J. E. Purkyně Visiting Scholar Programme
The J. E. Purkyně Scholarship Programme is an initiative designed to foster international academic collaboration, enrich educational and research output, and elevate the profile of J. E. Purkyně University on the global stage. Named after the renowned Czech physiologist and anatomist, Jan Evangelista Purkyně, this programme is a testament to the university’s commitment to innovation, cross-border knowledge exchange, and academic excellence.
The primary aim of the J. E. Purkyně Visiting Scholar Programme is to facilitate meaningful academic exchanges between scholars worldwide and our university. This is achieved by fostering collaborative projects, creating academic networks that support professional growth, and encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to address pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges in transitioning regions.
2026 Application form
Past visiting scholars (in 2025)
Dr. Roohallah Alizadehsani (Deakin University, Australia) is a researcher in machine learning, deep learning, and medical AI applications. He earned his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Engineering – Software from Sharif University of Technology, Iran’s top-ranked university. He later obtained his Ph.D. from Deakin University, Australia, focusing on AI-driven medical diagnostics and predictive modeling. After completing his Ph.D., he continued working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University.
Dr. Imma Lory Aprea (University of Naples Parthenope, Italy) is a Research Fellow in Mathematical Methods for Economics and Financial Sciences at the Department of Economics, Law, Cybersecurity, and Sports Sciences, at the University of Naples “Parthenope” since January 2022. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics, Statistics, and Sustainability from the same university, with a dissertation titled Imprecise Probabilities in Decision Theory: applications in Herding Behavior models.
Dr. Elisabeth Richardson (Mount Royal University Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is an Assistant Professor in Cell Biology and Genetics at the Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada. Her doctoral and postdoctoral research focused on diversity of eukaryotic microbial communities in mining reclamation sites in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. Her research programme at Mount Royal University uses environmental DNA to study the ecology and evolution of microbial life in response to hydrocarbon exposure.
Professor Kai Schafft (PennState University, USA), as for 2025, works as a Professor of Education and Rural Sociology at Penn State University. He directs the College’s Center for Rural Education and Communities and serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Research in Rural Education. Trained as a rural sociologist, with his Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University, his research broadly examines the relationship between social inequality, spatial inequality, and rural development.
dr. Mariia Voronenko (Odesа Polytechnic National University, Ukraine) graduated from the Kherson National Technical University and received the qualification of specialist in computer and intelligent systems and networks. She defended candidate’s thesis in “Information Technologies” and was later awarded with academic title of associate professor of the Department of Informatics and Computer Sciences. Her main focus is on Information systems and technologies, Computer networks, and Learning and reasoning with Bayesian networks.
Professor Bertrand Pourrut (University of Toulouse, France) earned his Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology from AGRO Toulouse – École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse (ENSAT), France, in 2008. He subsequently served as Assistant Professor at ISA Lille from 2008 to 2019. Since 2018, he has been a Professor at ENSAT Toulouse, France.
Sophia Guggenberger, M.A. (Institute for Design Research Vienna, Austria) studied footwear design at the University of Arts London and worked as a designer for the shoe company Camper in Spain. During an MA in design at the University of the Arts Berlin, she started working on possibilities for alternative construction and tools in the production of footwear. Since 2015 she is working as an independent designer researching production as a tool for transformation.
Dr. Federica Piangerelli (University of Macerata, Italy) obtained her PhD in the History of Ancient Philosophy from the University of Macerata (Italy) in 2023. In 2024, she held a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Accademia Vivarium Novum in Frascati (Italy), as part of the “Zetesís project. Studies in the Humanities”. Since the 2024/25 academic year, she has been Adjunct Professor of the History of Ancient Philosophy and of Teaching of the History of Philosophy at the University of Macerata (Italy).