Dr. Jakub Kelar as an invited scholar at Laval Université in Quebéc

In the academic world, an invited scholar or professor comes to an inviting university from another part of the world to teach or join in research. Such an invitation goes to experts in the field, helps the university raise its research field's profile, and generally promotes international collaboration.

Dr. Jakub Kelar is a scientist at the Plasma Nanotechnologies and Bioapplications (PNB) research group at the Department of Plasma Physics and Technology and CEPLANT Centre. Jakub Kelar accepted the invitation of his Canadian colleagues and has been traveling between Brno and Quebec since last year. As an invited scientist he went to Canada for the first time last year and this year he visited again for two months. The cooperation will continue in the coming year.

In the beginning, there was a contact with Dr. Jacopo Profili, whom Jakub Kelar knew from various scientific meetings and conferences. Jacopo Profili visited DPPT and CEPLANT this January, more here. The head of the Canadian research group, Prof. Gaétan Laroche, then invited him to join them as an invited scholar.

The Canadian research team has a wide range of interests. They study plasma treatments and preparations of special coatings. A significant part of their research is atmospheric plasma. They are involved in basic and applied research and collaborate with private companies. Our scientists in Brno have more experience with surface discharges and their practical applications. Thus, both science teams can transfer and expand their knowledge and experiences to each other. Jakub Kelar adds that "research in Canada is structured differently than ours. It is a tremendous experience to be in this completely different environment."

In Canada, Jakub Kelar also works on the topic of renewable energy, with the development of next-generation solar panels at the forefront of the research. He teaches students about plasma, its types, and various applications. "I will also help students design their experiments, cultivate their base knowledge, or assist them with writing scientific publications," adds Jakub Kelar.

Last year, Jakub Kelar was joined by his student Bc. Lucia Švandová, who received a Freemovers Scholarship and wrote and was awarded by a Canadian MITACS Research Award. As a graduate student pursuing a Master's degree in Plasma Physics and Nanotechnology, she has spent almost a year with the Canadian research team. "Our collaboration will bring us new contacts with colleagues from North America. In the future, we hope to have joint research projects and mobility of Canadian colleagues and students to us as well. Building a network for young people, in particular, is very important to me. International research collaboration is hugely beneficial and keeps us at the cutting edge of our plasma treatment research," adds Jakub Kelar.

Let us add that Laval Université is also a place where our alumnus Masoud Shekargoftar, Ph.D., has found a post-doc position and continues with his research. Masoud Shekargoftar finished his Ph.D. studies in 2019 under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Tomáš Homola from the PNB research group.