Charles University seeks global science leader for new Prague Biocenter
Charles University is building its largest science centre in modern history. The nearly five-and-a-half-billion-crown Biocenter is due to open in Prague in just a few years, and the university is now looking for a world-renowned scientist to lead it.
Construction of the new Biocenter, located in the Albertov neighbourhood of Prague, just below the historic Vyšehrad fortress, is in full swing. Dozens of workers are currently building the two underground floors, which will house some of the centre’s most important facilities.
Charles University’s Faculty of Science dean Vladimír Krylov explains what they will contain.
“In the underground floors, we will have what are known as core facilities. In simple terms, these are large units that bring together expensive, large-scale equipment, such as microscopes and other devices used, for example, to measure various biological parameters. The equipment is shared among researchers, hence the term core facilities.”
Shared laboratories and high-end equipment will be one of the main pillars of the new Albertov Biocenter. The joint project of Charles University’s Faculty of Science, First Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Mathematics and Physics will combine education with cutting-edge basic and applied research. Once completed, it will provide facilities for more than 800 employees and up to 700 students.
Krylov says the centre is also intended to give students hands-on experience with scientific research and help prepare them for international careers. Some existing teams will move to the new building, while around 20 to 30 percent of its capacity is intended for new teams, including researchers from abroad.
The university has now launched an international search for the Center’s director. Krylov says the successful candidate will need not only strong scientific credentials, but also the management skills needed to run such a large research centre.
The director will also be responsible for bringing the different scientific fields together. They will be organised into six broadly defined areas, explains Aleš Soukup, Vice-Dean for the Albertov Campus at Charles University’s Faculty of Science.
“The first is biochemistry and metabolism. The second is cellular systems in health and disease. Then there is infection and immunity, followed by genomics, genetics and bioinformatics. Other areas include chemical synthesis, materials research, and nanotechnology. And finally, there is spectral and structural research into materials.”
The aim, according to Soukup, is to create an open and international environment where researchers from different fields can work together and inspire one another.
“We are aiming for a multidisciplinary environment that will be open and international, so that the teams coming to the Biocenter will benefit not only from having access to excellent infrastructure, but also from interesting interactions with the other teams working there.”
If everything goes according to plan, the new centre will welcome the first students and scientists in 2029.
