Interview with Director of the Nanotechnology Centre

Could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your area of activity at the Nanotechnology Centre?

I have been participating at the VSB-TUO since my student years. I graduated from the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (now the Faculty of Materials Science and Technology), specializing in process engineering with a focus on analytical chemistry. I can say that this field truly laid the foundation for my entire professional life. I used this knowledge both during my internships abroad and in practice in industry.

I currently utilize my knowledge of analytical instruments in my research in the field of nanotechnology.

Why did you choose to specialize in nanotechnology, and is there anything specific you would like to highlight?

I didn't specifically choose nanotechnology; it came out of my research on carbon materials. (Graphite is in fact composed of graphene layers, which are atomically "thick" layers and are the basic building blocks for many carbon nano-objects.). This research gradually led to the exploration of other natural layered materials, which became the focus of my doctoral studies in the USA, particularly in applications for friction materials. And in fact, this topic has permeated my research career in general. Whether it's in applications to composite materials, applications in sorptive materials, or medical fields.

The spectrum of your scientific interest has shifted over time.  Is there any area among the topics that is most relevant and applicable in practice from your point of view?

In the last decade, the topic of energy has emerged in my research group, especially in the area of research on materials for electrical energy storage or  secondary batteries in meaning of rechargeable batteries. Here, I collaborate with colleagues from the research team at the Freyr gigafactory in Norway and with Professor Akbulut's group from Sakarya University in Turkey. In the field of new battery types, besides increasing energy density, safety aspects and the neutral impact on the environment are crucial. Research in these areas is currently advancing in several major projects we are working on at the Nanotechnology Centre. We are cooperating with several partners who complement us in both specific testing and recycling.

You have been newly elected as the Director of the Nanotechnology Centre. Do you already have a vision for the Nanotechnology Centre (innovation, change, direction)?

In terms of vision, I have a clear idea, but it cannot be summarized in one sentence. From the perspective of our strategy, we aim to become a leading global research centre that develops cutting-edge solutions for energy and environmental challenges using nanoscience and nanotechnology tools. The Nanotechnology Centre has a collective of skilled scientists and engineers, which gives us significant potential for developing new materials and approaches in the field of energy and environmental protection. All this is subject to the safe use of advanced nanotechnology and a deep understanding of the underlying science, which will be a major challenge for us in the next few years.

The center will focus on applied research, where it will be important to find space for research uniqueness and the selection of technical areas relevant to the application sphere. All the performance of the centre relies on a good working atmosphere, and one of my most important tasks is to build the "ecosystem of the Nanotechnology Centre." My goal is to create an optimal working environment for everyone, enabling professional and career growth in a workplace with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and shared spaces. All with respect for individuality and space for discussion. The center is open to all young scientists and students who want to grow with us into a new generation of materials scientists and nanotechnologists.

Basically, I would like CNT to become the perfect place for nanoscience and future technologies.

If you had one sentence to describe (introduce) the Nanotechnology Centre, what would it be?

The Nanotechnology Centre is a dynamically evolving institution with an exceptional scientific range from fundamental research to industrial technologies in the field of materials science.

How do you perceive your team? What can inspire young people to work in science? What can they expect at CNT?

I see my team at CNT as a team that is not afraid of challenges, we have not only gone through name changes from the Central Analytical Laboratory to the Materials Chemistry Research Institute to the Centre for Nanotechnology, but also challenges within the scope of work, where, for example, analytical activities gradually shifted towards scientific and technological activities.

The CNT team is a bit unbalanced. Currently, I have more female colleagues than male colleagues, but I have to say that this situation is changing. There are a lot of young people in the CNT team, not only scientists but also project managers or PR specialists, because a different perspective counts, and currently, the visibility of research and bringing science closer to everyday life situations is very important. Young people want to work in a creative environment, to see the purpose and meaning of their work and to invest their time economically mainly in what they enjoy. I think there are plenty of topics at CNT from those where we are inspired by nature to very sophisticated technologies on the frontier of futuristic materials. What is unique about CNT is the opportunity to work with an international team of scientists from all over the world. For example, we have colleagues from Poland, the UK, India, or Turkey, and sometimes meetings involve conversations in four or five languages. There are opportunities to travel to partner institutions around the world, which offers the chance to gain invaluable experience from other workplaces.

In your professional life, you have certainly dealt with many challenges and overcome many obstacles. Is there a particular experience that comes to mind, whether positive or negative? If so, what was it?

Certainly, there have been numerous challenges in my professional life. Some of them were positive and have moved me very forward in my career. I consider the period after finishing my Ph.D. as a very creative period. During that time, I worked in the team led by the former CNT director, Professor Pavla Čapková and it was a period of the establishment of the nanotechnology centre and intensive work on new topics of nanocomposites and hybrid nanoparticles, but also a period of the first big projects.

We started to build the brand of the international conference NanoOstrava and many professional friendships were formed, some of which have lasted to this day, such as the collaboration with Professor Marek Rummeli, who is now our colleague at CEET.

I wouldn't call any challenge an obstacle; even a small slowdown during my maternity leave, I consider it as a positive experience. One learns to think in a different dimension and realizes that a certain balance between work and personal life is necessary.

Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to meet hardworking and inspiring people with great energy.

The Centre for Nanotechnology is part of the structure of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies, which was established relatively recently. Do you perceive any benefits from merging the four centres (CENET, CNT, IET, VEC) into one?

The integration has created an entity that affords each of our centers a broader scope of operation and greater strength in terms of variability and quantity. Certainly, we are now capable of pursuing larger projects and engaging in challenges that we can professionally address. It is true that this merger is relatively recent, and we still need to learn effective collaboration not only within joint projects but also in our everyday professional lives.