Dear Czech scientists living and working in the UK,
You are cordially invited to London Calling, the third annual scientific meeting of Czech researchers and academics in the UK. This year’s event will be held on Friday 19 September 2025, at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London. This conference is organised under the patronage of Czexpats in Science, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, and with support from the Czech Centre in London.
The meeting aims to connect the Czech scientific community in the UK across various institutions, disciplines, and generations. This is an opportunity to present, discuss, or simply network and find inspiration.
The programme will include keynote lectures, flash talks, networking sessions and a roundtable discussion. During flash talks, participants will have the opportunity to share their research interests and projects during a brief presentation, regradless of their research field. We encourage researchers at all career stages to join us for our conference, however, we would like to reserve flash talks primarily for those with practical research experience, i.e. Master’s students and beyond.
Our keynote speakers include Markéta and Jakub Tomkovi (University of Oxford), who will discuss their academic journey from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the Charles University to the UK. Kamil Jaroň (Wellcome Sanger Institute) will offer his perspective on large research institutes and funding bodies.
To touch on other aspects of having a research carreer, we will run a roundtable discussion on “Parenthood, Care, and Balance in British Academia“. Participation in this session is optional. The aim is to share experiences and advice on balancing a career in a competitive scientific environment with personal and family life, especially given the distance from family and friends. For those not participating in the discussion, networking will be occuring in a separate room.
The conference will conclude with refreshments and networking, after which we will move to a local pub for some less formal networking.
We hope this event will support the growth of the Czech scientific community in the UK, broaden perspectives, and foster new contacts and collaborations.
We look forward to seeing you in London!
Sincerely, on behalf of the organising team,
Natálie Hrbková, Petra Burešová, Marie Chion, Jana Nahodilová & Czexpats in Science
Registration is required.
Instructions for participants
All practical information will be sent to participants via email from the organising team. If you don’t receive it, please check your spam folder.
If you’re giving a flash talk, please prepare a short three-minute presentation with a single slide (.pdf / .pptx, landscape format) by 5 September 2025 to: natalie.hrbkova.19@ucl.ac.uk
We’re putting together a booklet for attendees again this year, which will serve as a directory of Czech researchers in the UK. If you’d like to be included, please complete the short profile in the registration form (maximum 130 words, in either Czech or English), or email it by 12 September 2025.
When and where
Date and time: 19 September 2025 12:00noon-7:00pm (the end of official part, after that we will move to the informal get-together)
Place: Embassy of the Czech Republic in London, 26-30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY
Programme
| 12:00-12:30 | Open door & Registration |
| 12:30-12:45 | Welcome & Introduction TBC (Velvyslanectví ČR v Londýně) Blanka Collis (Czexpats in Science) |
| 12:45-13:30 | Keynote I Markéta Tomková (University of Oxford) Jakub Tomek (University of Oxford) |
| 13:30-14:30 | Flash talks |
| 14:30-15:15 | Parallel Programme: A. Roundtable: Parenthood, Care, and Balance in British Academia B. Networking: Speed networking |
| 15:15-15:45 | Coffee break and networking |
| 15:45-16:15 | Keynote II Kamil Jaroň (Sanger Institute) |
| 16:15-16:45 | Keynote III Helena Cox (University of York) – cancelled |
| 16:45-17:00 | Czech Community in the UK: Jana Nahodilová (British Czech and Slovak Association) TBC (Czech Centres London) |
| 17:00-18:00 | Flash talks |
| 18:00-18:05 | Closing remarks |
| 18:05-19:00 | Networking |
| 19:00 | End of official part, move to the informal get-together |
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