Scientific panel
prof. Zdeněk Havlas, DrSc.
Member of the Science Board, Chemistry
"Science is verified knowledge about the world around us and about ourselves. It has cultural, economic and intellectual aspects that are necessary to ensure improvement of life in harmony with the world."
Honorary Chair, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, previously Director of the Institute for 10 years. Director of the Center for Development of Original Drugs, and member of the Research, Development and Innovation Council (RVVI).
In his research, Professor Havlas focuses on theoretical chemistry, especially in the field of structure, reactivity, excited molecular states and intermolecular interactions.
He graduated from Faculty of Science, Charles University (1969-1975). Over the following years, he worked on his dissertation at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, under Jiří Beránek and Rudolf Zahradník. His work revolved around quantum chemical calculations of nucleic acid components. In 1979 he became a researcher at the Institute. Later he attended several fellowship programs, e.g., 1980-81, Cornell University, laboratory headed by Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Prize laureate. In 1988 he received the Humboldt Foundation Fellowship Award and spent two years at the Goethe University Frankfurt. In 2001 he received his DrSc. degree for his doctoral thesis Chemical Applications of Quantum Mechanics.
In addition to research, he dedicates his time to administrative work as well. From 1996 to 1998, he worked as the Chair of the Science Board of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. From 2002 to 2012, he was Director of the Institute, replacing its previous Director Antonín Holý.
Since 2003, member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. Since 2006, member of the Science Board at the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague. Since 2011, member of the Research, Development and Innovation Council (RVVI).
During his career, he has published over 150 research papers that have received thousands of citations.
Best advice: "It's easy if you know what you're doing."
They wrote about him:
- Jak uspět ve vědě? Antonín Holý posloužil jako inspirace (Žurnál UPOL, 12. 3. 2015)
- Poděbraďák Zdeněk Havlas je držitelem nejvyššího ocenění v oblasti vědy (Poděbradské noviny)
- Netušená síla slabých vazeb (Vesmír, 10/2010)
- Velké objevy vznikají náhodou, říká Zdeněk Havlas (iDnes.cz, 11. 3. 2007)
- Zdeněk Havlas hostem pořadu Na plovárně (ČT, 2007)