Pavlína Konopáčová and Karolína Morávková shone in the Falling Walls

Two young scientists from the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation at TUL shone in the Czech round of the prestigious international Falling Walls Lab competition. Pavlína Konopáčová took third place and Karolína Morávková won the Women Innovators award.

Together with thirteen other young scientists and innovators, the two researchers from CXI TUL presented their project, which has the potential to "break down walls" and provide solutions to the greatest challenges of today's world, in a short three-minute presentation at the National Technical Library in Prague on Monday, 15 September.

The goal was to advance to the finals in Berlin. There, a hundred of the greatest talents from more than 60 countries will compete for the title of Falling Walls Young Innovator of the Year. The finalists will also take part in the Falling Walls conference, where they will meet personalities from the worlds of science, business and politics.

Pavlína Konopáčová: science in the laboratory and on Instagram

Pavlína Konopáčová's research at CXI TUL focuses on purifying water from "forever chemicals" (PFAS). These substances, used for example in Teflon, outdoor clothing and firefighting foams, are dangerous because they do not decompose in nature and accumulate in organisms.

At CXI, Pavlína is investigating the use of cyclodextrin sorbents, which are special sugars that can capture PFAS molecules, making it possible to remove them from water. "At this stage, we have already tested a whole range of sorbents for removing PFAS from water. We have selected the best candidates for the next step, which is to bind them to magnetic nanoparticles. We will test these new sorbents again to evaluate their ability to capture PFAS," says Pavlína Konopáčová.

At the CXI institute, she works in the nanochemistry department under the supervision of Doc. Michal Řezanka, who is also her supervisor in the Nano- and Microtechnology doctoral programme at the Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education at TUL. In the competition, she will try to familiarise the public with "forever chemicals" and also present a possible solution to this problem through the synthesis of cyclodextrin sorbents bound to magnetic nanoparticles. "This approach offers high efficiency and simple separation," says Pavlína.

She already has considerable experience in popularising science. Together with her colleague David Mareš, she presents science through short and very successful videos on the Instagram account onch_tul. In the videos, the two scientists figuratively open the doors to their laboratory and show their work. "We shoot the videos to show that science doesn't have to be boring and complicated, but can also be interesting and entertaining. We also try to capture, with a touch of exaggeration, everyday situations that scientists know well from their practice. I myself am rather shy and introverted, but I do my work with enthusiasm and believe that it makes sense," says Pavlína, who has already presented her work to thousands of followers on social media and has now also applied to the Falling Walls Lab jury. We wrote about Instagram.

Pavlína Konopáčová admits that she herself is rather shy and introverted. From this perspective, filming videos is easier for her than performing in front of a live audience. However, she took this as a challenge that allowed her to move forward and gain new experience. "I am very happy with third place in Falling Walls and consider it a huge honour. I know that many people are doing great science in our country, which makes me all the more pleased that they chose me."

Karolína Morávková: research that helps women's reproductive health

Karolína Morávková's research work is related to nanomaterials and women's reproductive health. The scientist is involved in gynaecological applications of nanofibre drug delivery systems. "This research combines our knowledge of the female reproductive system with the latest materials, opening up new possibilities for the prevention and treatment of many diseases," says Karolína Morávková, a reproductive biotechnology engineer and doctoral student at the Faculty of Mechatronics, Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies at TUL (FM).

Specifically, Karolína Morávková is working on the development of a nanofibre system for drug delivery to the vaginal environment based on polylactic acid. "In the future, these fibres could help optimise and stabilise the natural internal environment there, even in cases of asymptomatic dysbiosis, i.e. an imbalance in the microbiome," says Karolína Morávková.

The research is part of her doctoral studies at FM. "We still have a long way to go, but the preliminary results are promising," says Karolína, describing the state of the research.

Karolína Morávková won the Women Innovators award in the Czech round, which highlights original ideas and beneficial innovations by women in science. The prize includes a ticket to the Falling Walls Science Summit and the opportunity to participate in the Female Science Talents programme in Berlin in November 2025. Travel expenses to and from Berlin are also covered.

She considers it a great honour to have been among the finalists and is all the more pleased with the Women Innovators award. "All the other competitors, the jury and the entire Falling Walls community are full of amazing and inspiring people, and just participating and having the opportunity to network is something special."

Adam Pluhař
Eva Doležalová