OUR DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS

Frank Wiekhorst received his PhD in physics at Hamburg University and works since 2004 at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt where he is leader of the “metrology for magnetic nanoparticles” work group established in 2015. His current research interests focus on magnetic nanoparticle physics together with the development of measurement techniques for quantification and imaging of magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications.
In numerous interdisciplinary research projects, he and his team mainly work on magnetic and structural characterization, quantification and imaging of magnetic nanoparticles in biological systems. Recently, the standardization of magnetic nanoparticles and of measurement techniques for their characterization emerged as a novel and important field of activity.

Michael Komárek is currently Full Professor, Head of Department of Environmental Geosciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Head of the Environmental and Isotope Geochemistry Group. He has been intensively working in the field of environmental geochemistry, biogeochemistry and speciation of metal(loid)s in the environment, adsorption modeling, chemical stabilization of metal(loid)s in contaminated soils and using metal isotopes as tracers of contamination sources and biogeochemical processes. He obtained his Master at the Charles University in Prague in 2003 and PhD at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague in 2007. He acted as a visiting scientist at the University of Limoges, France, where he also obtained his habilitation (HDR). In 2012, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Western Michigan University (USA). Since 2004, he has published 99 articles as author and co-author in peer-reviewed journals (including 5 review articles) with approx. 3000 citations and gave several invited/keynote talks at international conferences. He has been the principal investigator and co-investigator of projects funded by Horizon 2020 (Marie-Curie Action), EEA Grants (Norway Funds), Czech Science Foundation, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. In 2011, he obtained the Honors of the President of the Czech Science Foundation.

Marek Grzelczak is an Ikerbasque Research Associate at Donostia International Physics Center, Donostia – San Sebastían, where he leads the Colloidal Systems Chemistry Group. His current research interests are mechanisms of nanocrystals growth, bottom-up fabrication through dynamic self-assembly of nanocrystals, plasmonic catalysis, biosensors for liquid biopsy, and food safety. Hi co-authored 80 publications that received over 5000 citations. He was awarded the Young Researchers Award of Real Sociedad Española de Química in 2017.