In his speech to the academic community today, Adam mentioned several global trends in science, such as editing the genome of organisms, which is now easier than before, the principle of “one health” or strengthening the role of regions. “Today, the overarching climate change and concern for land and landscape is an integral part of the sustainable development plans of many regions and countries around the world. And it is the university environment, dynamic and progressive, that can respond to these challenges and prepare experts capable of working with state-of-the-art technologies,” said Adam. According to him, MENDELU, thanks to the breadth of its activities, can play an important role in a changing world.

Vojtěch Adam was born on May 2, 1982 in Brno. He obtained a master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry, and for postgraduate studies he chose Molecular and Cell Biology, all at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University. In 2015, he became a professor in the field of Chemistry. At present, in addition to the position of Vice-Rector, he is head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, where he has been working since 2009.

In scientific research, the new rector focuses on the application of modern bioanalytical methods and advanced materials for biochemical and biological purposes. During his scientific work at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, he received several awards. For example, in 2008 he received the Prague Cancer League Award for publications in the field of clinical oncology.

Among other things, he holds a European ERC grant on Understanding the Metabolome of the Tumor, in which he works to describe the mechanisms of hitherto misunderstood biochemical and molecular biological relationships and correlations between metal ions and proteins during tumor development. Research should identify ways to suppress tumor progression and significantly increase the effectiveness of anticancer therapy.