Special seminars at the NPI mark the 80th birthday of Prof Jan Kučera, Prof Pavel Exner and Dr Miloslav Znojil

30. 03. 2026

In March 2026, two special seminars were held at the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, highlighting the long-standing contributions and professional achievements of prominent figures of the Institute – Prof Jan Kučera, Prof Pavel Exner, and Dr Miloslav Znojil.

The first seminar took place on Tuesday, 10 March, on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Prof Jan Kučera, a long-standing expert in the field of radioanalytical methods, particularly neutron activation analysis.

The seminar was opened by Prof Anna Macková, Deputy Director of the NPI, who highlighted Prof Kučera’s professional career and his significant contributions to the development of radioanalytical methods as well as to building the institute’s scientific infrastructure.

This was followed by a lecture by Prof Jan Kučera titled “53 Years of Work in the Řež Valley,” in which he offered a personal reflection on his career and the development of the field over more than five decades.

The technical programme continued with thematic presentations focused on the history and current applications of advanced analytical methods. Assoc Prof Mojmír Němec (CTU) presented on the establishment of the AMS laboratory, followed by Dr Ivo Světlík and Dr Jan Kameník (NPI), who introduced specific applications of these methods.

The formal part of the seminar was followed by an informal gathering, during which the institute’s leadership congratulated Prof Kučera on his jubilee. The programme concluded with birthday cake cutting and informal discussion, providing space for personal interactions.

More about Prof Jan Kučera’s career and significant contributions can be found in the medallion here (avalable only in Czech), prepared by Dr Jiří Mizera from the Department of Neutron and Ion Methods at the NPI.

The second special seminar took place on Monday, 30 March, and was dedicated to the jubilees of Prof Pavel Exner and Dr Miloslav Znojil. Together with Prof David Krejčiřík from the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of CTU, they delivered a lecture entitled “What Is and What Is Not Mathematical Physics”. The lecture offered both a professional and personal perspective on the field and opened space for discussion across generations of scientists.