
Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences
General description
ASU is the largest research organization in the field of astrophysics and space research in the Czech Republic. The institute takes part in many international space-research projects as well as in the large ground-based observatories. The institute is a significant contributor to the research carried out by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and involved in projects on the development and construction of instruments for missions by the European Space Agency (ESA). The research conducted at the institute covers a wide range of topics; from the immediate environs of the Earth to distant galaxies and black holes in their cores. The research activities are carried out in four scientific departments: 1) Department of Solar Physics, 2) Department of Stellar Physics, 3) Department of Interplanetary Matter and 4) Department of Galaxies and Planetary Systems. About two thirds of all impact papers published by the researchers of the institute are published in the most renowned astronomical journals like Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Astrophysical Journal and Monthly Notices. Over the past years, the institute had over 90 papers published in impact journals per year, few more dozens in conference proceedings, and about the same amount of other publications in bulletins and other astronomical periodicals.
Key Research Facilities, Infrastructure and Equipment
- Perek 2-m optical telescope: the largest optical instrument in the Czech Republic equipped with single order and echelle spectrographs, and a recently installed photometric camera. This telescope is mainly used for observations of stars and stellar systems including those with exoplanets. These objects are studied by members of department, often in an international collaboration. Other telescopes available for observations are the D50 telescope and the BART robotic telescope, both devoted mainly to observations of γ ray burst afterglows.
- 10m-dish radiotelescope
- HPC clusters
- The institute hosts two Research Infrastructures listed at the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures and EU Roadmap ESFRI: The European ALMA Regional Center – Czech node and European Solar Telescope – Czech participation.
Contact person
Contact us to know more about our location and work environment. Please use the main contact for questions related to administrative matters. Please contact the supervisors/group leaders of respective research groups regarding feasibility of your research proposal with regard to the research group activities.

Supervisors


Jan Jurčák
I am the head of the Solar Department of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Ondřejov. I did my master’s and doctoral studies at Charles University in Prague. After completing my doctoral studies, I worked for two years at the National Astronomical Observatory in Japan. My research focuses on the properties of the magnetic field in sunspots in the lowest layers of the solar atmosphere. To do that, I analyze spectropolarimetric data from both ground- and space-based instruments. I am also responsible for the participation of the Czech Republic in the EST project, a new generation solar telescope to be built on the Canary Islands.
About the position
The successful candidate will join the Solar physics department of the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The Department consists of four research groups: Physics of solar flares and prominences, Structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, Heliosphere and space weather, and Group of solar radioastronomy. The research focuses on various areas of the solar physics including solar flares along with flare-energy storage, release, transport and accompanying heliospheric effects; and evolution of solar active regions, the structure and evolution of sunspots, filaments, and prominences.
The research of the Solar Department can be characterized as a combination of solar observations in optical, radio and X-ray wavebands; analysis and interpretations of data; and theoretical research with extensive numerical modeling of the processes under study. All these activities are based on close collaborations with number of research institutes worldwide. Those collaborations include exchange of various data and their theoretical interpretation, as well as our participation in some of the ground-based and space projects (e.g. ALMA, GREGOR, Solar Orbiter, EST).

Jiří Borovička

Jiří Borovička
I am the head of the Department of Interplanetary Matter of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Ondřejov. I am mostly interested in analyzing optical meteor data, including spectra, with the aim of revealing physical properties and composition of meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere as well as their trajectories and orbits. Our group operates a photographic fireball network and meteor video cameras. I have developed tools for analyzing the data and models which can be compared to the data, e.g. a meteoroid fragmentation model or a basic model of meteor spectral radiation. I have supervised several PhD students.
About the position
The successful candidate will be based at the Department of Interplanetary Matter of the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The department consists of two research groups: Meteor Physics and Asteroids. The former group focuses on the physics of the interaction of meteoroids with the atmosphere and on physical properties, composition, and orbits of meteoroids of various sizes. The key research infrastructure is the European Fireball Network consisting of all-sky photographic and spectral cameras located in several countries in central Europe. Fainter meteors are observed by video cameras. The Asteroid group focuses on physical studies of small asteroids, binary asteroid systems, paired and clustered asteroids, and asteroids in excited rotation states. The main observational instruments are the 1.54m Danish telescope at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile, and the 0.65m telescope at Ondřejov.
The fellow may also liaise with international collaborators, e.g. University of Western Ontario, Canada, through international secondments. Given the main focus of our department, the expected outputs of the fellowship are high-level scientific publications.
The successful candidate needs to have a Ph.D. in astronomy, astrophysics, planetary sciences or in a related field. Previous experience with meteor or asteroid research, either observational or theoretical, will be an advantage. The candidate should be able to work and think independently but also collaborate with other members of the team.
Fellows
Adriana Pisarčíková
Adriana Pisarčíková
I recently completed my PhD at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, a journey that provided me with unique opportunities to gain international experience. During my studies, I participated in an internship at ESA – ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) in the Netherlands and at the Department of Interplanetary Matter AI ASCR in Ondřejov, Czech Republic. I was introduced to the MERIT program by the head of the Department of Interplanetary Matter in Ondřejov. The program immediately captured my interest as it offered an opportunity to apply my expertise in the field of meteor astronomy after completing my studies and to fulfill my dream of collaborating with leading experts in this field.
My research is focused on improving the methods of meteor spectroscopy to determine meteoroid composition and distribution within the solar system. For this purpose, I will utilize both the unique laboratory spectra of ablated meteorites in the plasma wind tunnel provided by Comenius University in Bratislava and the photographic spectra of real meteors, applying the radiative transfer model provided by the host organization. This comprehensive approach aims to significantly improve meteoroid composition determination from ground-based optical observations.
The MERIT fellowship will equip me with valuable experience in theoretical models of meteor radiation and provide opportunities for international collaboration, particularly through a planned secondment at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where I will work with experts in dynamical modeling of meteoroid orbits and fragmentation. This fellowship will not only deepen my expertise in meteor astronomy but also open avenues for further collaborations in related fields


Supriya Hebbur
Throughout my career as an astrophysicist, I have had the opportunity to collaborate in international research across several countries. After completing my Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, I worked briefly at the Udaipur Solar Observatory, India, before moving to Spain as a postdoctoral fellow of the European Research Council’s Advanced Grant project POLMAG. This role allowed me to work with prominent researchers in solar physics, including experts at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. I am a member of an international team funded by the International Space Science Institute (ISSI), which has enabled me to build a strong network of collaborators globally.
My motivation to apply to the MERIT fellowship stems from the unique opportunity it presents to expand my research interest in solar physics, particularly in the domain of coronal magnetic field diagnostics using spectropolarimetry. The Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences offers an ideal environment for my research by providing an excellent platform to further my research while associating with renowned experts within the institute. My research project aims to advance our understanding of the solar corona by applying forward modelling tools (P-CORONA) to diverse solar observations, identifying optimal diagnostics and atomic data for magnetic field measurements, and improving forward modelling by analysing observations. This research will contribute to the scientific output of the Czech Republic, enhancing its position in the field of solar physics and fostering international collaborations that will benefit the region. Through this fellowship, I will be able to strengthen my profile as a researcher and build on my existing collaborations by making use of secondment opportunities.

Alex Gormaz-Matamala

Alex Gormaz-Matamala
As a Chilean astronomer, I had the chance to work and live in different places such as the United States, Ireland, Belgium, and Poland. The Czech Republic has always been an attractive place to develop a future career, not only because of its rich history and culture but also because it is a country where science and innovation are greatly appreciated.
Through the MERIT programme I expect to develop my academic goals at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and to contribute back to the Czech scientific community through publications and by supporting the careers of young researchers in the country.
My research project consists in the study of the evolution of the most massive stars in the Universe. These massive stars are dominated by powerful outflows (winds) which remove a large fraction of the stellar envelope plus dramatically reducing the expected final mass of the core-collapse remnant (neutron star or black hole). This is a hot topic in astronomy due to the most recent discoveries by top instruments such as LIGO, a network of collaborators worldwide. Therefore, the MERIT fellowship will allow me to continue doing top-level research in the Czech Republic. Moreover, the intersectionality of the MERIT programme offers possibilities to expand my career beyond my research with the planned secondment at the Berlin Institute of Technology.

Josefa Großschedl

Josefa Großschedl
I did my PhD and the first year of PostDoc in the Department of Astrophysics at the University of Vienna, working in the group of João Alves. Later, I continued as a PostDoc at the University of Cologne in Germany in the group of Stefanie Walch-Gassner. The MERIT fellowship is now offering me another excellent opportunity to continue my research at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where I will work with Richard Wünsch and Jan Palouš in their research group of Physics of Galaxies at the Galaxies and Planetary Systems Department. The expertise of this group on local star-forming regions and the physics governing such regions will be instrumental in advancing my field of research. I will particularly focus on nearby star-forming regions using ESA Gaia data and ancillary ground-based spectroscopic data (to gain radial velocities) to study the formation history of young star-forming regions in the Solar neighborhood. With the available data we will be able to study the 3D properties of the investigated regions to better understand how star formation propagates in giant molecular clouds and what governs star formation in the Milky Way. By tackling these exciting topics, I will contribute to the visibility of astrophysical research in the Central Bohemian region. Moreover, I will continue fostering my connections with international collaborators in Vienna, Cologne, Firenze, and the CfA/Harvard, and bring these connections to my host department at the Astronomical Institute in the Czech Republic. Finally, being a MERIT fellow will increase my visibility in the international community and help me advance my career as a successful scientist.

Václav Pavlík

Václav Pavlík
As an astrophysicist, I am driven by my curiosity to understand the intriguing nature of the universe. My passion has guided me through many academic milestones, culminating in 2019 in a PhD from Charles University, Prague. Then, I was offered a short-term postdoctoral position at the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. In the Summer of 2020, I moved to the United States for a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Astronomy of Indiana University (IU). For the academic year 2022-23 at IU, I was offered a visiting professorship at the Department of Physics as the primary lecturer for two undergraduate courses.
As my three-year stay in the USA ended, I learned about the MERIT Fellowship Programme and saw an opportunity to return to the Czech Academy of Sciences and bring my research experiences back to my country. I appreciate that this program exists because it attracts young researchers from around the world to the Czech Republic, where they can pursue an academic career and connect it with industrial applications.
My research field is astrophysics, especially stellar dynamics in the evolution of star clusters, our Galaxy, and planetary systems. My research project explores compact stellar remnants (i.e., black holes and neutron stars) and their impact on star clusters’ evolution on the cosmological timescale. I aim to combine theoretical approaches, numerical models, observational data, and artificial intelligence methods. This work allows me to collaborate with world-class experts in the field and access state-of-the-art resources in academia and industry. I will develop advanced research skills, produce high-quality publications, and gain interdisciplinary experiences that will allow my research to have an impact beyond astronomy. Consequently, this will enhance my reputation in the field, which will lead to new professional opportunities.