President appointed the Rector of the University of South Bohemia

On Tuesday, 27 February 2024, the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel appointed at the Prague Castle Prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., as the Rector of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

Prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., was appointed on the proposal of the Academic Senate of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, which elected him on 14 November last year, when an overwhelming majority of senators voted for his election. "I want to develop a modern and competitive university that will be transparent in its management, decision-making and communication with the public. For students, USB must be a matter of first choice because of its quality of education and pleasant motivational environment. I want to strengthen the brand of the University of South Bohemia in the region, nationally and internationally. For the region, the University of South Bohemia is unique in its scientific potential and irreplaceable in the professional education of teachers, health care professionals, social workers, agriculturists and other professions," Professor Kozák announced his vision of fulfilling the rector's mission after his election by the Senate.

The term of office of the new Rector of the University of South Bohemia will begin on 1 April 2024.

Photo by KPR: Tomáš Fongus

Prof. Ing. Pavel Kozák, Ph.D., is a Czech scientist and educator who specialises in crustacean and mollusc breeding. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters at the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.

He was born in 1971 in Pacov. He graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, where he received his degree in engineering in 1993. In 2002 he received his Ph.D. degree from the same university, in 2009 he attained the title of associate professor and was appointed professor in the field of Fisheries at the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia in 2015.

Pavel Kozák is an experienced leader, in 2009-2017 he was the director of the Research Institute of Fisheries and Hydrobiology in Vodňany and also the head of the Laboratory of Fish and Crayfish Ethology. From 2009, when the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia was founded, he acted as the Vice Dean for External Relations until 2013 and then in 2017 he became the Dean of the Faculty, which he is today.

He has been a member of the Academic Senate of the University of South Bohemia, the International Scientific Council of the Faculty and the CENAKVA Centre, and the scientific councils of several educational or scientific institutions. He was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture as a member of the Monitoring Committee of the OP Fisheries (MoA) and other committees related to fisheries. He has been a member of the International Astacological Organisation since 1998 and has acted on its immediate board since 2015. He is a long-standing member of the Czech Republic Grant Agency's evaluation panels and currently chairs the Plant and Animal Ecology panel.

Pavel Kozák is married, has three children and three grandchildren. In his free time he enjoys fishing, cycling, reading and nature.