From Labs to Life: PhD Journeys Unplugged
From coffee breaks to career tips, students explored the twists and turns of the PhD journey with those who’ve walked the path before them.
Barbora Rudzanová received the J. Michlová Prize from the Czech Learned Society for 2024
The Learned Society of the Czech Republic awarded Barbora Rudzanová from Masaryk university, RECETOX Centre of the Faculty of Science. It awarded her the Jiřina Michlová Prize for students of doctoral study programmes. The Medals for Merit for the Development of Science and awards to distinguished scientists, teachers and talented university and high school students were presented on 20 May 2024 at the Carolinum in Prague.
Barbora received the award for her work published in the prestigious journal Environmental Science & Technology, in which she used transcriptomic analysis to describe the effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on the development of B lymphocytes - a key component of the human immune system.
About Barbora Rudzanová
Barbora Rudzanová is a PhD student in Environmental Health programme at the RECETOX Centre of the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University. She studied Bachelor of Biochemistry at Masaryk University, Faculty of Science and Master of Biomedical Health at the University of Derby, UK.
In her research, she is interested in how chemicals present in the environment around us can affect human health. Specifically, she focuses on the disruption of the immune system, which is often targeted by chemicals, and investigates the mechanisms of action of these substances at the molecular and cellular level. Thus, her work uses both laboratory skills (molecular biology methods) and biostatistical tools to process the large data from epidemiological studies. In her research she works with blood samples from people living in Brno and its surroundings (CELSPAC study), so the results can be considered as corresponding to the Czech population. In 2021, she completed a work placement at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she focused on the analyses of epidemiological studies, specifically the impact of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on human health. She regularly presents her research at both, international and domestic conferences, and publishes in impacted scientific journals. She also enjoys presenting scientific topics to the general public, either to high school students or to the public on social media or at various popularization events.
