What do the names Martin Pilař, Ludmila Kučerová, Vladislav Lang, Daniel Georgiev, Lukáš Friedl, Jiří Moláček, Lucie Vištejnová, Karel Jedlička, Milan Legát, Tomáš Kroták, Jan Džugan, Pavel Novotný, Karel Ježek, Josef Volek, and Václav Kotora have in common?
They are scientists—the central figures of the new publication The Next Einstein Will Be from the Pilsen Region.
Each of the names mentioned holds not only a master’s, doctoral, engineering, associate professor, or professor title, but above all, a story. And it is precisely these stories that the Pilsen Region has decided to document.
Associate Professor Daniel Georgiev has established a unique synthetic biology laboratory in Pilsen. The startup Sampling Human is part engineering and part biotechnology, and the result of his team’s efforts is nothing less than a diagnostic method for easier and earlier detection of serious diseases.
Professor Ludmila Kučerová is searching for the ideal material for hydrogen storage at the University of West Bohemia. In addition to being a scientist, she is also a beloved teacher who enjoys working with young people and passing on her knowledge to them.
And these are just two of the featured individuals.
According to the author of the text, Radim Svačina, these fifteen men and women perfectly illustrate that the Plzeň Region has a desire to push boundaries embedded in its DNA. He points out, after all, that their predecessors were people like Křižík, Očenášek, and Thomayer. “After all, the Pilsen region has been an industrial center of our country since time immemorial. For centuries, it has attracted technically skilled people, enthusiasts, and polymaths,” he reflects, noting that today there are more than 160 scientific, research, and development teams active in the region. “We can find them not only in companies and research centers, but also at the faculties and departments of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen or the Pilsen Faculty of Medicine at Charles University,” he adds.
The texts in the 80-page bilingual publication are accompanied by photographs by Petra Ottová and Jan Růžička, with graphic design by the Pilsen-based studio t&a.
