Martina Roeselová (1965–2015) was a Czech scientist working in the field of physical chemistry. She graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, in 1990, earning a RNDr degree in biophysics and chemical physics. In 2003, she completed her doctoral studies in biophysical chemistry and chemical and macromolecular physics at the Jaroslav Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry and at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics under Prof. Pavel Jungwirth’s supervision.
Martina then completed a post-doctoral program at the University of California, Irvine, and a year later she joined the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague), where she worked till her untimely death.
In the course of her prolific scientific career, Martina and her husband Marek raised three children. In addition, she encouraged junior researchers and strived to create conditions in the academic environment to facilitate a reasonable balance between family life and scientific work.
Martina, who was not only an internationally acclaimed scientist but also a popular lecturer, mentor, and well-liked colleague, died of cancer in February 2015 shortly before her fiftieth birthday.
Memorial Fellowship
After Martina’s death, Pavel Jungwirth and a number of other friends and colleagues initiated the establishment of the Martina Roeselová Memorial Fellowship with IOCB Prague as a fellowship for PhD and post-doctorate students who look after young children while actively pursuing scientific research. The fellowship aims to provide financial support to students and junior researchers–parents to cover child care services. The first fellowship was awarded for 2016 and was financially supported by Martina Roeselová’s family and a number of other donors.
In February 2017, Martina’s husband Marek Roesel and IOCB Prague Director Zdeněk Hostomský established the Martina Roeselová Foundation to oversee the future development of the fellowship. Until 2022, the foundation supported 24 scientists with a total of CZK 2,880,000.
Beginning in 2022, the fellowship is organized and financed by IOCB Tech Foundation.
