Jiřina Relichová

Professor Jiřina Relichová’s entire professional career has been associated with the Faculty of Science at Masaryk University (PřF MU), having worked there from 1967 to 2012. She graduated with honours from the PřF MU in 1967 as a biologist, and in 1968, she passed a rigorous examination and received the title of RNDr. In 1967, she began her scientific training, which she completed in 1975 by submitting a thesis on the ‘Distribution of mutations in the apical meristem of the growing stem of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh’. In the same year, she applied to defend her Candidate’s dissertation, but did not receive permission until 13 years later. After her defence at the Faculty of Science, Charles University, in 1989, she obtained the scientific degree of CSc (Candidate of Science). In 1991, she received her habilitation from Comenius University in Bratislava and was appointed Associate Professor of Genetics, later being appointed Professor of Genetics in 1997. Her scientific work was initially focused on research into natural genetic variability in A. thaliana populations, then moved to induced mutagenesis and transgenesis in plants and plant mutagenicity tests. In the latter years of her work at the Faculty, she devoted herself to special research in the field of human genetics. She has acted as supervisor to more than 24 graduates and Doctoral students, and has completed short-term study stays in both the USA and Germany.

Professor Relichová contributed significantly to the development of genetics as a field at the Faculty of Science from the very beginning, when genetics was first recognised as a true science in our country. In the teaching of genetics, Prof. Relichová has introduced new lectures and exercises (Plant Genetics, Mutagenesis, Population Genetics, Advanced Genetics) and has written several textbooks on these subjects, including the popular textbook ‘Population Genetics’ (2009). For almost 20 years, she has taught a basic genetics course, attended by hundreds of students each year. She was the editor and translator of the Czech edition of the extensive textbook ‘Genetics’ (2009, as well as the new edition released in 2017). She also focuses on the history of genetics and is a respected and often sought out expert on Gregor Johann Mendel. She was the founder of the Mendel Museum Civic Association and briefly worked as the Director of the Mendel Museum. She was there at the birth of the famous Mendel Lectures, which take place in the refectory of the Augustinian Abbey where G. J. Mendel worked and at which prominent scientists in the field of genetics, including Nobel Prize winners give lectures. She has also been an active member of the Gregor Mendel Society of Genetics for many years.

Prof. Relichová has been a member of the Scientific Boards of the Faculties of Science and Medicine of Masaryk University, the Scientific Board of the Faculty of Agriculture of Mendel University in Brno and the Scientific Board of the Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava.