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Young Scientists Presented Their Research

pr@fpharm.uniba.sk — Thu, 12 Nov 2026 15:19:00 +0100

The research topic of Dr. Eva Kráľová from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology focused on whether combination therapy can help with diabetic complications. Educating lower secondary school students in medication literacy is the research focus of Mgr. Karin Kapsdorferová from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. PharmDr. Peter Šišovský from the State Institute for Drug Control and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology examined dietary supplements that promise longevity and whether they truly possess these miraculous effects. Colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University, led by Mgr. Daniel Lutz, investigated whether and how generative artificial intelligence changes the way clinical reasoning is approached in the teaching of clinical pharmacology. In his research, MUDr. Martin Loziňák from the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University focused on whether certain probiotics can serve as an effective complementary treatment for depression and anxiety. Subtitled the Prof. F. Švec and Prof. P. Švec Memorial, the event took place for the 31st time. This long-standing traditional event offers young talents the opportunity to present the results of their work, discuss them with experts, and establish new contacts.

Application Portal Opens on December 1

Thu, 12 Nov 2026 10:55:00 +0100

Dr. Jarmila Prieložná Awarded by the Rector for Best Dissertation

pr@fpharm.uniba.sk — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 17:04:00 +0100

"The work of doctoral student Jarmila Prieložná brings new approaches to treatment. She researches biodegradable materials that ensure active ingredients against pain or cancer reach exactly where they are needed. I am delighted that she is the one receiving the University Rector's Award in the field of natural sciences today," says Ján Klimas, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Comenius University. Her work exemplifies a multidisciplinary intersection of pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmaceutical technology. Thanks to teamwork, Dr. Prieložná achieved unique results published in prestigious scientific journals and presented her findings at numerous domestic and international scientific conferences. "Due to their properties, the chitosan nanoparticles I worked with offer tremendous potential in treating serious diseases. Their effective use for drug transport can improve the efficacy and safety of treatments," explains Jarmila Prieložná, who is currently preparing for maternity leave, though she plans to continue her scientific career upon her return. "The Rector's Award is a great honor for me and a very pleasant surprise at the same time. I view it as recognition of several years of work, effort, and the support of the people who accompanied me during my doctoral studies. I deeply appreciate this award, and it motivates me in my future work," she told us. For her first-author scientific publication, she received the "Highly Cited Paper" recognition in the Web of Science database, placing it in the top 1% of most cited works in the field of pharmacology and toxicology. The publication is titled: “Prieložná Jarmila, Mikušová Veronika, Mikuš Peter: Advances in the delivery of anticancer drugs by nanoparticles and chitosan-based nanoparticles. International Journal of Pharmaceutics X (ELSEVIER), 2024, vol. 8, 100281”.

Rector’s Day Off – 17 November 2026

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:01:00 +0100

On the occasion of International Students’ Day, the Rector of Comenius University Bratislava has...

Doctoral colloquium - Fatana Jafari (16.11.2026)

Damas.Gruska@fmph.uniba.sk — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 09:21:00 +0100

Fatana Jafari:
Explainable Deep Learning for White Matter Lesion Analysis in Brain MRI: From 3D Architecture Evaluation to Hybrid CNN–Transformer Models Abstract:
Detecting white matter lesions (WMLs) in brain MRI can be challenging, especially when lesions are small and have low contrast. This research explores deep learning methods for WML detection and analysis using 3D FLAIR MRI scans. Several 3D deep learning architectures were trained and evaluated using a dataset collected at St. Cyril and Methodius Hospital in Bratislava. Explainable AI (XAI) methods were also used to better understand model predictions and identify the image regions that influence them. Building on these experiments, the research focuses on developing a hybrid model that combines Xception and Vision Transformer to capture both local image features and broader contextual information. Different patch sizes are being explored to improve the detection of small lesions. Grad-CAM, SHAP, and LIME are also being investigated to understand model decisions and compare the highlighted regions with lesion annotations. The aim is to develop deep learning methods that make white matter lesion detection more accurate and easier to interpret. More information Youtube channel

CU zoologist helps uncover nine species of iconic cave ‘dragons’

pr@uniba.sk — Wed, 11 Nov 2026 16:18:00 +0100

The olm is an amphibian with a pale body, rudimentary eyes and external gills. It is exceptionally long-lived and can live for more than a century. Its unusual appearance and way of life have made it a symbol of the caves of the Dinaric Karst and one of the world’s best-known cave animals. For centuries, legends in the karst regions of the western Balkans held that these creatures were baby dragons. In 1768, the olm became the world’s first cave-dwelling vertebrate to be scientifically described. Yet even more than 250 years of research were insufficient to reveal its true species diversity. Nine species hidden under one name An international team of zoologists reassessed what was known about the genetic, morphological, geographical and ecological diversity of olms in the Dinaric Karst, an area stretching from north-eastern Italy through Slovenia and Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results confirmed earlier suggestions that populations thought to belong to a single species actually represent nine distinct species. Their evolutionary lineages diverged approximately 4 to 16 million years ago. Three of these species were formally described as new to science. They are Proteus bosniensis from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Proteus ikae from Croatian Istria and Proteus maurii from north-eastern Italy. The nine species include the unique black olm (Proteus parkelj) from Slovenia, which has dark colouring and well-developed eyes, unlike its pale relatives. Another surprise concerns Slovenia’s world-famous Postojna Cave. The olms, among the cave’s main tourist attractions, were previously thought to belong to P. anguinus. The study identifies them as a distinct species, P. xanthostictus. Revisiting forgotten discoveries from 176 years ago The research also has a remarkable historical dimension. As early as 1850, the Austrian zoologist Leopold Fitzinger distinguished seven species of olm, but these taxa were subsequently synonymized and the genus came to be treated as essentially a single species. The researchers analysed 259 museum specimens, including 47 historical specimens examined by Fitzinger himself that are still held in Vienna. “I find it fascinating that almost two centuries ago, naturalists were able to recognise differences that we are now confirming with modern methods. Fitzinger had only observation and measurement to go on. Now, 176 years later, we are returning to some of his conclusions,” explains zoologist Daniel Jablonski, who collaborates with the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Daniel Jablonski has been studying the amphibians and reptiles of the Balkans for more than twenty years. The region is a major focus of his research in evolutionary biogeography, in which he examines the origins, distribution and history of species. The new study of olms builds on his long-standing research into the biodiversity of the Balkans and the processes that have shaped it. The research also has a personal dimension for him. “I first encountered olms as a ten-year-old boy during a visit to a cave in Istria. That experience played a decisive role in shaping my interest in the fauna of the Balkans.” Twenty-nine years later, he helped describe the Istrian species Proteus ikae, the earliest-diverging extant lineage of Proteus, which separated from all other living olms around 16 million years ago. Crucial implications for the conservation of cave life The study revealed that some species have much smaller geographical ranges than previously thought. The authors’ preliminary assessment, based on criteria set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), suggests that seven species would qualify as Endangered and two as Critically Endangered. “Although genetic differences between populations had been known for some time, the public saw the olm as a single species with a wide range. Nine species have now been formally recognised, some of them found in extremely small areas. If a species is confined to a single underground water system, severe pollution could threaten its entire population. Its extinction would mean the irreversible loss of millions of years of evolution,” warns Jablonski, adding, “Until we know the true species diversity, we cannot properly assess the risk of extinction.” The study brought together experts from several European countries and applied a taxonomic framework consistent with that used by the Taxonomic Committee of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH). The first author of the study is Christophe Dufresnes from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. He led the research jointly with Daniel Jablonski from Comenius University Bratislava and the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Both were also corresponding authors of the paper. Photo 1: Young individuals of the newly described endemic species Proteus bosniensis from north-western Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo: D. Jablonski. Photo 2: Documentation of the historical olm collection in the holdings of the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Photo: C. Dufresnes. Photo 3: The oldest evolutionary lineage of olms from Croatian Istria, estimated to be 16 million years old, was described as a new species, Proteus ikae. Photo: D. Jablonski. Photo 4: Diversity and distribution of individual olm species in the Dinaric Karst according to the new study.

Andrea Čalkovská to continue as Dean of JFMED CU

pr@uniba.sk — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:48:00 +0100

The incumbent Dean, Andrea Čalkovská, was the sole candidate. The electoral assembly elected Professor Andrea Čalkovská as Dean of JFMED CU for a term of office from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2031. Our warmest congratulations.

RECTOR'S DAY OFF

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:39:00 +0100

On occasion of the Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy, the rector of Comenius University...

SYLFF 2027- štipendiá pre doktorandov / fellowships for PhD. students

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 09:57:00 +0100

(English version below)

Štipendijný program SYLFF je určený doktorandom a doktorandkám Filozofickej fakulty (FiF), Právnickej fakulty (PraF), Pedagogickej fakulty (PdF), Fakulty managementu (FM) a Fakulty sociálnych a ekonomických vied (FSEV) Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave.

Štipendium má podporiť doktorandov a doktorandky pri realizácii výskumu, odborných projektov a príprave dizertačných prác. Jeho hlavným cieľom je identifikovať, podporovať a rozvíjať potenciálnych budúcich lídrov a líderky v oblastiach medzinárodných vzťahov, manažmentu a rozvoja krajín strednej a východnej Európy.

Prednosť budú mať doktorandi a doktorandky v dennej forme štúdia. Úspešní aj neúspešní žiadatelia z minulých rokov sa môžu opäť prihlásiť.

Výška štipendia

10 000 – 15 000 USD na jedného doktoranda alebo doktorandku. Predpokladaný počet štipendií, ktoré budú udelené na Univerzite Komenského v Bratislave, je 3 – 4.

Informácie o podávaní žiadostí

Priamy odkaz na online prihlášku: https://uniba.sk/SYLFFziadost Termín na podanie prihlášky: 4. decembra 2026 do 23:59 hod.

Štipendijný program SYLFF od roku 1987 podporil už desiatky doktorandov a doktorandiek Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave.

Viac informácií o histórii, poslaní a vízii programu nájdete na: https://www.sylff.org/about/

Povinné prílohy k žiadosti

Súčasťou online prihlášky je niekoľko povinných príloh. Odporúčame pripraviť si všetky dokumenty ešte pred začatím vypĺňania prihlášky.

Zoznam požadovaných príloh:

Životopis (CV)*
Motivačný list* – v liste uveďte, prečo sa považujete za vhodného kandidáta alebo vhodnú kandidátku na získanie štipendia. Odporúčame zdôrazniť vaše akademické a výskumné úspechy, napríklad aktívnu účasť na vedeckých konferenciách, absolvovanie stáží na ministerstvách alebo v mimovládnych organizáciách, publikačnú činnosť a ďalšie relevantné výsledky.
Stručná anotácia projektu* – dokument by mal predstaviť plánovaný projekt a súvisiace akademické aktivity, ako napríklad výskum (vrátane empirického výskumu), krátkodobé výskumné pobyty na zahraničných univerzitách alebo inštitúciách, účasť na konferenciách, prezentáciu a šírenie výsledkov výskumu či aktivity zamerané na rozvoj odborných a výskumných kapacít, ...
Rozpočet projektu* – podrobný prehľad plánovaného využitia finančných prostriedkov zo štipendia (10 000 – 15 000 USD).
Súhlas školiteľa alebo školiteľky s podaním žiadosti o štipendium.
Čestné vyhlásenie, že v rovnakom čase nežiadate o ďalšie štipendium na financovanie toho istého projektu.
Čestné vyhlásenie, že v publikáciách vzniknutých vďaka podpore zo štipendia bude uvedené, že boli vytvorené s finančnou podporou programu SYLFF.

Upozornenie: Všetky prílohy označené hviezdičkou (*) musia byť vypracované v anglickom jazyku.

Výberový proces

Uchádzači a uchádzačky, ktorí postúpia do užšieho výberu, budú v priebehu decembra pozvaní na krátky pohovor, ktorý sa uskutoční osobne alebo online.

Po odoslaní prihlášky príde e-mail s potvrdením o jej prijatí. O výsledkoch výberového konania budú následne všetci uchádzači a uchádzačky informovaní e-mailom.

Kontakt a ďalšie informácie

V prípade otázok týkajúcich sa štipendia, požadovaných príloh alebo technických problémov pri vypĺňaní online prihlášky sa obráťte na administrátora programu:

Michal Dzúrik

E-mail: michal.dzurik@rec.uniba.sk
Telefón: +421 2 9010 9515
Adresa: Šafárikovo námestie 6, Nová budova – Rektorát, Oddelenie medzinárodných vzťahov, kancelária č. 124.

V prípade potreby konzultácie alebo poradenstva pri príprave jednotlivých príloh, ich štruktúre či rozsahu nás neváhajte kontaktovať. Radi vám pomôžeme.

SYLFF PhD Fellowships for PhD Students of FPhil, FLaw, FEdu, FM and FSES

The SYLFF fellowship programme is open to doctoral students of the Faculties of Arts (FPhil), Law (FLaw), Education (FEdu), Management (FM), and Social and Economic Sciences (FSES) at Comenius University Bratislava.

The fellowship is intended to support doctoral students in conducting research, implementing academic projects, and preparing their doctoral dissertations. Its primary aim is to identify, support, and develop potential future leaders in the fields of international relations, management, and the development of Central and Eastern European countries.

Priority will be given to full-time (internal) doctoral students. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants from previous years are welcome to reapply.

Fellowship Amount

USD 10,000 – 15,000 per doctoral student.

The estimated number of fellowships to be awarded at Comenius University is 3–4.

Application Details

Online application form: https://uniba.sk/SYLFFziadost Application deadline: 4 December 2026, at 23:59 (CET).

The SYLFF fellowship programme launched in 1987 has already supported dozens of doctoral students from Comenius University Bratislava.

For more information about the programme's history, mission, and vision, please visit: https://www.sylff.org/about/

Required Application Documents

The online application requires several supporting documents. Please prepare all attachments before starting the application process.

The required documents are:

Curriculum Vitae (CV)*
Cover Letter* – explaining why you consider yourself a suitable candidate for the fellowship. You are encouraged to highlight your academic and research achievements, such as active participation in academic conferences, internships at ministries or non-governmental organisations, publications, and other relevant accomplishments.
Brief Project Description/Annotation* – outlining the proposed project and planned academic activities, such as research (including empirical research), short-term research stays at foreign universities or institutions, conference participation, dissemination of research findings, capacity-building activities, ...
Budget Plan* – detailing the planned use of the fellowship funds (USD 10,000–15,000).
Consent of your academic supervisor to your fellowship application.
A signed declaration confirming that you are not simultaneously applying for another fellowship to fund the same project.
A signed declaration confirming that any publications resulting from work supported by the fellowship will acknowledge the financial support provided by SYLFF.

Please note: All documents marked with an asterisk (*) must be prepared in English.

Selection Process

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a brief interview, which will take place in December, either in person or online.

Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email confirming its receipt. All applicants will subsequently be informed of the results of the selection process by email.

Contact and Further Information

If you have any questions regarding the fellowship, the required supporting documents, or technical difficulties with the online application, please contact the programme administrator:

Michal Dzúrik

Email: michal.dzurik@rec.uniba.sk
Phone: +421 2 9010 9515
Office: Office 124, International Relations Department, New Building – Rectorate, Šafárikovo námestie 6.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any guidance or advice regarding the preparation, structure, or scope of the application documents. We will be happy to assist you.

Tomáš Vinař to lead FMPI CU

pr@uniba.sk — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:45:00 +0100

The two candidates were Daniel Ševčovič, the incumbent Dean, and Associate Professor Tomáš Vinař. The electoral assembly elected Associate Professor Tomáš Vinař as Dean of FMPI CU for a term of office from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2031. Our warmest congratulations.