University of South Bohemia ceremonially entered the 2025/26 academic year. In his opening speach, USB Rector Pavel Kozák highlighted the major investments soon to be completed, which will give the university a new modern canteen and the long-awaited representative aula. He also spoke of the new challenges posed by increasing student numbers in non-medical healthcare and teacher-education programmes, and of support for doctoral candidates, science and research—without which USB could not fulfill its ambition to be a prestigious university. He emphasized the great significance of the new School of Doctoral Studies, whose establishment has made USB a “pioneering” institution. He underscored the strengthening of internationalization, notably through USB’s admission to the prestigious European universities consortium KreativEU. He praised the work of student associations engaged in the cultural and sporting life of the university and their major role in organizing the orientation course at Vranov for first-year students, which this year welcomed over 900 freshmen. According to the Rector, this event—where students receive a wealth of clear information about university life—also helps reduce the failure rate, one of the many important goals USB pursues for the future. He further stressed the defence of the HR Award, which ranks USB among institutions with a high standard of human-resources care in the research environment, and the positive evaluation by the International Evaluation Panel.
Rector Pavel Kozák wished everyone much energy and enthusiasm for their work in the 2025/26 academic year, during which USB will undertake, for example, an extensive revitalization of its campus and face many academic challenges.
Ten students and academics received the Rector’s Award for scientific and pedagogical achievements. The Rector also presented tokens of appreciation for two service jubilees and one significant work anniversary. New associate professors and full professors who earned their titles in the past academic year were introduced.
The University expressed its gratitude and support to the honoured researchers and educators in their work, not only within the Czech academic environment but also abroad.
Scientific Awards:
Zdeněk Veselovský Prize in the Natural Sciences category
RNDr. Tereza Patlejchová – PŘF JU
Tereza Patlejchová is a doctoral student in the Biophysics program and concurrently a master's student in the Secondary School Teaching program, specializing in Physics Teaching and Biology Teaching. Her research focuses on the integration of physics, chemistry, and biology. In 2024, she received the Government Award for Gifted Students and represented the Czech Republic in the prestigious European competition TalentOn. She is a co-author of a cover article in Nano Letters and the first author of a study published in ACS Applied Nano Materials. In May 2025, she successfully defended both her thesis on nanomaterials for biomedical applications and her rigorous thesis.
RNDr. Tereza Kozelková, Ph.D. – PŘF JU
Dr. Tereza Kozelková conducts research in tick physiology and molecular biology, focusing particularly on their metabolism and role as disease vectors. In her dissertation, defended in February 2025, she examined the lipolytic system of the common tick and the processes involved in blood meal digestion during its development. Her work brought new insights into lipid metabolism and was published in prestigious international journals, including first-author studies in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
PhDr. Milan Novák, Ph.D. – PŘF JU
Dr. Milan Novák, from the Department of Informatics, has made significant contributions to research in IT related to sustainable technologies. Among his recent achievements is a publication in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, in which he proposed and experimentally validated methods to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic panels. His other accomplishments include co-developing the Tree Inspect probe for detecting bark beetle infestations. This device is patent-protected and led to the founding of the university spin-off company NeraAgro last year. His research on wireless bark beetle probes that process real-time data using artificial intelligence was also successfully published, notably in Engineering Science and Technology.
New Associate Professors and Professors at USB:
doc. RNDr. Zdeněk Futera, Ph.D. - PŘF JU
doc. Ing. Vladimír Kulish, Ph.D. - PŘF JU
doc. RNDr. Radek Litvín, Ph.D. - PŘF JU
