Competition of Young Researchers has its winners

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Young researchers under the age of 35 gathered on Thursday, June 4, 2026 in the SAS Auditorium on Watsonova Street in Košice. During the traditional seminar, they presented the topics and results of the projects they had entered into this year’s Young Researchers competition. The event later continued with an evening program at the Palace of Arts, where the diploma award ceremony was combined with the concert Young for the Young – Artists for Scientists.

The seminar once again demonstrated the diverse directions taken by the emerging generation of researchers within the academy. In their presentations, the laureates introduced the work to which they devote their time and energy. Awards in the three scientific divisions were presented to:

Scientific section 1: Physical, Space, Earth, and Engineering Sciences

1st place

Ľubomíra Regeciová, RNDr., PhD., Institute of Experimental Physics SAS

Frustrated Magnetism in Spin–Electron Models

2nd–3rd place

Jaromír Klarák, Institute of Informatics SAS

Research and Development of Multimodal and Hybrid Models

 

Scientific section 2: Life, Chemical, Medical, and Environmental Sciences

1st place

Adam Kantor, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center SAS

Studying Plant Evolution in Mountain Ecosystems Using an Integrative Approach

2nd place

Dominik Šťastný, Center of Biosciences SAS

Lipid Transfer Proteins: From Yeasts to Human Parasites

Honourable Mentions

Natália Udvorková, Biomedical Research Center SAS

Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs) as a Promising Therapeutic Strategy for Refractory Germ Cell Tumors

Denisa Mihalj, Biomedical Research Center SAS

Changes in the GABAergic System and Neuronal Morphology During Development in Experimental Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder

3rd place

Mária Pacalajová, Centre of Biosciences SAS

Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Aggressive Pancreatic Malignancies

 

Scientific section 3: Social Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and Culture

1st place

Jakub Šrol, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS

Psychological Barriers to Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviour

2nd–3rd place

Denis Kazankov, Institute of Philosophy SAS

Conceptual Ethics: From the Function of Concepts to Their Elimination

Nikola Kallová, Institute for Research in Social Communication SAS

Learning from Romantic Relationships

The evening part of the day belonged to music performed by the Slovak State Philharmonic Košice. The orchestra, conducted by Norwegian conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen, presented a program built around two major works. As soloist, cellist Johannes Moser performed Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, together with the philharmonic orchestra. The concert evening concluded with Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 by Sergei Rachmaninov.

The entire event was concluded by the award ceremony, where diplomas were presented to the winners by the President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Martin Venhart. In his speech, he highlighted the work of young colleagues and praised the rising level of their research: “It is truly a very pleasant occasion in the academic life that in a moment we will present awards which annually go to the winners of the competition of young researchers. I am very pleased that the level of this competition is increasing year by year and provides a very good foundation for the Slovak Academy of Sciences to succeed in the near, as well as somewhat more distant future.”

PHOTOS

Original text HERE