CATEN Founders
Michal Otyepka
Prof. Michal Otyepka is a leading Czech physical chemist who heads the CATRIN-RCPTM division at Palacký University Olomouc and the NanoLab at IT4Innovations, VSB–Technical University of Ostrava. His research focuses on computational modeling of complex molecular systems and nanomaterials, the chemistry of fluorographene, and the development of new functional graphene derivatives for applications in energy, catalysis, and biomedicine. He is the recipient of prestigious ERC grants (a Consolidator Grant and three Proof-of-Concept projects) as well as an EIC Transition grant. He has published over 400 scientific papers with more than 34,000 citations (h-index 89) and is a co-author of patents in the field of 2D materials. He co-founded the companies InSiliBio and ATOMIVER and collaborates with numerous international partners from both academia and industry.
Radek Zbořil
Prof. Radek Zbořil is one of the most cited Czech scientists. His research focuses on nanotechnology, biotechnology, and environmental technologies. He is the founding director of the Regional Centre for Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM) and the scientific director of CATRIN UP. He also leads the Materials-Envi Lab at VŠB-TUO. He is the author of more than 700 publications with over 80,000 citations (h-index 130). He is a co-inventor of several patents applied in biomedicine and water treatment technologies. He is repeatedly listed among the Highly Cited Researchers and has been serving for a long time as a member of the evaluation panels for grants from the European Research Council (ERC). Prof. Zbořil is the principal investigator of numerous national and international grants, with funding for UP and VŠB-TUO exceeding 80 million EUR.
Václav Snášel
Prof. Václav Snášel is a distinguished Czech computer scientist and former Rector of VSB – Technical University of Ostrava. He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and has been a full Professor of Informatics since 2006. His research covers artificial intelligence, multidimensional data processing, complex networks, deep learning, optimization, information retrieval, and data mining, with a strong focus on applying advanced computational methods to real-world problems. He has authored more than 300 scientific papers, supervised numerous PhD students from around the world, and is recognized internationally for his contributions to AI and data science. Prof. Snášel has also worked in industrial R&D and has held visiting positions at leading research institutes. He is active in the international scientific community as an editor and reviewer for several journals and conferences, and has long been committed to mentoring young researchers and fostering collaboration between academia and industry.
Filip Fingl
Filip Fingl is the Executive Director of CATEN, an independent institute in Czechia dedicated to advancing the next generation of materials and bringing scientific excellence into real-world applications. He is also the founder of IP Lab Ventures, a deep-tech platform creating spin-offs from Czech and CEE research in biotechnology, advanced materials, nanotechnology, energy, and engineering. His career spans leadership roles across business and investment: he served as CEO of Dáme Jídlo, Strategy Director at MallGroup, and Investment Manager at Rockaway Capital, and earlier worked as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, specializing in technology and energy. Filip is an EIC Jury Member and sits on several commercialization boards of Czech research institutions. He has founded a number of startups and spin-outs and is committed to building Central Europe into a hub where world-class science is translated into real-world impact.
Welcome to Our Team
David Panáček
Dr. David Panáček holds a Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry, with a scientific focus on the development of low-dimensional materials, including carbon dots, graphene, and its derivatives, for biological (antimicrobial agents) and sensing applications. In 2020, He received Graphene Flagship funding for a Ph.D. internship at ICN2 under the supervision of Prof. Arben Merkoçi, serving as the principal investigator of a project aimed at fostering collaboration with leading European centers in sensor technologies. In 2024, He was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (MSCA-CZ) at Imperial College London under the leadership of Prof. Firat Güder. His research at Imperial focused on the development of new sensing technologies based on graphene derivatives for monitoring crop health.
Jan Zdražil
Ing. Jan Zdražil is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at VŠB – Technická univerzita Ostrava (VŠB-TUO), supervised by Prof. Václav Snášel. He earned his Ing. degree in Cyber Security from Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně (UTB). His research bridges artificial intelligence and non-Euclidean geometry to address challenges in chemistry and plant science. He develops geometric machine-learning methods on manifolds and graphs to model structure–property relationships, accelerate molecular and materials discovery, and enable robust analysis of complex biological phenotypes. His broader interests include trustworthy AI, Riemannian optimization, and graph-based representation learning.