prof. RNDr. Jiří Šponer, DrSc.

Curriculum vitae

Person Identification

• Prof. RNDr. Jiří Šponer, DrSc., born March 2, 1964

Workplace

• Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
• https://www.ibp.cz/en/vyzkum/oddeleni/struktura-a-dynamika-nukleovych-kyselin/informace-o-oddeleni
• e-mail: sponer@ncbr.muni.cz

Employment Position

• Head of Department, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno;
• Professor and group leader,RCPTM (Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials), Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Palacky University, Olomouc;
• Professor, MU Brno

Education and Academic Qualifications

• Master degree (RNDr), Physics, Faculty of Science, MU Brno, 1987.
• CSc (eq. PhD), Biophysics, Faculty of Science, MU Brno, 1992.
• D.Sc. (Doctor of Science), Biophysics/Molecular Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 2001.
• Associate Professor of Biophysics, Masaryk University, Brno, 2002.
• Professor of Biomolecular Chemistry, Masaryk University, Brno, 2009

Employment Summary

• 1988-1989: Scholarship, Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Brno (including one-year army service).
• 1990 - 1992: Postgraduate student, Masaryk University, Brno.
• 1993: Scholarship, Institute of Biohysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
• 1994-2003: Researcher and Senior Research, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic (part time 2001-2003).
• Since 2001: Senior Researcher and Head of Department, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences, Brno.
• 2004-2011 (part time): Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
• Since 2007 (part time): Group leader and Professor, Department of Physical Chemistry and (since 2013) Regional Center of Advanced Tehnologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacky University, Olomouc.)
• Since 2010 (part time): Professor, MU, Brno

Pedagogical Activities

• MU Brno;
• Introduction to Molecular Biophysic, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno
• Structure and dynamics of nucleic acids - Faculty of Science, Palacky Univerzity, Olomouc;
• Structure and dynamics of nucleic acids - Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague
• PhD program officially available via the following specializations and Universities: Biomolecular Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Genomics and Proteomics - Fac. Sci. Masaryk University, Brno; Physical Chemistry - Fac. Sci, Palacky University, Olomouc, Biomolecules and Nanostructures, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague

Scientific and Research Activities

• Structural molecular biology and biophysics, physical chemistry of molecular interactions, computational chemistry, atomistic simulations of biopolymers, structural studies of functional RNA molecules (ribosome, ribozymes), DNA and their complexes with ligands and proteins, quantum-chemical studies of molecular interactions in nucleic acids, bioinformatics of nucleic acids. Experimental and theoretical studies of the origin of life on the Earth.

Academical Stays

• Department of Chemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA. 1994 -2001, ca 15 months. Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA 1997 - 2 weeks, 1998 - 2 weeks, 1999 - 2 weeks. Department of Chemistry, University of Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany, 1999 - 3 weeks, 2000 - 3 weeks. Department of Chemistry, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, US, 2000, 2 weeks. Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA, 2000, 1 week, University Autonoma Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 2002, 1 month. University of Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA, 2011, 2 weeks.

Extrauniversity Activities

• Member of the Council of the Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno Regular elected member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic

Appreciation of Science Community

• ca. 380 papers and reviews in international journals and books.
• ca. 18000 citations with all forms of autocitations excluded, including 42 "100+" cited papers (all forms of autocitations excluded)
• Total ca 24,000 citations in ISI WOS database, H-index 78.
• Among the top 10 most cited scientist working in the Czech Republic
• Hlavka Foundation Award, 1995.
• Prize od the Learned Society of the Czech Republic for junior scientists, 1999.
• Prize of Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic for senior scientists, 2000.
• Wichterle Award, 2003.
• Wellcome Trust International Senior Research Fellow in Biomedical Science, 2003.
• 2006 - elected regular member of The Learned Society of the Czech Republic (eq. to Royal Society).
• Prize of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 2010
• Praemium Academiae 2014
• For media coverage see https://www.ibp.cz/cs/vyzkum/oddeleni/struktura-a-dynamika-nukleovych-kyselin/o-nas-v-mediich

Publications -  380 - see https://www.ibp.cz (not MU database!!)

• RHODES, Maria, Kamila REBLOVA, Walter NILS a Jiri SPONER. Trapped water molecules are essential to structural dynamics and function of a ribozyme. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. USA: National Academy of Sciences of the USA, roč. 103, č. 36, s. 13380-13385. ISSN 1091-6490. 2006. info

2021/07/05