On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the President of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Radomír Pánek, presented the Otto Wichterle Prize to young researchers at the beginning of their careers. One of the awardees is Ondřej Ficker from the Fusion Plasma Division.
The prize is named after Professor Otto Wichterle in memory of the outstanding chemist of
world stature, inventor of soft contact lenses and the first post-November president of the
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. Precisely to ensure that Czech science has more such prominent
figures, the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic has been supporting promising beginning
researchers since 2002.
Among the twenty-five awardees was a young colleague Ondřej Ficker. Ondřej is an expert in the
experimental physics of disruptions and passing electrons in tokamaks, i.e. undesirable phenomena
that complicate operation. He also coordinates one of the nine main directions of the experimental
program of European tokamaks in the EUROfusion consortium.
“Talented young scientists need more significant support at the beginning of their scientific
careers. Many of those who were awarded the Wichterle Prize by the Academy of Sciences ten or
twelve years ago are now at the top of their field. Today's laureates are also the future of Czech
science,” said Radomír Pánek, the chairman of the institution, before the awards ceremony.
The prize is associated with a financial reward of 330 thousand crowns spread over three
years. Approximately 540 laureates have received it so far.
Photo: Jana Plavec, Centre of Administration and Operations of the CAS.
13 Jun 2025
