Mgr. Ing. Bc. Hana Křížová, Ph.D.

Specialisation: Chemical technology of textiles, dyes, material engineering, nanotechnology, biomaterials

I am looking for innovative ways to use advanced materials in practice – from eco-friendly dyes to smart surfaces with unique properties.

Ever since childhood, I have been an "explorer" and it was clear that I would one day become a scientist. At around the age of 8, I made several groundbreaking discoveries in the natural sciences – for example, I tried to find out if a cut earthworm would grow back together. To help this along, I burned the ends... it didn't grow back. I also measured the speed of a snail – about 2 meters per hour. Maybe it could have gone faster, but after a while it gave up and crawled back into its shell. The biggest discovery of my research at that time? A spider that I put in a jar in the spring and forgot about survived until autumn!

At the time, I dreamed of winning the Nobel Prize. I haven't won it (yet!), but I did become a scientist – it's even written in my employment contract. Today, I lead a large international project that combines science and art and connects Czech and Saxon researchers. I am learning how to lead a team, how to motivate people, and how to combine scientific precision with creativity. I may not have won the Nobel Prize yet, but science is a path where every discovery—big or small—has its meaning.