The first three months of Pavel Kadeřávek leading the NMR laboratory

Pavel Kadeřávek has been the new head of the Josef Dadok National NMR Centre since 1 July. We interviewed Pavel three months into his new role to find out if he has found his feet in his new position, and what first steps he has already taken.

Pavel, what led you to work in the shared NMR lab at CEITEC MUNI?

I started working with NMR at the beginning of my undergraduate studies and I have to say that I was fascinated by this method in a way. In NMR, it is possible to manipulate the spin system in a rather sophisticated way, which not only has a certain charm, but also allows the design of a plethora of experiments and their optimisation for individual applications. This methodological development has always been close to my heart, and I am also interested in the technical side of NMR, all of which is offered by working in a shared NMR lab.

Could you elaborate on what research topics the NMR lab currently covers?

The NMR lab at CEITEC covers a wide range of research topics. In general, they include the development of new NMR methods as well as applications in chemistry, biochemistry or materials science and are based on measurements in both liquid and solid phases. Most of the measurements performed in our laboratory are aimed at studying the structure, dynamics and interactions of biomolecules measured in solution. However, we are also able to do specialized measurements directly in cells, a method that was introduced and is mostly developed by Lukáš Trantírek's group at CEITEC.

When you took over the role of head of the shared laboratory before the holidays, I remember you saying that one of your tasks would be to develop collaboration with scientific groups. Are you succeeding in moving in that direction?

It is true that I consider collaboration with scientific groups to be important and mutually beneficial, but I think it is too early to assess how well we are doing. Moreover, we have been very busy lately with technical problems and repairs of our equipment. Nevertheless, we are trying not to give up on this goal and to collaborate with other research teams – for example in the Advances in Magnetic Resonance workshop, which we are co-organizing with colleagues from CEITEC BUT from Peter Neugebauer's group on 17 and 18 October.

CEITEC: The first three months of Pavel Kadeřávek leading the NMR laboratory.

What benefits do you think a shared lab brings to the scientific community and external partners?

Shared labs like ours provide researchers from different institutions with access to highly specialised instruments and methods that might otherwise be costly and technically challenging to operate. This enables even smaller research teams to carry out cutting-edge projects. At the same time, we offer expert advice and research collaboration, leading to a deepening of knowledge and the creation of new scientific contacts. For our external partners, whether from academia or industry, access to NMR spectroscopy is a valuable tool to address their research questions.

How are you involved in the education of students and young scientists?

Our NMR lab is open to students and young scientists interested in advanced magnetic resonance methods. We regularly organize workshops and professional courses that allow to gain theoretical knowledge and practical experience in NMR. At the same time, we try to create a space for scientific collaboration so that students can work on real research projects under the guidance of experienced experts.

What are your future plans for the development of the NMR laboratory at CEITEC?

One of our main goals is to further develop NMR spectroscopy techniques, such as introducing new techniques in the use of electron polarization to amplify NMR signals.  We also want to strengthen our position within the international scientific community by getting involved in other projects and organising professional workshops and seminars. A forthcoming action in this direction will be the organization of a winter school under the COST Action (CA21160. For our students, the theoretical part of this will be available in the course NMR data for structural bioinformatics (NCBR003) at the beginning of the spring semester. I would also like to expand our collaboration with other scientific institutions and industrial partners to apply our knowledge and equipment to various scientific and industrial challenges.