Jan Kadlec’s Journey from Chemistry to Neuroscience
Meet Jan Kadlec from the Czech Republic, an MSc and PhD alumnus of the Weizmann Institute of Science who is currently based in Basel, Switzerland.
Jan conducted his PhD research in the lab of Dr. Michal Ramot in the Department of Brain Sciences, where he studied neuroscience and cognition.
Originally from the Czech Republic, Jan’s journey as a scientist began at a young age, fueled by his passion for the natural sciences and his participation in various science Olympiads in his home country. There, he drew inspiration from leading scientists he met, some of whom he later collaborated with by translating scientific articles from English into Czech for popular science magazines.
In the summer of 2017, shortly before completing his bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Charles University in Prague, Jan participated in the Kupcinet-Getz International Summer Science School at the Weizmann Institute. The experience convinced him to continue his graduate studies there.
“Those were two wonderful months,” he recalls. “The science there was among the best in the world, and the opportunities for interdisciplinary research early on sparked my scientific curiosity in a way that ultimately changed the field I thought I would pursue. In addition, I was deeply impressed by the personal approach and dedication of the mentors to their students and research groups.”
“When I arrived at Weizmann in 2018 to begin my MSc studies in chemistry, chance led me onto an unexpected path. During my lab rotations, I joined three chemistry labs. One of the labs I had chosen was undergoing renovations, and the principal investigator, Dr. Moran Ben-Ami, worried that my rotation experience would not be ideal and suggested I choose another lab instead. I spent several days debating what to do and eventually decided to join the lab of Prof. Rony Paz, which studies the brain. I was so fascinated by the research that I decided to change direction and focus on neuroscience.
“When I decided to remain at the Institute for my PhD, I moved to the lab of Dr. Michal Ramot, who was then in the process of building her new lab. Since I hoped to establish my own lab in the future, I wanted to experience that process firsthand and see how Michal did it. I was especially fascinated by networks in the brain and by neurofeedback as a way to modulate them and as a means to go beyond correlations towards causality, which aligned perfectly with Michal’s research.”
“At the time, my projects in the lab focused on face perception, face memory and complex cognitive processes. To answer our questions, we combined simple behavioral experiments with cutting-edge functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This allowed us to investigate human brain activity while participants performed specific tasks. Our goal was not only to decode the complexity of the brain, but also to gain a deeper understanding of human behavior.”
During his years in Israel, Jan also met his future wife, Anna Uzonyi from Hungary, a former PhD student in the lab of Prof. Schraga Schwartz in the Department of Molecular Genetics. Together, they traveled extensively throughout Israel, especially on weekends. “We often slept in a tent outdoors and enjoyed the country’s breathtaking and diverse landscapes.”
Alongside science, music has always played an important role in Jan’s life. During his time at Weizmann, he returned to playing after a long break and joined the newly established Weizmann Orchestra, where he contributed to its early development. He plays both the saxophone and the clarinet.
