Czech Academy of Sciences
Jiří Drahoš was an employee for whom from 1978 to 2005?
Jiří Drahoš Jiří Drahoš ( born 20 February 1949 ; ) is a Czech physical chemist and politician who has been the Senator of Prague 4 since October 2018 . Previously , Drahoš served as President of the Czech Academy of Sciences from 2009 to 2017 , and was a candidate in the 2018 Czech presidential election . Born in Český Těšín and raised in nearby Jablunkov , Drahoš studied physical chemistry at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague , and joined the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1973 , which he later led from 1995 to 2003 . In 2009 , he was elected President of the Czech Academy of Sciences . His term as head of the academy ended on 24 March 2017 . In March 2017 , Drahoš announced his candidacy for President of the Czech Republic in the 2018 election . He ran on a moderate centrist platform , and is generally pro-European and supportive of NATO and Atlanticism . Drahoš lost the second round of the presidential election to his opponent President Miloš Zeman with 48.6% of the vote , but vowed to remain in public life . In October 2018 , he stood for the Czech Senate in the Prague 4 district , winning the election outright in the first round with 52.65% of the vote . Early life and career . Jiří Drahoš was born on 20 February 1949 in Český Těšín to a Czech father originally from Skuteč in Vysočina , and a Polish mother from Jablunkov . He spent most of his childhood in Jablunkov , where his mother Anna lived and worked as a nurse . His father , also named Jiří , was a teacher in a local Czech school . Drahoš studied at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and qualified as a scientist in 1972 . He joined the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals at the Czech Academy of Sciences , and was later head of the institute from 1996 to 2003 . On 13 March 2009 , Drahoš was elected President of the Czech Academy of Sciences , defeating Eva Syková . During his tenure , he successfully opposed 50% budget cuts to the Academy proposed by the governments of Prime Ministers Mirek Topolánek and Jan Fischer as a consequence of the 2008 financial crisis . Drahoš later called it an attempt to destroy my motherly institution . In 2012 , President Václav Klaus awarded him the Medal of Merit in the field of science . His second term as head of the academy ended on 24 March 2017 . He is co-author of 14 patents . Political career . 2018 presidential campaign . On 28 March 2017 , Drahoš announced his intention to stand in the 2018 presidential election . On 24 April 2017 , he started gathering the signatures required to be registered as a candidate . In July 2017 , after meeting with Drahoš , the leaders of Populars and Mayors , Pavel Bělobrádek and Petr Gazdík , announced that they would ask their respective parties members to nominate and endorse Drahošs candidacy . Mayors and Independents endorsed Drahoš on 25 July 2017 while the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak Peoples Party ( KDU–ČSL ) endorsed him on 14 November 2017 . Young Social Democrats also endorsed Drahoš on 9 December 2017 . Polls in late 2017 showed Drahoš as the second strongest candidate behind Zeman . Drahoš received campaign donations from several influential businessmen , including Dalibor Dědek , Jiří Grygar and Luděk Sekyra . Drahoš started gathering signatures for his nomination in May 2017 . On 19 August 2017 , Drahoš announced he had gathered 78,000 signatures . He submitted his nomination on 3 November 2017 with 142,000 signatures . On 4 November 2017 on Facebook , Drahoš criticized Mirek Topolánek , who had announced his candidacy that day , describing Topolánek as similar to Miloš Zeman and calling his candidacy a bad joke . The two candidates met during a presidential debate at Charles University ; Drahoš reflected that the status he posted was Topolánek-like , to which Topolánek replied that it was written either by a woman or PR mage . Drahoš received media attention when he expressed his fear that the election could be influenced by Russia . He met outgoing Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka to discuss the matter and stated he would also meet the new Prime Minister Andrej Babiš . The incumbent president Miloš Zeman criticized Drahoš and compared his actions to Hillary Clintons when she lost to Donald Trump . Drahoš received criticism when he published a status on social media about Václav Klaus amnesty , when it was revealed that he had copied a similar status by his fellow presidential candidate Michal Horáček . Drahoš apologised and attributed the mistake to an external member of staff . The first round was held on 12 and 13 January 2018 . Drahoš received 1,369,601 ( 26.6% ) votes , and advanced to the second round against the incumbent president Miloš Zeman . In the second round , held on 26–27 January 2018 , Drahoš received 48.63% of the vote and thus lost to Zeman . Drahoš conceded defeat to Zeman , telling a crowd of his supporters that I would like to congratulate election winner Miloš Zeman . Senate . Following the 2018 presidential election , Drahoš vowed to remain in public life , and in March 2018 announced his bid for the Prague 4 Senate seat in the 2018 election , nominated by Mayors and Independents and supported by TOP 09 , KDU–ČSL and the Green Party . He won the election outright in the first round , with 52.65% of the vote . Political views . Drahoš considers himself a centrist politician . As a candidate , Jiří Drahoš has presented himself as someone who can unite society , and as a respectable person who would act according to the constitution . Drahoš emphasises the importance of Czech science and education and has called for solidarity with those who cannot take care of themselves . He has called for a responsible approach to the landscape and environment and has described human reason , creativity and ingeniousness as the only renewable resource of the wealth of the Czech Republic . Drahoš wants the Czech Republic to play an active role in discussions over the future of the European Union , and wants the country to be a part of the Western world . He supports European integration but has said that he believes that the European Union should not impose unnecessary regulations on member states . He also said that he would not rush into Czech adoption of the Euro . Drahoš opposes a referendum about Czech membership of the European Union , and said that important geopolitical questions should not be decided by referendum . He supports the Czech Republics membership of NATO . In August 2015 , Drahoš signed a petition named scientists against fear and apathy in opposition to both anti-Islamic radicalism and anti-immigrant populism . Drahoš suggested that the Catalan independence referendum was not legal , supporting the position of the Spanish government . Drahoš says he supports the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United States and the EU . However he also said that having good relations with Russia is in the interest of the Czech Republic and European Union . Drahoš supports trade and economic relations with China , arguing that China is a superpower and many countries are doing business with China . In 2017 , Drahoš rejected the European Unions proposal of compulsory migrant quotas , saying , there is no successful model of Muslim integration in Europe . Drahoš also said that Europe cant feed 100 million Africans , it is necessary to help them at home . Drahoš described the pre-war German minority in Czechoslovakia as Adolf Hitlers fifth column , and said that he agreed with the post-war expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia . Drahoš has described himself as a sympathizer with Israel . External links . - Scientific publications