Robert Plaga, Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, gave appointment letters to new professors on January 22, 2018. Out of 52 new holders of the highest educational degree in research and art, most came from Charles University.
In late November 2017, the appointments were recommended by the government to the President, upon the nomination of the university boards. President Miloš Zeman signed all the letters in mid-December, leaving no one aside.
Upon the nomination of the Research Board of Charles University, the following nominees were appointed:
Associate Professor Ludmila BOUDOVÁ, Ph. D., for the branch: Pathology, Faculty of Magazine in Pilsen, Charles University
Associate Professor Viktor ČERNÝ, Dr., for the branch: Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Charles University
Associate Professor Jakub ČÍŽEK, Ph. D., for the branch: Physics – Physics of Condensed Matters, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Charles University
Associate Professor Jiří DRÁBEK, Ph. D., for the branch: Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Palacký University in Olomouc
Associate Professor Jarmila HEISSIGEROVÁ, Ph. D., for the branch: Eye medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University
Associate Professor Přemysl JIRUŠKA, Ph. D., for the branch: Medical Physiology and Pathophysiology, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences
Associate Professor Pavel KRTOUŠ, Ph. D., for the branch: Physics – Theoretical Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Charles University
Associate Professor Ivan NĚMEC, Ph. D., for the branch: Inorganic chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University
Associate Professor Jan PEŘINA, Ph. D. for the branch: Physics – Quantum Physics and Optoelectronics, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences
Associate Professor Jiří SLÁMA, Ph. D., for the branch: Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First Faculty of Medicine at Charles University and the General University Hospital
Associate Professor Zbyněk STRAŇÁK, CSc., for the branch: Pediatrics, Institute for the Care of Mother and Child
Associate Professor Petr SVOBODA, Ph. D., for the branch: Developmental and Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences
Associate Professor Tomáš ŠIMŮNEK, Ph. D., for the branch: Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University
Before the ceremony, the new professors nominated by Charles University met the rector Tomáš Zima. In addition to giving them a tour to the most interesting parts of the Carolinum, he took them to take a look at his own study, and wished them a lot of successes in their research. In his speech, he emphasized that the professorship is a proof of extraordinary expert competence: “This proves the appreciation of top scientists and researchers not only in our country but also abroad.” Rector Zima also said that a professor’s task is to ensure stable standards of the branch, able to excel at the global level, with broad international cooperation, and further development: “So your students can be better than you in the future.”
This year, we will celebrate the 670th anniversary of the oldest Czech university. This was also mentioned in the speech of Minister Robert Plaga, who added that the highest educational degree also means increased responsibility: “It’s you, dear professors, who will guarantee the quality of universities in research and education. And it’s also you, to a large extent, who will guarantee the public and ethical commitment of universities as centers of free and critical thinking. I’d like to point out this role to you, with respect to the current events in the world, in Europe, and in our country.”
