A young scientist from the Institute of Physics of Materials of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IPM CAS), Ing. Petr Miarka, Ph.D., has been named among the laureates of the prestigious 2026 Otto Wichterle Award.
Otto Wichterle Award highlights extraordinary talents at the beginning of their scientific careers, was presented by the President of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Radomír Pánek. The official ceremony took place on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Prague. This year, the honor was bestowed upon twenty-three promising scientists who achieve top-tier results in their fields and were under the age of 35 at the time of their nomination.
A Path to More Resilient and Eco-Friendly Structures
Dr. Petr Miarka, who works within the Special Problems of Fracture Mechanics and Fatigue of Materials (FRACTIGUE) research group at IPM and also collaborates with the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Brno University of Technology, focuses his work on the analysis of the fracture behavior of construction materials.
His research primarily centers on:
- Extending the Service Life of Concrete: Using modern imaging methods, such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC), to monitor the initiation of microscopic cracks within the material.
- Predictive Modeling: Utilizing advanced computer models to predict how cracks in structures like bridges or buildings will propagate under long-term or cyclic loading.
- Sustainable Construction: A significant portion of his activities involves researching alternative binders and the use of recycled components, aimed at significantly reducing the ecological footprint of concrete production.
Petr Miarka also leads one of the research objectives within the extensive MATUR project, which focuses on materials and technologies for sustainable development. In the past, he gained valuable experience during international stays in Belgium, Spain, and Japan.
About the Otto Wichterle Award
The award is named after Professor Otto Wichterle, the world-renowned Czech chemist and inventor of contact lenses, who became the president of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences after 1989. The prize includes a financial reward distributed over three years and serves as support and space for the further development of early-career scientific talents.
The Institute of Physics of Materials CAS congratulates Dr. Miarka on this significant achievement, which underscores the high level of materials research conducted at our institute.
Detailed information about this year’s laureates can be found in the official press release of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Photos: Josef Landergott, DVV SSČ AV ČR
