It is with deep sadness that we announce that on Saturday, August 23rd, our friend and colleague, physicist Dr. Karel Výborný, suddenly and tragically passed away. Karel died in an accident in the mountains he loved. He was 47 years old and is survived by his wife and two children.
Karel was an outstanding theoretical physicist and a leading expert on the quantum Hall effect, magnetic semiconductors, and quantum transport. His professional career was closely linked to the FZU - Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He started at FZU under the guidance of Ludvík Smrčka, who supervised his diploma thesis. After graduating from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics in 2001, he went to Hamburg to pursue his doctoral studies, where he worked on the fractional quantum Hall effect under the supervision of Daniela Pfannkuche.
Karel Výborný after a lecture at the University of Vienna, August 19th, 2025
In 2005, after completing his doctorate, he returned to FZU, joining the Department of Surfaces and Interfaces led by Ludvík Smrčka. This department gradually developed into today's Department of Spintronics and Nanoelectronics, where Karel worked until his last days. He had recently been planning to move to the Department of Structural Analysis, where he was to lead his own theoretical group. He was very much looking forward to this new phase, but unfortunately, he did not live to see it come to fruition.
He devoted a lot of time to mentoring students and was always ready to help and advise colleagues. Karel was a very friendly person and knew almost everyone at FZU Cukrovarnická. Many colleagues came to him for advice and to discuss their work. Karel left behind a legacy not only in the form of significant scientific publications, but also in the form of a whole series of students whom he helped to start their scientific careers.
Jakub Železný:
I personally had the opportunity to meet Karel as a beginning doctoral student at FZU. From the very first days, he selflessly helped and advised me, even though it was not his duty. That was just the kind of person Karel was – always willing to help anyone who needed it. In difficult times, whether professional or personal, he stood by me, and his support was absolutely crucial for me. It was he who helped me in my early days and encouraged me when I was deciding whether to stay in science. Since I met him, we have been in close contact. We shared a similar view of science and life, and almost every day we had long conversations – about physics, work, and everyday joys and worries.
Michael Prouza:
I met Karel Výborný in high school, when he started attending more advanced mathematics in our class with a specialization in mathematics. He transferred from the class with a specialization in languages, where his extraordinary abilities in mathematics and physics had been noticed. Karel very quickly made a name for himself in national and international competitions, not only in physics, but also in mathematics and chemistry. For example, he became captain of the team in the International Tournament of Young Physicists, which then became the overall winner of the international level of this competition under his leadership. Karel remained my classmate at university, where we studied physics together at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University. But what was most important to me was that Karel and I became close friends while still in high school, and we started to go to the woods and to the mountains together. Professionally, our paths diverged at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, with Karel focusing on theoretical solid-state physics and me on astroparticle physics. However, I was very pleased when, after our doctoral studies and postdoctoral stays, we met again at FZU. I have always admired Karel's enthusiasm for physics, his ability to explain things in an accessible way, and especially his dedicated relationship with students at all levels of education. Karel could sometimes be stubborn and unyielding, standing firm in his opinions, but I always knew that what mattered most was his genuinely friendly and open spirit.
We will remember Karel as a brilliant scientist, colleague, and true friend. We will miss him greatly.
The farewell ceremony for Karel Výborný will take place on Saturday, September 20th, 2025, in the afternoon at the “Sokolovna” hall in Zlíchov quarter (Na Zlíchově 255/5, Prague 5). Details about the event and registration can be found here. If you plan to attend the farewell ceremony, please register as soon as possible.
If you are thinking about how to help Karel Výborný's family, you can use the QR code below. Immediate help is probably not necessary, but Karel's wife, Lenka, has a wonderful idea for carrying on Karel's legacy. She would like to establish a fund bearing Karel Výborný's name, which will be dedicated to supporting students, particularly in relation to gaining international experience and facilitating their trips abroad. You can donate funds for this purpose now, but it might be more appropriate to wait a few months until we manage to establish the fund on the correct legal basis. Currently, this would be a donation between individuals, which is not tax-deductible and for which the recipient must pay tax on amounts over CZK 50,000 from a single donor. It is up to you. In any case, we are very grateful for your immediate or future support.
