On Thursday, June 22, 2023, the Embassy of France in the Czech Republic presented scientific prizes in the Buquoy Palace. The event was chaired by Jean-Marie LEHN, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and French Ambassador Alexis Dutertre.
Jana Matoušková from the Department of Nuclear Reactors (1st place) and Kateřina Děcká from the Department of Nuclear Chemistry (2nd place) scored in the Nuclear Sciences research category – Henri Becquerel Award.
In addition to the one-time financial reward, the award includes a one-month internship at a foreign university. We believe that both scientists will enjoy it.
Jana Matoušková is working on a doctoral thesis in neutron applications. It focuses on neutron imaging research at low-power research reactors. She successfully built the neutron imaging facility NIFFLER - "Neutron Imaging Facility for Learning and Research" on the school's VR-1 reactor as part of her postgraduate studies. She performed the first neutron computed tomography on such a low-power reactor. In 2021, she presented her results as part of an invited presentation at the International Atomic Energy Agency AUNIRA - Training Workshop on Advanced Use of Neutron Imaging for Research and Applications, and in 2022 she participated in a four-month internship at the Balseiro Institute (Argentina), where she participated in innovation of the detection system for neutron imaging on the RA-6 reactor. In addition to research activities, Jana also participates in teaching at the Department of Nuclear Reactors, where she lectures on research reactors and the possibilities of their use.
Kateřina Děcká focuses on synthesising composite and meta-materials containing nano-sized scintillating particles. These materials are promising for various applications, such as advanced detectors for high-energy physics and medical applications. During her doctoral studies, Kateřina successfully applied various design and synthesis strategies and thoroughly characterised the prepared materials using advanced techniques.
She is known as a very active scientist: she is a co-teacher of physical chemistry in the master's program at the Department of Nuclear Chemistry, supervisor of bachelor's and diploma theses and co-author of 14 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
