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana and Scientific Councellor at “Jozef Stefan” Institute. He received his Ph.D. for the work on different altitude/hypoxic & hyperoxic training modalities and their effects on athletic performance and conducted his post-doctoral fellowship at University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Human Biology, UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. Dr. Debevec also conducted parts of his postdoctoral training at University of Lausanne and University Savoie Mont Blanc. His research is primarily oriented at investigating physiological adaptations of humans during rest and exercise to different environmental stressors in particular oxygen fraction and temperature in health and disease. He also currently serves as performance advisor within the UCI WorldTeam Bahrain - Victorious.  

PubMed / ResearchGate / X / WoS

Recent publications:

KOWALSKI T, RĘBIŚ K, WILK A, SZWED P, KLUSIEWICZ A, DEBEVEC T & FAISS R. Critical power and critical oxygenation: examining transferability between normoxia and hypoxia. European Journal of Applied Physiology. (2025).

GRANT WM, GOODS PSR, WALL BA, DAVIDS CJ, NARANG BJ, DEBEVEC T & SCOTT BR. Validity and test-retest reliability of repetitions-in-reserve across different low-loads in the barbell bench press with blood flow restriction. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. (2025).

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, LAURIKS W, ROBBERECHTS R, RAMAEKERS M, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. Ketone ester ingestion impairs exercise performance without impacting cognitive function or circulating EPO during acute hypoxic exposure.  Journal of Applied Physiology.  (2025). 

BEAUME JB, DI DOMENICO H, BOWEN M, HINTZY F, MILLET GY, PAGEAUX B, DEBEVEC T & RUPP T. Neuromuscular fatigue induced by cycling at a fixed level of perceived effort: effects of different purported hypoxic methods. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. (2025).

KAMBIČ T, DEBEVEC T & LAINŠČAK M. Can intermittent hypoxic conditioning enhance the benefits of standard long COVID-19 rehabilitation? Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle. (2025).

CHAMBION-DIAZ M, MANFERDELL G, NARANG BJ, GIARDINI G., DEBEVEC T, PIALOUX V, MILLET GP. Oxidative stress and nitric oxide metabolism responses during prolonged high-altitude exposure in preterm born adults. Journal of Sport and Health Science. (2025).

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. Ketone Supplementation: Novel Strategy for Augmenting Altitude Exercise Performance? Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. (2025).

NARANG BJ, MANFERDELLI G, MILLET GP & DEBEVEC T. Nocturnal pulse oxygen saturation dynamics at simulated high altitude: Predictive value for acute mountain sickness in healthy men born pre-term. Experimental Physiology. (2025).

NARANG B, DROLE K, BARBER J, GOODS P & DEBEVEC T. Utility of hypoxic modalities for musculoskeletal injury rehabilitation in athletes: a narrative review of mechanisms and contemporary perspectives. Journal of Sports Sciences. (2025).

KRUMM B, RABERIN A, CITHERLET T, TAGLIAPIETRA G, FAISS R, PIALOUX V, DEBEVEC T, GIARDINI G & MILLET GP. Accelerated red blood cell turnover following extreme mountain ultramarathon? Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. (2025).

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, ROBBERECHTS R, LAURIKS W, RAMAEKERS M, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. A single night in hypoxia either with or without ketone ester ingestion reduces sleep quality without impacting next day exercise performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. (2025).

TAGLIAPIETRA G, CITHERLET T, RABERIN A, BOURDILLON N, KRUMM B, NARANG BJ, GIARDINI G, PIALOUX V, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Effect of menstrual cycle phase on physiological responses in healthy women at rest and during submaximal exercise at high altitude. Scientific Reports. (2025).

DEBEVEC T, LONGMAN D & BOURGOIS JG. Defining Adaptation within Applied Physiology -Is there room for improvement? Frontiers in Physiology. (2024). 

STALMANS M, TOMINEC D, LAURIKS W, ROBBERECHTS R, DEBEVEC T & POFFÉ C. Exogenous ketosis attenuates acute mountain sickness and mitigates normobaric high-altitude hypoxemia. Journal of Applied Physiology. (2024). 

NARANG B, MANFERDELLI G, MILLET GP & DEBEVEC T. Effects of pre-term birth on the pattern of altitude acclimatisation at rest and during moderate-intensity exercise across three days at 3375 m. Journal of Applied Physiology. (2024).

NIESOR EJ, PEREZ A, REZZI S, HODGSON A, CANARELLI S, MILLET G, DEBEVEC T, BORDAT C, NADER E & CONNES P. Plasma monomeric ApoA1 and high-density lipoprotein bound ApoA1 are markedly decreased and associated with low levels of lipophilic antioxidants in sickle cell disease: A potential new pathway for therapy. Eur J Haematol. (2024).

GORIČAR K, DEBEVEC T, DOLŽAN V, MARTIN A, PIALOUX V, MILLET GP & OSREDKAR D. Antioxidant and neurodevelopmental gene polymorphisms in prematurely born individuals influence hypoxia-related oxidative stress. Scientific Reports. (2024).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, BOURDILON N, GIARDINI G, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Impaired cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity at high-altitude in prematurely born adults. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

MANFERDELLI G, NARANG B, BOURDILON N, DEBEVEC T & MILLET GP. Baroreflex sensitivity is blunted in hypoxia independently of changes in inspired carbon dioxide pressure in prematurely born male adults. Physiological Reports. (2024).

NARANG B, MANFERDELLI G, BOURDILON N, MILLET GP & DEBEVEC T. Ventilatory responses to independent and combined hypoxia, hypercapnia and hypobaria in healthy pre-term born adults. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

BURTSCHER J, CITHERLET T, CAMACHO-CARDENOSA A, CAMACHO-CARDENOSA M, RABERIN A, KRUMM B, HOHENAUER E, EGG M, LICHTBLAU M, MUELLER J, RYBNIKOVA E, GATTERER H, DEBEVEC T, BAILLIEUL S, MANFERDELLI G, BEHRENDT T, SCHEGA L, EHRENREICH H, MILLET G, GASSMANN M, SCHWARZER C, GLAZACHEV O, GIRARD O, LALANDE S, HAMLIN M, SAMAJA M, HÜFNER K, BURTSCHER M, PANZA G. & MALLET R. Mechanisms underlying the health benefits of intermittent hypoxia conditioning. The Journal of Physiology. (2024).

Subjects

• Advanced environmental exercise physiology - Doctoral study 3rd level - Kinesiology
• Altitude training in sport Študijski program - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education
• Athlete in extreme environments - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology
• Bike touring - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training
• Mountaineering - UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Education, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Kinesiology, UNI Bachelor’s degree - Sports Training
• Ski touring - Master’s degree - Sports Education