Speakers

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  Marijke Lein

  Marijke Lein is a seasoned HR professional with a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from KU Leuven. She began her career in the training department at Shell International and went on to build extensive expertise across various areas of human resources. Her experience spans industrial environments before she joined VIB, where she dedicated 28 years of her career. As HR Director at VIB, Marijke played a key role in international recruitment, training and development, social law, employee well-being, and leadership—an area she is particularly passionate about. She also oversaw the payroll team and contributed significantly to shaping HR policies and practices within the organization. Marijke retired from VIB in May 2024.
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  Pavel Plevka

  Pavel Plevka is a research group leader at CEITEC Masaryk University and has been the institute’s director since 2024. His research focuses on the structures of virus particles and their behaviour during infection. As director, he promotes active leadership among group leaders and supports collaboration and the exchange of ideas across the institute.
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  Eliška Handlířová

  Eliška Handlířová is Head of the Department of Communications and Strategy at CEITEC Masaryk University. She has overseen the implementation and renewal of the HR Excellence in Research Award and several Gender Equality Plans. Her work focuses on embedding sustainable HR practices, supporting leadership development, and fostering an inclusive and collaborative working environment.
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  Michael Wrzaczek

  Michael Wrzaczek is Director of the Institute of Plant Molecular Biology at the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where he has led his own research group on signal transduction in plants since 2020. After his doctoral studies in Vienna, he continued his career at the University of Helsinki, first as a postdoctoral researcher and later as independent group leader. His research focuses on how plants perceive and integrate environmental and developmental signals, with a particular interest in how stress responses are integrated with plant growth and development. As director, he works to strengthen international collaboration, support young scientists, and build a dynamic research environment.
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  Luděk Brož

  Luděk Brož is a researcher at the Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, where he heads the Department of Ecological Anthropology and is the principal investigator of the BOAR project funded by the ERC (European Research Council). Ludek received PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge (UK) and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Germany). He is the author of Evil Spirits and Rocket Debris: In Search of Lost Souls in Siberia (Berghahn, 2024) and the co-editor with Daniel Münster of Suicide and Agency: Anthropological perspectives on self-destruction, personhood and power (Ashgate, 2015).
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  Tomáš Mocek

  Tomáš Mocek is the Head of the HiLASE Centre, part of the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where he has built an application-oriented laser R&D facility from scratch. After 15 years in basic research (1994-2009), he shifted his focus to advancing high-power laser technology and turning ideas into real-world impact. Under his leadership, HiLASE has become recognized as a place where vision, culture, and people come together. Today, he will share lessons from this journey on how to lead research with purpose.
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  Jan Brajer

  Jan Brajer is an innovator and technical visionary who is a leading expert in advanced laser technologies in the Czech Republic. He has long-term experience at the HiLASE Centre at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He heads the department of industrial laser applications and is also deputy director of the Centre for Science and Technology. He works at the Czech Technical University in Prague, specifically at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, where he is a research associate at the Institute of Production Machines and Equipment. He also works at the CIIRC CTU, where he supervises master’s and bachelor’s theses and actively participates in academic projects. Jan is also the chairman of the STAR Research & Innovation Cluster board, where he focuses on the strategic development of regional innovation infrastructure and connecting research organisations with industry. He is the co-author of the ‘Leadership Academy for Researchers’ programme for scientists and his long-term goal is to support excellent science that has a concrete impact on society and the economy.
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  Adam Pruška

  Adam Pruška is an analytical chemistry and biotechnology expert with international experience from Switzerland and the Czech Republic. He studied analytical chemistry at Masaryk University, receiving his doctorate from ETH Zurich, where he specialised in developing methods for studying biomolecules using mass spectrometry. He is the co-author of numerous scientific publications in renowned journals. In 2021, he founded the successful Swiss non-profit organisation CometX – Come and Meet Expats, which supports the career development of Czech and Slovak individuals and companies interested in the Swiss market. During his postgraduate studies, he received support from the Swiss agency Innosuisse, devoting himself to commercialising his own research and technologies. He is currently involved in developing global business activities in the biotechnology sector in the Czech Republic and provides consultancy services to individuals interested in pursuing a career in Switzerland.
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  Kateřina Komrsková

  Prof. Katerina Komrskova, Ph.D., studied biology and chemistry at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, Czech Republic, where she also obtained the doctoral degree in Developmental Biology. She is currently Head of the Group of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, the Czech Academy of Sciences and A/Prof. in the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University. Katerina Komrskova is a worldwide recognised scientist, as well as founder and CEO of the company Molecule 46. She focuses on deep-biotech applications of fundamental research discoveries solving problems with infertility and declining sperm quality. She is the inventor of break-through technology for diagnostics and separation of undamaged sperm to be utilised in human assisted reproduction, livestock breeding and animal conservation strategies.
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  Vojtěch Kadlec

  Vojtěch Kadlec is the co-founder and CBO of UNICO, a leading provider of technological innovation based on breakthrough scientific knowledge – leveraging his knowledge of the patent environment and interdisciplinary research network to effectively connect universities, companies and investors. Vojtěch Kadlec has been involved in technological innovation and its commercialization since his studies at the Faculty of Science of Charles University. He gained his first work experience as an analyst and consultant at BermanGroup. He worked on projects in the field of innovation and competitiveness support, such as the INKA project – Mapping of Innovation Capacities of the Czech Republic funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. Before founding UNICO, he worked as a technology scout at the Faculty of Science of Charles University and later as a technology transfer specialist at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He has been involved in licensing technologies worth millions of CZK and has been behind the creation of several technology start-ups.
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  Matouš Glanc

  Matouš Glanc leads Czexpats in Science, an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help advance science in Czechia by leveraging leveraging researchers’ experience from around the world. As a plant cell biologist, he has studied cell polarity at internationally recognized institutions (ISTA in Austria, VIB in Belgium) and currently works as a scientific consultant at the Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
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  Jana De Merlier

  Jana De Merlier has 20 years of experience in project management, strategic planning, and education. She serves as Vice Mayor of Dolní Břežany, manages the Grant Office at the HiLASE Centre, and is the Founder & Director of the STAR Research & Innovation Cluster. She is also a Steering Committee member of the BRAIN4INDUSTRY consortium, where STAR coordinates the Brain4Industry Academy. She believes that true development and impact are created by people.