Alena Nováková
Area: Pharmacy
Employer: Novartis; formerly: Teva pharmaceuticals
Language: Czech, English
Mentees: Students, Employees
Form: Online
What can I help my mentee with?
- Communication skills development
- Project management
- Insight into pharmaceutical industry manufacturing
- Work-life balance
- Time management
About me
On top of all this, Alena started an MBA in Management Soft Skills at the beginning of the pandemic. "I live in constant change, and that gives me the important ability to adapt. There are many things we cannot influence. Sometimes you work on something for three months, and then suddenly someone higher up wants something completely different. That's just the way it is, but you have to take it in stride." Alena sees mentoring as an opportunity to support each other through contact with other people who are similarly minded. According to her, students should be aware that they want to do something extra and be open.
Richard Nevšímal
Role: Department Head, Member of the Design and Strategic Measures Development Team, Consultant, Producer
Area: Service Design, Consulting, Management
Employer: UCT Prague, and a number of non-profit organizations (culture, charity, student association)
Language: Czech, English
Form: Face to face, Online
What can I help my mentee with?
- Leadership: how to maintain team continuity? How to set up a motivating group environment? How to find balance between freedom and rules?
- Event management: how to make and run a good event?
- Design process: how to create a cult service/product/process? How to invent/innovate/create something new. How to make it not an average thing, but a thing that is remembered and loved?
- How to find balance without losing your sh*t?
- Photography: documentary/candid photography, composition, analogue photo, basic editing
About me
My happiest day as a child was when my kindergarten teacher agreed to let me take a part of the class to our house and I could lend everyone toys and organize the whole thing so that everyone had fun. I organized building of sandcastles in the sandbox and negotiated the use of plastic trucks for construction purposes (instead of wasteful driving). Nothing much has changed. I like to build, bring people and resources together to create higher units that perform new, unexpected work, service or experiences.
I led clubs, work and hobby teams. I work best in a group of up to 10 people, but I also led Psy-High – my 4part, almost a week-long festival-baby in a flooded quarry – with 15 “officers” and 300 volunteers. I prefer to build things out of nothing. In various collectives I have built, among other things: student television, a university counselling centre, a new setup of the university's internal community, a concept of social networks, events, festivals, independent publishing houses – various vinyl’s, cassettes, etc., and last but not least a forest-bound wood crafted settlement and many beautiful places in nature (viewpoints, campsites, spaces, ...). I love photography, my heroes include war photojournalists such as Patrick Chauvel and others.
I have always done many things in parallel. I know what it’s like to be frustrated about not being an expert in anything but being able to do a little bit of everything - and I can assure you that it pays off in the end.
I like history and many other different fields, I enjoy expanding things into a broader/higher framework, I have sensitized myself over the years by looking for overlaps. I will be very happy to search for new perspectives with you, that will show banal things as interesting, complex things as graspable. We can find inspiration in unexpected sources for all dead-ends, from alchemy, through historical warlords to anthropology, technology, ...
Lukáš Ferkl
Role: CTO, Manager
Area: Energy, environmental management, consulting
Employer: EnviTrail (founder); former: CTU UCEEB, Feramat Energies (founder)
Language: Czech, English
Mentees: Students, Employees
Form: Face to face
What can I help my mentee with?
- advice on career development and finding professional direction
- academic career development
- management skills, team management
- mentoring in the field of energy and the environment
About me
My career path has taken me from managing the CTU UCEEB research institute to founding EnviTrail, where, as CTO, I deal with ESG and carbon footprint calculations for small and large clients such as ČSOB, the PPF Group, and Škoda Auto. I have experience in team leadership and complex project management, and my work also requires a broad view of energy, the environment, and the academic world.
For me, mentoring means openly sharing knowledge and experience, but also listening and understanding your goals and challenges. Together, we can explore your career options, work on developing your skills, and create strategies to achieve your academic and professional goals. I approach mentoring with respect and openness, which means that your topics and questions always come first. Whether it's specific advice on energy and sustainability, navigating the academic world, or leading teams, I'm here to help you find your way.
We plan to meet in person regularly, every three to six weeks, depending on what works best for you. I also enjoy working on practical projects or "homework assignments" that can help you learn something about yourself, gain new skills, or learn something new. Outside of the professional world, I enjoy music, skiing, astronomy, and evolutionary biology, which are areas that not only bring me joy but also new perspectives that I can share through mentoring. I look forward to meeting you and discovering together where your journey will take you.
David Škvařil
Role: People and Customer Care, Partnerships
Obor: Finance
Zaměstnavatel: Fondee; dříve: Future Port, Air Ventures, BCG, MALL pay, Alza
Jazyk: Čeština, Angličtina
Mentees: Studenti, Zaměstnanci
Forma: Prezenčně, Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- jak být aktivní mimo školu
- nastínit, jak vypadají různé pozice ve firmách
- seberozvoj
O mně
Eva Muchová
Area: Physical chemistry
Employer: UCT Prague; formerly: IOCB, ÚFCH JH, University of Pisa
Language: Czech, English
Mentees: Students, Employees
Form: Face to face, Online
What can I help my mentee with?
- planning academic and non-academic careers
- studying, working, and living abroad
- communication and presentation skills
- balancing personal and professional life
About me
She studied chemistry at the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague, and then focused on theory and molecular modeling in her further studies. During her master's and doctoral studies, she moved from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences to the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, without changing her research group. She welcomed the move to another workplace with gratitude, as she believes that staying in one place for too long does not bring anything good. She obtained her doctorate in 2007, defending her thesis while expecting her first child.
Instead of a postdoctoral stay, she took two maternity leaves, followed by a short engagement at Charles University. Her path to science was then long and winding, involving managerial work on projects and grants. She left for her postdoctoral stay unusually late, at around the age of 40, taking her whole family with her to the University of Pisa. The stay was beneficial both scientifically and culturally and launched her career at the University of Chemistry and Technology.
Today, she mainly focuses on simulations of ultrafast processes induced by X-ray radiation and collaborates with experimenters who mainly measure on large devices such as synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. In her private life, she enjoys sports and theater.
As a mentor, she would like to share her experiences, especially in the area of non-traditional career paths, and support mentees in their decisions. She herself will be happy to gain new ideas from interactions with mentees.
Michal H. Kolář
Area: Biophysics
Employer: UCT Prague; former: Max Planck Institute, Reaserch centre Jülich, IOCB
Language: Czech, English
Mentees: Students, Employees
Form: Face to face, Online
What can I help my mentee with?
- career planning, especially academic
- studies, work, and life abroad
- communication and presentation skills
About me
He grew up in a small town in Moravia. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at the Faculty of Science of Charles University and studied chemistry, later specializing in theory and molecular modeling. He fondly remembers the years he spent at the Budeč dormitory. He obtained his doctorate while working at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, during which time he also completed several internships abroad. For example, he regularly spent the autumn months from 2009 to 2011 at the University of Pohang in South Korea, from where he returned to Europe by train. His solo travels across Asia offered him an exceptionally wide range of experiences.
Martin Koretz
Role: Technický prodejce pro biomedicínské aplikace
Obor: Ultrazvukové a laserové svařování plastových výrobků
Zaměstnavatel: DUKANE IAS s.r.o.; dříve: National Instruments, Digiteq
Jazyk: Čeština, Angličtina
Mentees: Studenti, Zaměstnanci
Forma: Prezenčně, Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- sám jsem na VŠ netušil, o čem můj profesionální život bude (zpětně musím říct, že jsem opravdu vůbec netušil) a býval bych rád potkal budoucího sebe nebo někoho jako jsem nyní já, aby se se mnou podělil o své zkušenosti
- mohu sdílet, do čeho podle mě má smysl investovat čas, na čem mým zaměstnavatelům záleželo a na čem vůbec; na čem záleží mě jako zaměstnavateli
- mohu ukázat/naučit/pomoci pochopit, co podle mě je "zdravý nadhled" a jak si ho udržet v zaměstnání i v životě
- mohu zprostředkovat návštěvu v naší výrobě i kancelářích a dát ochutnat běžný pracovní den bez příkras
O mně
Filip Michalský
Role: Datový vědec
Obor: Finance
Zaměstnavatel: Agentic finance; dříve: Fidelity Investments
Jazyk: Čeština, Angličtina
Mentees: Studenti, Zaměstnanci
Forma: Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- jak se dostat na prestižní zahraniční univerzity (USA, Německo, UK)
- strojové učení
- business development
- start-upy
O mně
Pavel Kukula
Role: Výkonný ředitel
Obor: Organická technologie, výroba katalyzátorů
Zaměstnavatel: RANIDO, dříve: Solvias, Süd-Chemie, Clariant
Jazyk: Čeština, Angličtina
Mentees: Studenti, Zaměstnanci
Forma: Prezenčně, Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- jak správně a efektivně přistupovat k publikační činnosti
- zorientovat se na pracovním trhu, i v zahraničí
- jak přistupovat k důležitým rozhodnutím
- work-life balance
O mně
Michal Čížek
Role: Vývojový inženýr
Obor: Letadlová technika, pohony letadel
Zaměstnavatel: Honeywell s.r.o.
Jazyk: Čeština, Angličtina
Mentees: Studenti
Forma: Prezenčně, Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- Pochopit rozdíly mezi studentským a pracovním životem
- Pohony letadel, aerodynamika
- Psaní závěrečných a odborných prací
O mně
Kristýna Lapčíková
Role: Assistant Professor
Obor: Analytická chemie, environmentální chemie
Zaměstnavatel: VŠCHT Praha; dříve: University of Colorado Boulder, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen), ETH Zürich, Empa Dübendorf
Jazyk: Český, Anglický
Mentees: Studenti
Forma: Prezenčně, Online
S čím mohu svému mentee pomoci?
- podávání grantů
- psaní vědeckých článků
- jak se dostat na zahraniční univerzity
- jak se vypořádat s problémy s duševním zdravím během studia