Ondřej Havelka from TUL on meeting more than thirty Nobel laureates

When dozens of Nobel Prize winners and hundreds of young scientists from around the world meet in one place, an environment is created where science transforms from individual disciplines into a living organism of ideas. The Czech Republic was represented at this year's 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting 2025 by Ondřej Havelka from the Technical University of Liberec. In an interview, he describes what it is like to discuss with Nobel laureates whose work has shaped entire fields, why science communication is more important today than ever before, and what message he took away from Lindau.

Which Nobel laureates did you meet in Lindau?

Officially, this year's meeting was dedicated to chemistry, but in keeping with a long tradition, there were also laureates from physics, medicine and even the Turing Award winner for computer science, Professor Jack Dongarra. This interdisciplinary diversity was extremely inspiring. It was wonderful to see the connections being made in the description and search for solutions to global challenges, for example in the field of energy or circular production.

From my personal meetings, I found the discussion with Professor Steven Chu, Nobel Prize winner in physics and former US Secretary of Energy, very interesting. I was also greatly impressed by Professor Moungi Bawendi, who published pioneering work on the precise synthesis of quantum dots more than three decades ago.

It was also great to meet Dr John Jumper from Google DeepMind, a key figure in the development and application of AlphaFold, whose results have fundamentally changed the approach to protein structure prediction and formed the basis for the award of the Nobel Prize in 2024.

I consider all conversations with Professor Ben Feringa to be absolutely exceptional – not only for his insight and vision in the field of molecular machines and artificial life, but also for his humanity and constant curiosity, which is contagious.

How many Nobel laureates gathered in Lindau this year, and how many young scientists like you were there?

This year, 33 of the 35 originally confirmed laureates arrived, along with several hundred young scientists from more than 80 countries. All of them went through a complex selection process, which guaranteed not only expertise but also openness. The atmosphere was completely informal; science was discussed over coffee, lunch and in the evening by the lake.

The main conference was followed by a post-Lindau programme, for which I was selected as one of eighteen participants from fourteen countries – and the only European. During the week, we visited leading research centres and universities in the Baden-Württemberg region.

An unforgettable experience was a visit to Professor Stefan Hell's laboratory, where we saw the current, as yet unpublished version of the MINFLUX device, which pushes the boundaries of optical measurement to the level of one nanometre (more on the development from Ondřej Havelka in WIRED CZ).

What was the programme of the event in Lindau itself?

The programme is thought out down to the last detail. It combines inspiring lectures, panel discussions and spontaneous conversations. Every day was packed, but still maintained a naturally friendly atmosphere.

A special experience for me was the workshop on science communication, where I was one of thirty selected participants. It was unique in that we were not looking for abstract theories, but concrete solutions. One of the results of the workshop is a Chrome browser extension called HypeLessLi, which helps recognise sensationalist language in scientific articles.

Science communication was a big topic in general. Dr Derek Müller from the Veritasium channel also spoke, demonstrating excellently that popularisation does not have to mean simplification and boredom, but rather the search for precise, understandable and engaging language for complex topics.

What did you personally take away from Lindau?

Above all, a sense of solidarity among scientists across disciplines and continents. The greatest strength of science lies in the willingness to share – not only data, but also doubts and questions. At the same time, it was a reminder that science makes sense when it inspires others to think differently. This is perhaps the greatest legacy of all the Nobel laureates I spoke to.

Ondřej Havelka with professor Moungi Bawendi at Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Profile of Ondřej Havelka

Ondřej Havelka is a scientist and lecturer at the Technical University of Liberec, specialising in laser nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. He began his scientific career at the Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovation (CxI TUL), where he co-founded a laser nanotechnology research team in 2021, in which he worked until spring 2025.

In recent years, he has also worked as a visiting researcher at the prestigious Max Planck Institute and currently works at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education (FP TUL). Here, he established a research direction focused on the use of artificial intelligence for the development of advanced strategies in nanoscience and technological innovations.

From 2026, he will work at the Technical University of Hamburg (TUHH), where he will lead the development of innovative laser nanotechnology aimed at a deeper understanding of the principles of the nanoworld and accelerating research into atypical nanocatalysts for environmental applications.

Ondřej Havelka is a three-time winner of the Minister of Education Award for innovative scientific (2019, 2021) and educational activities (2023). Since 2025, he has been a member of the Minister of Education's advisory committee.

In addition to his research activities, he serves as an expert evaluator for several European agencies (ENQA, IEP EUA, HCÉRES) and previously represented the Czech Republic in the European Council for Young Scientists (Eurodoc). He is actively involved in strategic issues of research and higher education, on which he publishes on the VědaVýzkum.cz and Universitas portals.

In cooperation with the Department of Nanochemistry at TUL, he is involved in popularising science through videos, the three most successful of which are also the most watched on the channel, with a combined total of more than 10 million views.