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What does it mean to study cremation burials, and what is the purpose of it?
I do it mainly to learn something about the people who were buried. I focus on the petrous part of the temporal bone because it is highly resistant to various destructive influences, including fire. I have been trying to develop a new methodology for determining sex and age based on the measurements and dimorphism of the petrous part of the temporal bone, which is essentially the foundation. This is because all interpretations by archaeologists and anthropologists are based on it — what the population looked like, how it lived, whether it was healthy, how long it could survive, and so on. Most of the material I worked with comes from a large burial site in Lower Silesia, from my master’s studies in Poland. It is a Lusatian culture burial site from the Bronze Age. The rest comes from Běchovice near Prague, which is associated with the Knovíz culture.

You are studying historical remains, but the methodology you are developing may also have broader future applications.
I hope it will have wider use and help other students, future generations, or the overall development of anthropology and archaeology. Many experts have told me that such a methodology is needed. It could be applied not only to cremation burials but also to other types of heavily damaged bone material, for example, in the identification of fire victims, where remains are often so damaged that DNA analysis is not possible, or in forensic anthropology. The petrous part of the temporal bone is often preserved even under extreme conditions, so it can still carry information that can be further analyzed and used.

How is such research actually conducted? Where do you get the data for comparing different findings?
It is not easy. The petrous part of the temporal bone is deeply embedded within the skull. It is not easily accessible, so I needed to examine as much material as possible in a non-destructive way. For this reason, I used computed tomography and analyzed scans of living people. This allowed me to obtain a large sample and repeatable results. I spent several days sitting at a computer and ended up with a dataset of 600 bones. Considering that I processed one skull in about three minutes, that is quite a good result in anthropology. However, these results cannot be directly applied to material that has been exposed to fire. I therefore needed to find out how the bone structure changes under the influence of fire, how it shrinks or expands. To do this, I carried out two experimental cremations. One was done in a modern crematorium under controlled conditions, where I could set everything precisely as needed. However, since crematoria did not exist in the Bronze Age, I also had to perform a traditional cremation on a wooden pyre.

What does your typical workday as a PhD student look like?
It is demanding, but somewhat monotonous. Most of the time, when I arrive at the department or the laboratory, I sit down with my little bones, start digging through them, picking them out of the dirt, cleaning them, processing them, and filling in documentation forms. Once I finish that, I move on to the next batch. In the meantime, I am, of course, writing my dissertation, conducting experiments, and conducting field research. I do this both as part of my PhD and as part of my work at the Centre for Applied Archaeology. Sometimes I travel around the Czech Republic, and sometimes even abroad. In those cases, it is no longer about a small brush, but rather about working with a pickaxe or a shovel.

You are a Polish anthropologist doing a PhD at the Department of Archaeology in Pilsen. How did that happen?
It was a coincidence. As part of the Erasmus program, we travelled from Poland to the Czech Republic to excavate with the University of West Bohemia, and over time, a team formed that worked very well together. Later, legislation in Poland changed, making it very difficult to enter a PhD program there, whereas here I was offered the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies as an international student. So I decided to give it a try. In Poland, I obtained a master’s degree in biological anthropology, and I only started working in archaeology after coming to Pilsen. And the topic? I had already studied cremation burials and noticed that the petrous part of the temporal bone is almost completely preserved. That made me curious about why this happens. And since I have always had an inner need for personal development, I decided to explore it further during my PhD.

What are PhD studies like at the University of West Bohemia? What should someone know before applying?
It is mainly up to the student. You have to arrange everything on your own. If someone thinks that you only do your own research and that’s it, that’s not the case. On the one hand, I understand and agree with all the requirements — publications, conferences, internships, teaching students, and so on. I think it is important because it essentially prepares you for a future scientific career. You have to learn to communicate, present results, and handle different situations. On the other hand, all of this requires time, funding, and a lot of energy, so it is demanding. I also came from a different field, so I had to learn many things from scratch. Archaeology is also specific in that it involves fieldwork, so practice, travel, and similar activities are part of it. You have to make time for all of that and sometimes also find the physical strength for it.

How much do finances influence students’ decisions on whether to start and complete a PhD at all?
A lot. When I started, I had a basic scholarship of about eight thousand CZK. That is, of course, not enough to live on, especially if someone wants to travel to conferences or conduct research. I was very lucky to be able to work in the department at the same time. Thanks to that, I had a stable income, stayed in the field, and everyone understood when I needed time to deal with my dissertation. If I had to work full-time outside the university and also work on my dissertation, it would have been extremely difficult. Newer PhD students now have a more stable income, and it is clear that this makes things easier for them. But time is still the main problem.

Do you think anything should be changed about how PhD studies are run?
Some courses should be reconsidered. We have many compulsory courses from various areas that sometimes have nothing to do with our actual research. Then, instead of working on the dissertation, you end up writing a seminar paper on a completely different topic to pass a course. I would rather spend that time on quality academic papers, internships, or research stays abroad. That is where you gain experience, build contacts, and truly move forward.

Where do you see yourself after completing your PhD?
Ideally, at a university. I enjoy researching and investigating, and in my field, there are still many unanswered questions. I have just completed the first major test of whether my method works at all. It worked in almost 75% of cases, which is a good result. So far, similar methods have had a success rate of around 50-60%. I would like to test it on other material as well, or possibly share the methodology with other researchers so they can try it themselves and tell me what works and what does not. I could then further refine it based on their feedback to make it as easy to use as possible.


Three words that describe a PhD:
Hard work, little sleep, hard work. (laughing)

The best advice you received from your supervisor:
Keep going. Whatever happens, keep going. Even if the result is not what you expected, it is still a result.

The biggest myth about PhD students:
That it’s all easy and relaxed. That is definitely not true.

One thing you would change about PhD studies starting tomorrow:
The courses, probably. So that future PhD students don’t have to struggle with them.


Are you currently studying a follow-up Master’s degree and enjoy science? Stay and discover. Applications for doctoral studies at the Faculty of Arts can be submitted in the second round until the end of August 2026.