diff --git a/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
index 8f7969feb..443b53a59 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
@@ -165,17 +165,12 @@ class ProjectsController < ApplicationController
 	
   # Add a new issue category to @project
   def add_issue_category
-    if request.post?
-      @issue_category = @project.issue_categories.build(params[:issue_category])
-      if @issue_category.save
-        flash[:notice] = l(:notice_successful_create)
-        redirect_to :action => 'settings', :tab => 'categories', :id => @project
-      else
-        settings
-        render :action => 'settings'
-      end
+    @category = @project.issue_categories.build(params[:category])
+    if request.post? and @category.save
+      flash[:notice] = l(:notice_successful_create)
+      redirect_to :action => 'settings', :tab => 'categories', :id => @project
     end
-  end	
+  end
 	
   # Add a new version to @project
   def add_version
diff --git a/app/models/issue.rb b/app/models/issue.rb
index 52aaa0931..adc79557d 100644
--- a/app/models/issue.rb
+++ b/app/models/issue.rb
@@ -60,6 +60,13 @@ class Issue < ActiveRecord::Base
     end
   end
   
+  def before_create
+    # default assignment based on category
+    if assigned_to.nil? && category && category.assigned_to
+      self.assigned_to = category.assigned_to
+    end
+  end
+  
   def before_save  
     if @current_journal
       # attributes changes
diff --git a/app/models/issue_category.rb b/app/models/issue_category.rb
index 1a1daffb2..fb2c099a1 100644
--- a/app/models/issue_category.rb
+++ b/app/models/issue_category.rb
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 class IssueCategory < ActiveRecord::Base
   before_destroy :check_integrity  
   belongs_to :project
+  belongs_to :assigned_to, :class_name => 'User', :foreign_key => 'assigned_to_id'
 
   validates_presence_of :name
   validates_uniqueness_of :name, :scope => [:project_id]
diff --git a/app/models/member.rb b/app/models/member.rb
index 9814faa51..7b512de37 100644
--- a/app/models/member.rb
+++ b/app/models/member.rb
@@ -26,4 +26,9 @@ class Member < ActiveRecord::Base
   def name
     self.user.display_name
   end
+  
+  def before_destroy
+    # remove category based auto assignments for this member
+    project.issue_categories.update_all "assigned_to_id = NULL", ["assigned_to_id = ?", self.user.id]
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index bc5d4ecf8..569233d53 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_many :memberships, :class_name => 'Member', :include => [ :project, :role ], :conditions => "#{Project.table_name}.status=#{Project::STATUS_ACTIVE}", :order => "#{Project.table_name}.name", :dependent => :delete_all
   has_many :projects, :through => :memberships
   has_many :custom_values, :dependent => :delete_all, :as => :customized
+  has_many :issue_categories, :foreign_key => 'assigned_to_id', :dependent => :nullify
   has_one :preference, :dependent => :destroy, :class_name => 'UserPreference'
   has_one :rss_key, :dependent => :destroy, :class_name => 'Token', :conditions => "action='feeds'"
   belongs_to :auth_source
diff --git a/app/views/issue_categories/_form.rhtml b/app/views/issue_categories/_form.rhtml
index 765b8f53d..dc62c2000 100644
--- a/app/views/issue_categories/_form.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/issue_categories/_form.rhtml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-<%= error_messages_for 'issue_category' %>
-
-<!--[form:issue_category]-->
-<p><label for="issue_category_name"><%l(:field_name)%></label>
-<%= text_field 'issue_category', 'name'  %></p>
-<!--[eoform:issue_category]-->
+<%= error_messages_for 'category' %>
 
+<div class="box">
+<p><%= f.text_field :name, :size => 30, :required => true %></p>
+<p><%= f.select :assigned_to_id, @project.users.collect{|u| [u.name, u.id]}, :include_blank => true %></p>
+</div>
diff --git a/app/views/issue_categories/edit.rhtml b/app/views/issue_categories/edit.rhtml
index 998dfbe79..54a1f0c66 100644
--- a/app/views/issue_categories/edit.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/issue_categories/edit.rhtml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <h2><%=l(:label_issue_category)%></h2>
 
-<% form_tag({:action => 'edit', :id => @category}, :class => "tabular") do %>
-  <%= render :partial => 'form' %>
-  <%= submit_tag l(:button_save) %>
+<% labelled_tabular_form_for :category, @category, :url => { :action => 'edit', :id => @category } do |f| %>
+<%= render :partial => 'issue_categories/form', :locals => { :f => f } %>
+<%= submit_tag l(:button_create) %>
 <% end %>
diff --git a/app/views/projects/add_issue_category.rhtml b/app/views/projects/add_issue_category.rhtml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..08bc6d0e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/projects/add_issue_category.rhtml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+<h2><%=l(:label_issue_category_new)%></h2>
+
+<% labelled_tabular_form_for :category, @category, :url => { :action => 'add_issue_category' } do |f| %>
+<%= render :partial => 'issue_categories/form', :locals => { :f => f } %>
+<%= submit_tag l(:button_create) %>
+<% end %>
diff --git a/app/views/projects/settings.rhtml b/app/views/projects/settings.rhtml
index 73367b26a..410b72e77 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/settings.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/projects/settings.rhtml
@@ -53,36 +53,27 @@
 
 <div id="tab-content-categories" class="tab-content" style="display:none;">
 <table class="list">
-	<thead><th><%= l(:label_issue_category) %></th><th style="width:15%"></th></thead>
+	<thead>
+	<th><%= l(:label_issue_category) %></th>
+	<th><%= l(:field_assigned_to) %></th>
+	<th style="width:15%"></th>
+	<th style="width:15%"></th>
+	</thead>
 	<tbody>
-<% for @category in @project.issue_categories %>
-	<% unless @category.new_record? %>
+<% for category in @project.issue_categories %>
+	<% unless category.new_record? %>
 	<tr class="<%= cycle 'odd', 'even' %>">
-    <td>
-        <% form_tag({:controller => 'issue_categories', :action => 'edit', :id => @category}) do %>
-        <%= text_field 'category', 'name', :size => 25  %>
-        <% if authorize_for('issue_categories', 'edit') %>
-        <%= submit_tag l(:button_save), :class => "button-small" %>
-        <% end %>
-        <% end %>
-    </td>
-    <td align="center">
-      <small><%= link_to_if_authorized l(:button_delete), {:controller => 'issue_categories', :action => 'destroy', :id => @category}, :confirm => l(:text_are_you_sure), :method => :post, :class => 'icon icon-del' %></small>
-    </td>
+    <td><%=h(category.name) %></td>
+    <td><%=h(category.assigned_to.name) if category.assigned_to %></td>
+    <td align="center"><small><%= link_to_if_authorized l(:button_edit), { :controller => 'issue_categories', :action => 'edit', :id => category }, :class => 'icon icon-edit' %></small></td>
+    <td align="center"><small><%= link_to_if_authorized l(:button_delete), {:controller => 'issue_categories', :action => 'destroy', :id => category}, :confirm => l(:text_are_you_sure), :method => :post, :class => 'icon icon-del' %></small></td>
 	</tr>
 	<% end %>
 <% end %>
     </tbody>
 </table>
 &nbsp;
-<% if authorize_for('projects', 'add_issue_category') %>
-    <% form_tag({:action => 'add_issue_category', :tab => 'categories', :id => @project}) do %>
-    <p><label for="issue_category_name"><%=l(:label_issue_category_new)%></label><br />
-    <%= error_messages_for 'issue_category' %>
-    <%= text_field 'issue_category', 'name', :size => 25 %>
-    <%= submit_tag l(:button_add) %></p>
-    <% end %>
-<% end %>
+<p><%= link_to_if_authorized l(:label_issue_category_new), :controller => 'projects', :action => 'add_issue_category', :id => @project %></p>
 </div>
 
 <div id="tab-content-boards" class="tab-content" style="display:none;">
diff --git a/db/migrate/058_add_issue_categories_assigned_to_id.rb b/db/migrate/058_add_issue_categories_assigned_to_id.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8653532e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/058_add_issue_categories_assigned_to_id.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+class AddIssueCategoriesAssignedToId < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  def self.up
+    add_column :issue_categories, :assigned_to_id, :integer
+  end
+
+  def self.down
+    remove_column :issue_categories, :assigned_to_id
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/fixtures/issue_categories.yml b/test/fixtures/issue_categories.yml
index a994560d4..6c2a07b58 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/issue_categories.yml
+++ b/test/fixtures/issue_categories.yml
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 issue_categories_001: 
   name: Printing
   project_id: 1
+  assigned_to_id: 2
   id: 1
 issue_categories_002: 
   name: Recipes
   project_id: 1
+  assigned_to_id: 
   id: 2
diff --git a/test/unit/issue_test.rb b/test/unit/issue_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ebde556d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/issue_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# redMine - project management software
+# Copyright (C) 2006-2007  Jean-Philippe Lang
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+# modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+# as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+# of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+# 
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+# 
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+# Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA.
+
+require File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../test_helper'
+
+class IssueTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  fixtures :projects, :users, :members, :trackers, :issue_statuses, :issue_categories, :enumerations, :issues
+
+  def test_category_based_assignment
+    issue = Issue.create(:project_id => 1, :tracker_id => 1, :author_id => 3, :status_id => 1, :priority => Enumeration.get_values('IPRI').first, :subject => 'Assignment test', :description => 'Assignment test', :category_id => 1)
+    assert_equal IssueCategory.find(1).assigned_to, issue.assigned_to
+  end
+end