He began his university career as assistant to Professor B. Brauner in the Institute of Analytical Chemistry of Prague’s Charles University. He became the first Professor of Physical Chemistry at this University in 1926. Heyrovsky’s invention of the polarographic method dates from 1922 and he concentrated his further scientific activity on the development of this new branch of electrochemistry. The instrument designed for recording polarization curves was called a polarograph and from that the new method got the name polarography. In 1950, he was appointed director of the newly established Polarographic Institute which was incorporated into the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences from 1952 to 1992 and since then into the AS CR. and Květa Stejskalová.
Small molecules that regulate the cell division cycle are a joint research project of the CAS Institute of Experimental Botany and Palacký University’s Faculty of Science. An interview with Professor Miroslav Strnad, head of the Laboratory of Growth Regulations, describes the significance of this joint project. The laboratory concentrates its research on small molecules that regulate cell division cycle, proliferation and growth of both plant and animal cells. Cytokinins and cytokinin-derived purine inhibitors of cyclindependent kinases are the most intensively studied compounds. The multidisciplinary research team is composed of experienced plant physiologists, biochemists and organic and analytical chemists. Many students are involved in the research phase during their pre-graduate and postgraduate studies in botany, analytical and organic chemistry, biochemistry or medicinal biology. Several research projects are in progress in collaboration with international partners (University of Berlin; Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; University of Natal Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and the Vienna Medical University. and Marina Hužvárová.