HR Award – Activities 2025

Organized by a group of PhD students and early career researchers from IOCB Prague and CEITEC Masaryk University, a small symposium took place in the historical town of Telč in western Moravia. The event brought together about 40 participants and featured invited lectures by Hana Cahová (IOCB Prague) and Štěpánka Vaňáčová (CEITEC MU), several talks and a poster session involving scientists from both institutions. Two workshops complemented the scientific program, focusing on communication across generations and the legal aspects of technology transfer from academia to industry. The meeting offered a great opportunity to exchange ideas, establish new collaborations, and strengthen connections across disciplines. The organizers gratefully acknowledge the support of IOCB Prague, CEITEC MU, and sponsors East Port, IOCB Tech, i&i Prague, labmark, Shimadzu, and Alchimica.

The annual team-building and orientation bootcamp for new PhD students took place in the Bohemian Forest mountains. Senior PhD representatives and members of the admin team joined to explain IOCB processes and welcome the new students. Activities included ice breaker games, board games a hike to the Pancíř mountain, a mini grant competition, a Lego-based activity introducing the importance of data management and a discussion of research ethics. The event was attended by 25 Czech and international students.

The Women in Science at IOCB Prague group hosted another event in the Dana Hocková lecture series, created in memory of a colleague who was a great scientist and role model, but who passed away too soon.

A lecture by Michal Dvořák, senior mindfulness researcher of BeMindful, was presented on a brief introduction to mindfulness and stress reduction techniques.

Michaela Liegertová, a leading AI expert and researcher, delivered a workshop on AI use in research, aimed at group leaders, followed by a session designed specifically for the administrative departments.

IOCB hosted its second annual family day at Usedlost Ladronka for employees and their families. This was an opportunity to meet up in a relaxed atmosphere with kids and partners and enjoy a variety of activities, from trampolines and bowling to tasty food and good music. The event also featured the HR Award cup sporting event, this year focused on orienteering.

IOCB’s Green Club organized the inaugural Green Swap, an occasion where colleagues were invited to bring spare vegetable seedlings, houseplant cuttings, mature plants, or small gardening paraphernalia – or to take some home to brighten their gardens. The event was well received and looks set to become a regular feature in the IOCB calendar.

Women in Science at IOCB hosted Cecília Arraiano, a FEBS member and professor at Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa in Oeiras, Portugal. This was another installment in the Dana Hocková Lecture Series, and attendees heard not only an exciting scientific talk on RNA and RNases, but also a thought-provoking discussion on why the world needs science and why, in turn, science needs women. Particularly valuable for early-career researchers was the opportunity to discuss career paths and personal choices with the speaker informally, over lunch and during a post-workshop networking session.

Read more about the lecture and career workshop here.

The PhD Peers series continued with a discussion on the dos and don’ts of choosing a postdoc project, how to find one, and the practical aspects of living in a different country – led by an IOCB graduate Veronika Vetýšková.

IOCB hosted Dr. Michaela Liegertová, a biologist and expert on using AI in research, for several practical workshops. One workshop was specifically targeted at group leaders, while two additional sessions were organized by the Postdoc club for researchers in general.

The PhD peers series, organized and hosted by IOCB’s PhD representatives, continued with a discussion with Blanka Collis from the Research Support Office on preparing academic CVs. The session was followed by a CV clinic where individual CVs could be reviewed and discussed.

The Postdoc club hosted Dr. Ondřej Lidický, a cancer biologist and biochemist with theater experience, who delivered a practical workshop focused on leveraging body language and voice intonation to benefit your presentations. 

Marie Šafner, the IOCB Prague’s data steward, hosted the first breakfast seminar with data management representatives from individual research groups. The session covered a range of topics, including ORCID, file and data organisation systems, and the Chemotion repository for samples, reactions, and related research data.

The PhD representatives organized the inaugural PhD breakfast, providing an opportunity for fellow students to meet, network, and share their study and research experience. With approximately 95 students in attendance, the event was a great success, and future gatherings are already being planned.

Meanwhile, the Postdoc club hosted IOCB Prague’s social media manager Ladislav Loukota, who introduced strategies for engaging specific target groups through different social media channels and tailoring messages for each platform.

The Women in Science at IOCB group welcomed medicinal chemist Dr. Ivana Mejdrová. Now a postdoctoral researcher at the Ludwig Maximilian Universität in Munich, she is a past IOCB graduate and shared insights into the challenges of establishing an independent research group – an endeavor she is currently pursuing. The key takeaway was that things don’t always go as planned and that aspiring group leaders should start considering their future positions while finishing their PhD, as the clock on grant application deadlines begins ticking from the moment the doctorate is awarded.

Building on a previous discussion about working in a large pharmaceutical company, the IOCB Postdoc Club hosted i&i Prague project manager Roberto Fernandez Alvarez, who shared key insights on what to consider when transitioning to a startup.