Martina Roeselová Memorial Fellowship

The Martina Roeselová Memorial Fellowship helps young scientists in the field of natural sciences balance competitive scientific work with high-quality care for preschool-age children.

Stipends are awarded for a single calendar year in the amount of CZK 150,000. They are primarily intended for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows at the beginning of their career and in a difficult life situation, who are  the primary caregiver of a preschool child and at the same time conduct competitive research in the field of natural sciences at universities or research institutes in the Czech Republic.

The funds are intended to cover childcare services so that the stipend holders can continue or return to their studies or research work. The money can be used, for example, to pay for pre-school education in a private facility, stays in a child’s play area, or babysitting in a situation where the services of state facilities are not accesible, or, for example, to travel with the child to a conference or internship abroad.

Applications for 2024 were open from 26 June to 22 September 2023. Dates to apply for 2025 will be announced in Spring 2024.

Applications must be in English and must include:

  1. A description of the family situation and the envisaged use of the funds (max. 500 words)
  2. 1-year research plan (max. 500 words)
  3. The applicant’s CV with a list of selected publications and conference presentations (cca 2 pages)
  4. A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s mentor or direct supervisor

Applications for the Martina Roeselová Memorial Fellowship are evaluated by an expert committee, which considers the quality of the scientific project and the professional CV of the applicants, among other things. The commission also takes into account the family situation of the applicants and how effectively the funds would help combine scientific work with care for a preschool child or children.

On the basis of the committee's recommendation, the foundation’s managing board decides on the awarding of the grats. Its decision is final and cannot be appealed.

  • Prof. Barbara Finlayson-Pitts (University of California, Irvine)
  • Dr. Barak Hirshberg (Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University)
  • Prof. Pavel Jungwirth (IOCB Prague)
  • Dr. David Roesel (J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS)
  • Assoc. Prof. Pavlína Řezáčová (IOCB Prague)
  • Prof. Jitka Ulrichová (Palacký University Olomouc)
  • Prof. Radek Cibulka (UCT Prague, IOCB Tech Foundation)
  • Dr. Zuzana Kečkéšová (IOCB Prague, IOCB Tech Foundation)

The stipend of CZK 150,000 is provided in two instalments. The first instalment of fifty percent is paid in January, and the second instalment is paid in July following submission of an interim report on the use of the funds. After the end of the year, the stipend holders submit a final report on the use of the funds and the results achieved.

2024

  • Eva Bártová (Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava)
  • Michaela Capandová (Faculty of Medicine / Institute of Computer Science, Masaryk University)
  • Suada Djukaj (Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague)
  • Martina Greplová Žáková, Ph.D. (ELI Beamlines)
  • Jana Junová (Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University)
  • Mykhailo Khytko (Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University / Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
  • Ali Masihi (Faculty of Science, Charles University)
  • Tereza Novotná Jaroměřská (Faculty of Science, Charles University)
  • Veronika Prozorova (Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University)
  • Waheed Ur Rahman, Ph.D. (Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
  • Find out more about the 2024 grant recipients here.

2023

  • Dora Čertnerová, Ph.D. (Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague)
  • Vojtěch Hamala (Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the CAS)
  • Kateřina Hromasová (Czech Technical University in Prague / Institute of Plasma Physics of the CAS)
  • Barbora Chattová, Ph.D. (Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno)
  • Karolína Lavičková (Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague)
  • Helena Peschelová (CEITEC / Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno)
  • Kateryna Semenovykh (Institute of Physiology of the CAS)
  • Ondřej Sotolář (Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno)
  • Alžbeta Štefela, Ph.D. (Faculty Of Pharmacy, Charles University, Hradec Králové)
  • Niluka Wickramasinghe (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague)

2022 (MRF)

  • Monika Fňašková (CEITEC, Brno)
  • Lenka Gahurová, Ph.D. (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice)
  • Johana Muchová (CEITEC, Brno)
  • Ondřej Schindler (Masaryk University, Brno)

2021 (MRF)

  • Rasha Abdelrahman (CEITEC VUT, Brno)
  • Monika Čechová, Ph.D. (Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the CAS, Liběchov)
  • Anna Mrázová (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice)
  • Markéta Tesařová (CEITEC, Brno)
  • Anna Týčová, Ph.D. (Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the CAS, Brno)

2020 (MRF)

  • RNDr. Miroslav Dvorský, Ph.D. (Institute of Botany of the CAS, Třeboň)
  • Aneta Ledererová (Masaryk University, CEITEC, Brno)
  • Jaroslava Nováková, Ph.D. (Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague)
  • Lenka Ťupová (Faculty Of Pharmacy, Charles University, Hradec Králové)

2019 (MRF)

  • RNDr. Klára Frydrýšková (Charles University, Prague)
  • Barbora Melkes (Charles University, Prague)
  • Silvie Rimpelová, Ph.D. (UCT Prague)
  • MUDr. Petra Šedová, Ph.D. (Masaryk University, Brno)

2018 (MRF)

  • Adéla Melcrová (J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS, Prague)
  • Barbora Planková, Ph.D. (Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the CAS)
  • Lucie Pokorná, Ph.D. (UCT Prague)
  • Kateřina Sam, Ph.D. (Biology Centre of the CAS, České Budějovice)

2017 (MRF)

  • Hana Elicharová (Institute of Physiology of the CAS, Prague)
  • Hana Šigutová, Ph.D. (Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava)
  • Michaela Tučková (Palacký University Olomouc

2016 (IOCB Prague)

  • Lucie Jašíková (Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague)

Martina Roeselová (1965–2015) was a Czech scientist working in the field of physical chemistry. She graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, in 1990, earning a RNDr degree in biophysics and chemical physics. In 2003, she completed her doctoral studies in biophysical chemistry and chemical and macromolecular physics at the Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry and at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics under Prof. Pavel Jungwirth’s supervision.

Martina then completed a post-doctoral program at the University of California, Irvine, and a year later she joined the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague), where she worked till her untimely death.

In the course of her prolific scientific career, Martina and her husband Marek raised three children. In addition, she encouraged junior researchers and strived to create conditions in the academic environment to facilitate a reasonable balance between family life and scientific work.

Martina, who was not only an internationally acclaimed scientist but also a popular lecturer, mentor, and well-liked colleague, died of cancer in February 2015 shortly before her fiftieth birthday.

After Martina’s death, Pavel Jungwirth and a number of other friends and colleagues initiated the establishment of the Martina Roeselová Memorial Fellowship with IOCB Prague as a fellowship for PhD and post-doctorate students who look after young children while actively pursuing scientific research. The fellowship aims to provide financial support to students and junior researchers–parents to cover child care services. The first fellowship was awarded for 2016 and was financially supported by Martina Roeselová’s family and a number of other donors.

In February 2017, Martina’s husband Marek Roesel and IOCB Prague Director Zdeněk Hostomský established the Martina Roeselová Foundation to oversee the future development of the fellowship.

Beginning in 2022, the fellowship is organized and financed by IOCB Tech Foundation.