Chemist Ivo Starý Takes the Helm of the Learned Society

The incoming president of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic is its current 1st Vice-President, chemist Ivo Starý from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. He succeeds mathematician Martin Loebl of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University.

RNDr. Ivo Starý, CSc. leads the Chemistry of Functional Molecules group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The group focuses on the synthesis and study of helically chiral aromatic compounds (helicenes) that are enantiomerically pure and appropriately functionalized. The ultimate goal is the construction of smart molecular devices with potential applications in medicine and other fields where materials with precisely defined, molecularly controllable properties can be put to use. Two years ago, he received the Academic Premium (Praemium Academiae) for his research — a generous grant from the Czech Academy of Sciences worth up to 30 million Czech crowns over six years.

New Council Members

Every two years, the Learned Society elects a 1st Vice-President at its general assembly, who automatically assumes the role of president two years later. At the 32nd General Assembly of the Learned Society, held on May 12, 2026, Lenka Karfíková, a specialist in ancient and medieval philosophy from the Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University and the outgoing chair of the Section of Social Sciences and Humanities, was elected 1st Vice-President. Martin Loebl remains a member of the Learned Society’s Council in the position of 2nd Vice-President.

Three of the society’s four scientific sections also have new leadership. Rupert Leitner remains chair of the Section of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Petr Klán from the RECETOX center at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University in Brno becomes chair of the Section of Chemical Sciences. The Section of Biological and Medical Sciences is taken over by Libor Grubhoffer, the outgoing 2nd Vice-President and president of the Learned Society from 2022 to 2024. And at the head of the Section of Social Sciences and Humanities, Lenka Karfíková is succeeded by Zdeněk R. Nešpor.

Michal Hocek, who led the Section of Chemical Sciences, and Michal Anděl, who first served as Scientific Secretary and then spent four years heading the Section of Biological and Medical Sciences, are stepping down from the Council. We thank them both for their many years of dedicated service!

Data, Facts, and Thoughtful Discourse

“If you read the opening paragraph of the statutes of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic, you quickly come to the conclusion that its work extends beyond purely academic circles and that it is a natural part of the much-needed civil society. The very language about the ‘free pursuit of science,’ the ‘dissemination of scientific knowledge,’ and the emphasis on a ‘humanly responsible social environment’ show that its mission is to contribute to the development of a liberal society, and of science and learning grounded in data, facts, and thoughtful discourse,” says Ivo Starý, who will strive to fulfill this mission of the society over the next two years.