The Rector and the Top Management of CTU

Prof. Dr. Ing. Michal Pěchouček, MSc.

A graduate of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) and the University of Edinburgh, he has served as a Professor of Technical Cybernetics since 2010. He is the founder and head of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, CTU. The center currently comprises over one hundred members, manages dozens of projects, and receives funding from the EU, the U.S. Army, and various industrial partners.

He has supervised 16 doctoral students who subsequently secured postdoctoral positions at prestigious international universities, such as MIT, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, the University of Southern California, Cornell University, Aarhus University, and the University of West Florida.

He gained extensive experience at several world-leading academic institutions, including the University of Southern California, where he conducted research as a Fulbright Scholar. His academic record includes more than 300 publications, including 36 articles in major scientific journals and 44 papers in the proceedings of A* ranked conferences.

He has founded several successful startups, including Cognitive Security, which was acquired by Cisco. He also served as Chief Technology Officer at Avast (now Gen Digital). Furthermore, he is an active donor to various initiatives, including the humanitarian organization People in Need, Post Bellum (Memory of Nations), and prg.ai. He maintains the conviction that a university should be an open and active constituent of society.

Mgr. Jiří Špelina

Mgr. Jiří Špelina graduated from the Faculty of Law, Charles University. For many years he has worked in management roles. One part of his career is linked with state enterprise Military Forests and Farms of the Czech Republic, where he worked as an executive vice-director, among others. He also worked as interim General Secretary to the Minister of Defence at the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic. He has dedicated his career to state administration. After graduating from the Faculty of Law, he also worked as an attorney. He worked as a lawyer at the Legal Department of the National Property Fund of the Czech Republic. His hobbies include hunting and sport.

As registrar, his aim is to set new agenda processes and make the administrative and management activities more efficient in the context of financial management.

Bc. Jakub Nešetřil
Vice-rector for Business and Entrepreneurship

A successful entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in software development, product management, and strategic corporate leadership. He possesses extensive expertise in building technology companies from the ground up through to their acquisition. He founded the startup Apiary, which he sold to the American technology giant Oracle in 2017. After several years in the United States, he returned to the Czech Republic with a commitment to improving the country through volunteer initiatives. His recent projects include 'Matika Česku' (Math for Czechia), a project dedicated to supporting domestic education, and CzechFounders, where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors.

prof. Ing. Pavel Ripka, CSc.
Vice-rector for Quality Assurance and HR

A former long-standing Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University (CTU). He has completed extensive long-term research stays abroad (including NUS Singapore, Ispra, Galway, Bath, DTU, etc.). At the faculty, he lectures and leads seminars primarily on Sensors and Measurement and Modern Sensors and Signal Processing. He has supervised numerous successful Master’s theses and 13 doctoral graduates. Furthermore, he has served as the principal investigator for several significant grant projects. Since 2019, he has coordinated the implementation of the HR Award at CTU. He led an informal HR Award group, which he intends to transform into his advisory body after incorporating representatives from all university units. He drafted and spearheaded the approval of the Career Regulations (2021), the Code of Ethics (2022), the Selection Procedure Regulations (2024), and the Gender Equality Plan (2025–2029).

prof. Ing. Tomáš Svoboda, Ph.D.
Vice-rector for Strategy

He has been long active in teaching and the development of study programs, particularly in the fields of AI and robotics. His research fellowships include ETH Zürich (2000–2003), TU Wien, INRIA Grenoble, and TU Delft. Regarding his professional service, he acts as a reviewer for leading CV/AI conferences and journals and served as Area Chair for AVSS 2013. He co-founded and spearheaded the preparation of the prg.ai program.

prof. Ing. Jan Zeman, Ph.D.
Vice-rector for Research and Doctoral Studies

Since 2019, he has served as a Professor of Structural Mechanics and Materials at the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FCE CTU). He is the head of the Open Mechanics Group research team at the same faculty. His international experience includes research stays at the University of Luxembourg and a Marie Curie Fellowship in Eindhoven. He has long combined his academic career with research at the Czech Academy of Sciences and various international fellowships.

Ing. Martin Mesršmíd
Vice-rector for IT

Působil jako ředitel Digitální a informační agentury (vedení ústředního správního úřadu; spolupráce na strategii digitalizace veřejné správy). Pracoval jako ředitelem inovace v ochraně identity uživatelů společnosti AVAST, kde před tím zastával i různé jiné role. V minulosti byl vedoucím vývoje nakladatelství Economia, později ředitelem divize Nová média. Na kontě má čtyři patentové přihlášky v oblasti ochrany identity uživatele.

prof. PhDr. Ladislav Krištoufek, Ph.D.
Vice-rector for International and Government Affairs

He served as the Director of the Digital and Information Agency, where he managed the central administrative office and collaborated on the digitalization strategy for public administration. Previously, he was the Director of Identity Innovation at Avast, where he also held various other leadership roles. His past experience includes serving as Head of Development at the Economia publishing house, later becoming the Director of the New Media division. He is the author of four patent applications in the field of user identity protection.

PhDr. Ing. arch. Lenka Burgerová, Ph.D.
Vice-rector for Campus Development and Building Infrastructure

An urban planner with international education and experience, specializing in urban development and public space. She joins CTU from the Technical University of Liberec (TUL), where she served as Vice-Rector for Development. She initiated and organized the JobTUL Days career fair. She brings nearly twelve years of experience as an architect and urban planner in public service. In Prague 7, she helped establish a high-quality environment for both municipal construction projects and private investor developments. From concept to negotiation, financing, and implementation, she managed the new waterfront and the 'Park u vody' (Park by the Water), for which the municipal district received the Grand Prix of the Society of Architects in 2025.

doc. Dr. Ing. Gabriela Achtenová
Vice-rector for Education

Her professional career is closely linked with CTU, where she has served as Vice-Rector for Bachelor’s and Master’s Studies since 2018. She completed her doctorate under joint supervision (cotutelle) at ESEM (Orléans, France) and possesses extensive international experience. She worked in France (ENSTA Bretagne) and undertook several research stays in the Netherlands. Her professional achievements include three patents and eight developed prototypes. She is also an author of textbooks and study materials. Her primary specialization is automotive transmissions, and she heads the Automotive Transmission Laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME CTU).

Ing. Romana Pikulová, Ph.D.

A graduate of Mendel University in Brno, where she also earned her doctorate in Economics and Management. As part of the Erasmus program, she completed a study period at the Università degli Studi di Trento. For several years, she combined her academic career with the role of financial manager for subsidy programs. At Masaryk University in Brno, she participated in the management of the Center for the Advancement of Humanities project, funded by the RDI OP with a budget of nearly CZK 0.5 billion. Subsequently, she joined CTU as a project manager for the Research Center for Informatics. To the role of Chancellor, she brings a combination of academic experience, high-budget project management, an in-depth understanding of university institutional operations, and expertise in financial and process management.