Profile

I come from a small spa town in Moravia, a region of Czechia, near the Slovak border. I grew up in a house with a large garden full of Sand Lizards and Smooth Snakes, and those became my first lifelong hobby. It was always clear that I loved nature, especially animals, so it was no surprise I went to study Biology in Prague. I then did a Masters and a PhD in Zoology in the same city. During my PhD, I spent about four months working with tropical fishes in Mexico, and six months in Vienna using a small CT machine (X-ray computer tomograph) that was able to create 3D images of tiny fish embryos. Then in 2017, I got a postdoctoral researcher position with Prof. Clare Baker in Cambridge, studying fish senses.

I love living in Cambridge, especially the absolutely flat, muddy landscape around it. Since there are barely any snakes and lizards compared with my country, I started birdwatching, for which the East of England is really great. I especially love taking pictures of birds with my camera. I also record calls of migrating birds by sticking a microphone out of our window at night and then trying to figure out the species I recorded. That isn’t always easy, but I already recorded many species one can’t usually see around here 🙂

Me and my wife now have a toddler at home who started walking recently, and is already enjoying joining me on my birdwatching trips! She’s a big fan of owls right now 🦉

I am interested in the development of fish lateral line. This is an organ that forms early in fish embryos, and later in life helps the fish to sense how water moves around its body. Many fishes can also sense weak electric signals that all animals in water naturally create.

Interestingly, the cells in the fish lateral line are almost exactly the same as the cells we use to hear sounds or sense the movement of our head. While we cannot regenerate these cells and lose them gradually throughout our life leading to hearing loss and vertigo, the fish are able to grow new cells. So knowing how the fish lateral line cells develop might eventually be useful for helping people with hearing problems.

To understand the development of these cells, I use a molecular tool called CRISPR/Cas9, which allows me to change genetic information in fish eggs, switching some chosen genes off. I have to read the fish’s DNA first to find the best way the chosen gene can be switched off. Then I design a short string of RNA that matches the chosen DNA, attach it to a Cas9 enzyme, and inject it into a fish egg. The RNA and Cas9 find their way to the cell nucleus, attach to the matching DNA and cut it, which often causes the gene to stop working. I then look at how the lateral line cell development changes.

My lab work in Cambridge mostly consists of manipulating a lot of samples in small plastic tubes, figuring out if I synthesized what I wanted to synthesize for my experiments. I also use various ways to stain my fixed fish embryos to see where genes are expressed. Then I look at them under a microscope and take pictures to analyze later. Many times things don’t work, especially when tried for the first time, so I have to make changes in my experiment and try again. This is usually a fun challenge, but it can get a bit frustrating if you don’t figure it out after a few weeks 😃

A lot of my work is also purely computer-based. I can be reading the DNA and figuring out which bits to focus on. I can also be processing microscope images, or preparing scientific journal publications. As my work is quite flexible, I can do these things from home if I want. I prefer coming to the office though, as I can join others for lunch 🙂

To work with live fish, I travel to a hatchery located in Czechia, during which time the work is quite intense, working longer hours depending on how well the experiments go and how the fish embryos grow. My fish breed from February to June so this is the busiest, but also the most exciting time for me.