The Czech Academy of Sciences today awarded the Otto Wichterle Award to a total of twenty-five scientists. The 2025 awards were presented to four laureates from our institute by Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The award is intended for promising scientists who achieve outstanding results in their fields, hold scientific titles (CSc., Dr., Ph.D., DrSc.) and are under 35 years of age at the time of nomination, not counting parental leave.
"Talented young scientists need more significant support at the beginning of their scientific careers. Many of those who received the Wichterle Award from the Academy of Sciences ten or twelve years ago are now at the forefront of their fields. Today's laureates are also the future of Czech science," said Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The following were awarded on behalf of the Faculty of ScienceInstitute of Physics: RNDr. Petr Hruška, Ph.D., Ing. Jan Kaufman, Ph.D., Ing. David Vojna, Ph.D., and Ing. Eliška Zmeškalová, Ph.D.
RNDr. Petr Hruška, Ph.D., joined the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences as a 21-year-old student and is now one of the most versatile experimenters in the Department of Functional Materials Analysis. He is an expert in the preparation of thin films, their structural characterization, and defect analysis using positron annihilation spectroscopy methods. He is also involved in teaching and outreach activities. Since 2020, he has been leading pioneering research into thin films of high-entropy alloys, materials with a number of unique properties suitable for a wide range of applications. Petr Hruška's expertise was instrumental in obtaining a NATO Science for Peace and Security grant in 2023, thanks to which he is developing nanostructured absorbers of microwave and infrared radiation. During his postdoctoral research on black metals, Petr Hruška achieved a significant publishing success with his discovery of nanoporosity as a key factor in the mechanism of light absorption across a wide range of wavelengths.
Ing. Jan Kaufman, Ph.D., is the head of the Laser Shock Peening (LSP) research team at the HiLASE laser center at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He focuses on applied research into the use of lasers to extend the service life of metal parts, particularly in 3D printing, toolmaking, aviation, and the nuclear industry. He studied physical engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague and completed professional internships in the USA, South Korea, and Italy. Jan Kaufman is a Fulbright-Masaryk scholarship holder and author of numerous scientific publications. In 2025, he and his team achieved a world record in LSP technology. The results of his work have led to two European patents, among other things. The award-winning scientist is regularly invited to international conferences in Europe, the USA, and Japan. In addition to science, he also teaches at secondary schools, mentors, and popularizes physics and modern technologies for industrial use.
Ing. David Vojna, Ph.D., is engaged in the development of advanced lasers. He completed his education at the Czech Technical University in Prague, and during his doctoral studies he helped develop one of the largest optical isolators in the world. This device allows light to travel in only one direction, thereby protecting the laser source from back reflections. This particular isolator was developed for the Bivoj pulsed laser at the HiLASE Center at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. Experts can now use it fully and safely. David Vojna collaborated on the development of new materials for optical isolators with the National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan, where he completed several internships. At the HiLASE Center,he is intensively engaged in numerical modeling of thermo-optical phenomena in laser systems and the development and adaptation of numerical simulations. In 2024, he received the prestigious Česká hlava Award in the Doctorandus category for technical sciences.
Ing. Eliška Zmeškalová, Ph.D., is the head of the Single Crystal Diffraction Laboratory in the Structural Analysis Department at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. A single crystal is a solid material in which all atoms are arranged regularly throughout its structure—like a perfect lattice that repeats in all directions. Single crystal diffraction is a highly accurate analytical method used primarily to determine the crystal structure of solids at the atomic level. It can then be used, for example, to analyze the structures of drug molecules or other substances that are difficult to analyze. This is the main focus of Eliška Zmeškalová's research. She is trying to uncover the key factors influencing the solubility, stability, and bioavailability of pharmaceutical substances, which could bring improvements for both the pharmaceutical industry and patients. Her work was recognized with this year's publication in the highly regarded crystallography journal International Union of Crystallography Journal (IUCrJ) as the lead article of the issue.
Otto Wichterle Award
This award for young scientists is named after Professor Otto Wichterle in memory of the outstanding Czech chemist of international renown, who became president of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences after November 1989. It has been awarded since 2002 and comes with a financial reward of CZK 330,000 spread over three years. To date, 540 laureates have received it.