Emil Votoček Medal
On June 18, 2025, during the doctoral and associate professorship graduation ceremonies, the Emil Votoček Medals were awarded to two distinguished members of the University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague). The awards were presented in the Bethlehem Chapel to Associate Professor Michal Ďurovič and Professor Jiří Kolafa.
The Emil Votoček Medal is awarded by the Rector of UCT Prague to exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of chemistry and related fields taught at UCT Prague, or who have supported the university through outstanding educational, research, or public engagement.
Prof. RNDr. Jiří Kolafa, CSc.
Jiří Kolafa is a professor of physical chemistry, a scientist, and a pioneer in molecular simulation techniques in the Czech Republic. He has been affiliated with UCT Prague since 2001, working at the Department of Physical Chemistry.
He was born in 1958 in Prague into the family of a renowned music composer and educator. His father quickly recognized his son's talents—especially for anything other than music. Jiří Kolafa studied at the mathematics-focused Wilhelm Pieck Grammar School (now renamed after Christian Doppler, whose connection to Prague is more relevant than that of the first president of the German Democratic Republic). As a student, he successfully competed in international Olympiads in mathematics, physics, and chemistry—an early sign of the interdisciplinary career that lay ahead.
After graduating in theoretical physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics under the supervision of Prof. Roman Kotecký, and launching a brief military career with an air unit in Žatec (he holds the rank of first lieutenant in reserve, making him the highest-ranking officer at the Department of Physical Chemistry), he joined the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals in Suchdol. There, he was among the first in former Czechoslovakia to work on molecular dynamics simulations—now a common tool in chemistry and physics.
A turning point came after 1990, when he undertook three postdoctoral fellowships: at Northwestern University in Chicago (with Prof. Mark Ratner), at the Lindø Center for Applied Mathematics at Odense University, Denmark (Prof. John W. Perram), and at the University of Guelph (Prof. W. R. Smith). During this time, he developed the MACSIMUS simulation package. Upon his return, he began lecturing on modern simulation methods at various Czech universities.
In 2001, Jiří Kolafa joined UCT Prague. In addition to molecular simulations, he began teaching core courses in physical chemistry, computational chemistry, and numerical mathematics. He gradually became an associate professor and later a full professor. He chaired the doctoral study program in physical chemistry for many years with great care and continued advancing molecular simulation techniques.
His most important contributions include novel and ingenious algorithms for molecular dynamics simulations. His integration scheme for equations of motion proved particularly effective not only for simulations involving polarizable force fields but also for the rapidly developing area of ab initio simulations. He developed efficient methods for modeling charged particles and contributed to new understanding of water and ice. His most cited works involve the development of new equations of state.
A defining feature of Jiří Kolafa is his insatiable curiosity and drive to understand the world. As his students would confirm, he does not view the world as divided into isolated disciplines, but as governed by unified, comprehensible principles. In addition to his academic work, Jiří Kolafa is also the author of science fiction stories and unpublished fairy tales, which he has used to lovingly terrify his children and grandchildren. He has become an iconic figure of the department—and thanks to him, everyone knows the difference between a dash and a hyphen.