Two Researchers from Our Faculty Receive Prestigious Fulbright Scholarships
On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, newly selected Czech Fulbright scholars gathered at Villa Lanna for an introductory meeting and orientation program. The event provided participants with practical information about their upcoming stay in the United States, covering everything from administrative procedures to personal experiences shared by former Fulbright scholars.
Among this year’s recipients are three researchers from the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, including two from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, who will conduct research at leading universities in the United States as part of the Fulbright Program.
PharmDr. Alžběta Nemeškalová, Ph.D., from the Department of Analytical Chemistry (FCHI), will join the research group of Dr. Daniel Raftery at the University of Washington with the project Mapping the Chemistry of Aging. Her research focuses on the chemical mechanisms of aging and on identifying ways to detect the earliest signs of disease by combining chemical analysis, data science, and clinical research.
Doc. Ing. Jitka Čejková, Ph.D., from the Department of Chemical Engineering (FCHI), will work with Professors Hiroki Sayama and Carlos Gershenson at Binghamton University on the project What is ALife?, focused on Artificial Life. Her research will explore questions such as what we consider to be “alive” and how life-like systems can emerge through chemistry, computer simulations, or robotics. The project will also include the preparation of a book on the history, present, and future of the field of Artificial Life. In addition to her scientific work, Jitka Čejková has long been involved in raising puppies for guide dog training programs and plans to collaborate during her stay in the United States with an American organization dedicated to training guide dogs for visually impaired people.
The third Fulbright scholar is doctoral student Ing. Henrietta Ottová from the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology (FPBT), who will join Dr. Evans’s group at Oregon State University with the project Bacteria – Solution for the Construction Industry? Her research focuses on recycling fine fractions of demolition waste using bacteria that produce CaCO₃ crystals capable of binding waste particles into solid material. The project combines construction engineering, microbiology, and the use of food-industry waste products such as chicken feather hydrolysate and brewer’s spent grain as cultivation media.
The Fulbright Program is a prestigious international scholarship program supported by the government of the United States in cooperation with partner governments worldwide. It enables students, researchers, and academics to study, teach, and conduct research at foreign universities and research institutions. Scholars are selected through an open competition based on the quality of their projects and their academic potential.
More information: Fulbright Czech Republic
