Prof. Stephen Mark Barnett from the University of Glasgow, UK, and Prof. Wolfgang Peter Schleich from the University of Ulm, Germany, received honorary doctorates (Dr. h. c.) of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) at the ceremonial meeting of the Scientific Council on October 5, 2021 in Bethlehem Chapel. They were nominated by the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of CTU in Prague (FNSPE) and the doctorate was presented to both of them by Prof. Igor Jex, Dean of FNSPE.
Prof. Stephen Mark Barnett
was nominated for the honorary doctorate primarily in recognition of his scientific work and original research achievements in quantum physics and optics on a global scale. It is also an expression of recognition and appreciation of his personal contributions to international scientific cooperation with CTU over the past 20 years, thanks to which the integration of CTU and Czech science into the international scientific community continues. Among other things, he and Prof. Jex have published a number of articles together. Within the framework of joint projects, students had the opportunity to get to know the scientific environment in Scotland and to establish their own scientific contacts. Some students subsequently worked as postdoctoral fellows in Prague or Glasgow.
The honorary doctorate for Prof. Wolfgang Peter Schleich is also in recognition of his scientific work and original research results in quantum physics on a global scale. At the same time, it is an expression of recognition and appreciation of his personal contributions to international scientific cooperation with CTU over the past 25 years. The first significant collaboration between Prof. Schleich and Prof. Jex's group was Igor Jex's stay in Ulm as part of a Junior Humboldt Fellowship, which was followed by repeated shorter or longer stays. This collaboration resulted not only in scientific publications but also in the initiation of further collaborations and the development of other topics. Examples include the collaboration with Prof. Gemot Alber from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, or the experimental group of Prof. Christine Silberhorn from the University of Paderborn, Germany. These collaborations also lead to the exchange of students and researchers and a number of interesting scientific publications. Prof. Schleich has also been a member of the scientific board of the Doppler Institute at the FJFI for many years and has contributed to the direction of this institution with his advice. Since 2019, he is also a member of the scientific board of the CAAS project, which is one of the largest funded projects at CTU.
You can see photos from the honorary doctorate ceremony in Bethlehem Chapel.