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Alongside international recognition and financial support, both laureates earned research internships at top-tier laboratories in France. Organized by the French Embassy in the Czech Republic and Framatome, the competition recognized outstanding doctoral research: first place went to Tomáš Peltan from the Department of Power Engineering (FEL). In contrast, second place was awarded to Ondřej Vaníček from the Department of Cybernetics (FAV). What does their research cover, and how does it impact real-world applications?

What was it like meeting Nobel laureate Jean-Marie Lehn?

Tomáš: Professor Lehn is very warm and has a great sense of humor. When I described my research on the LR-0 reactor, he dryly joked that, judging by my description of the output, our reactor should fit right into a coat pocket.

Ondřej: He radiates incredible perspective and wisdom. During the ceremony and photos, he lightened the formal atmosphere with sharp, engaging comments on each of our projects.

How would you explain your research in simple terms?

Tomáš: At the LR-0 research reactor in Řež near Prague, I designed and tested a new reference neutron field. Think of it as an internationally recognized physical gold standard—a precisely mapped, stable environment inside a research reactor where neutron behavior is completely known. I created a standard that scientists worldwide can use to calibrate their instruments and validate calculations.

Ondřej: We develop the "brain and eyes" for industrial robots. Our software and optical sensors replace complex manual programming of robot motions by human operators. My focus is on processing sensor data, path planning, and calibration, which dramatically increases the precision of the entire robotic system.

What is the greatest practical impact of your work?

Tomáš: When developing new materials or computational models for nuclear power plants, you must ensure your measurements are 100% accurate. There are only about thirteen internationally recognized reference fields in the world, and my work expands one of them. The results directly support the development of safe fourth-generation reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

Ondřej: My methods are already operating in industrial laser welding and cladding. These technologies require extreme precision down to tenths of a millimeter that humans cannot program manually. Our system boosts production efficiency, saves materials, and enhances safety. Additionally, our techniques assist with ultrasonic testing of aerospace components and automated painting.

What limitations do you face in your fields?

Tomáš: Nuclear energy is fundamentally conservative. While the boom in artificial intelligence and computing power greatly accelerates our simulations, my work is largely experimental, where hands-on laboratory work and creative problem-solving remain essential.

Ondřej: The limitations are both technical—such as sensor precision—and economic. Our system increases workstation hardware costs by tens of percent, so manual programming remains cheaper for simpler tasks. I also observe a societal shift: people readily delegate tasks to machines today, but often overlook that every software algorithm can contain errors.

How do you plan to build on this success?

Tomáš: We have compiled documentation for the international scientific community to recognize our system at the LR-0 reactor officially. Furthermore, our experiments revealed minor inconsistencies in the properties of the current reactor graphite, which we plan to address in upcoming research.

Ondřej: I see this achievement as a great opportunity to raise the profile of our DiagEn research group. Working in applied research often involves protecting industrial partners' proprietary know-how, limiting public promotion. I hope this award opens doors to exciting new industry collaborations.