Vladimír Duchek defends his position as dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

The Academic Senate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen has once again elected Vladimír Duchek, who has led the faculty since 2022, as its candidate for dean. On 22 June, he received the support of 15 out of 18 members of the faculty senate.

For the next four years, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia has chosen its current dean, Vladimír Duchek, to remain at its helm. Following his appointment by the Rector of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, his second term of office will begin on 15 October. In his faculty development programme for 2026–2030, he emphasised that the faculty’s stability must be based on high-quality education, a strong research base, interdisciplinary cooperation, and active communication with industrial partners and the public.

In his next term of office, he plans to focus primarily on transforming study programmes. In doing so, the faculty aims to become more attractive to applicants interested in technical studies while also responding to the needs of employers. Particular emphasis will be placed on advanced materials and technologies, new energy systems, nuclear and sustainable energy, additive technologies, and intelligent manufacturing systems. The first step in this direction is the new bachelor’s programme Environmental Engineering and Technology, which the faculty will open for the first time this September. Also in preparation are a follow-up master’s programme, Energy Machines and Equipment for Nuclear and Sustainable Energy, and the reaccreditation of the traditional bachelor’s programme Mechanical Engineering.

“When managing the faculty’s finances, we must not forget that we are a university and that our main mission is to educate and train a new generation of engineers,” Vladimír Duchek emphasises in his programme. According to him, the faculty should provide students not only with technical knowledge but also with values that will help them succeed in both their professional and personal lives.

“For applicants, studying at our faculty is a guarantee of future prospects. That is why I want to strengthen the faculty’s links with secondary schools in the Pilsen Region and neighbouring regions and further promote mechanical engineering. Cooperation with industrial partners, support for lifelong learning, the development of international links, and the search for opportunities in contract research and spin-off activities are equally important,” said Vladimír Duchek.

Another key area is strengthening research. A major role should be played by closer cooperation between the research teams of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, its RTI centre, and other workplaces of the University of West Bohemia, especially the NTC research centre. The aim is also to prepare a doctoral study programme with an international dimension.

Assoc. Prof. Vladimír Duchek, Ph.D., (*1965) graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Pilsen, later earning his doctoral degree and habilitation in the same field. He worked as a designer at Škoda in Pilsen and as a university teacher at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. He also served as Deputy Director for Sales at Západočeská plynárenská and as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Plzeňské městské dopravní podniky. For many years, he held the position of Deputy Mayor of the City of Pilsen for Economic Affairs. Since 2011, he has worked at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of West Bohemia as Vice-Dean for Cooperation with Practice; from 2015 to 2022, he served as Vice-Rector of the University of West Bohemia for Development and External Relations. He has headed the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering since October 2022.