Photo: Jindřich Nosek (NoJin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons¹⁴

Pavel Jungwirth

Czech chemist and university educator (1966–2026)

Pavel Jungwirth (20 May 1966 – 23 July 2026) was a Czech physical chemist. From 2004 until his death in 2026, he was the head of the Senior Research Group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) of the Czech Academy of Sciences.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Pavel Jungwirth (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born May 20, 1966, died Jul 23, 2026.¹

About

He was also a professor in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University from 2000 and a senior editor of the Journal of Physical Chemistry from 2009-2023. He was popularly known for studying the explosive reaction between alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium, and water; his research on this subject indicates that these reactions result from a Coulomb explosion. He and his colleagues have also discovered a way to slow down this reaction, which they used to determine the source of a blue flash that is briefly produced during the reaction.

Jungwirth was a coordinator of an international science competition Dream Chemistry Award, and appeared on the Academy of Sciences podcast.

Jungwirth died by suicide on 23 July 2026, at the age of 60.

From Wikipedia’s article on Pavel Jungwirth, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of SciencesBoard member¹³

Early life and education

Date not recordedFaculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University³

Career

Occupation: chemist, physicist, university teacher, science communicator.⁶

Since 2004Worked at Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences⁴
Since 1990Worked at Heyrovský Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences⁴
Date not recordedWorked at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University⁴
Date not recordedBoard member, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences⁵

Personal life

BornMay 20, 1966, Prague^{7 8}
CitizenshipCzech Republic⁹

Awards

2024Neuron Prize for Lifelong Contribution to Science^{10 11}

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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WikidataPavel Jungwirth on Wikidata
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WikipediaPavel Jungwirth on Wikipedia
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: Worked at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, on Wikidata
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: Board member, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, on Wikidata
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: occupation, on Wikidata
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: place of birth, on Wikidata
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Wikidataplace of birth, as reported by Czech National Authority Database
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: award, on Wikidata
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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WikidataPavel Jungwirth: Official website, on Wikidata
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WikidataInstitute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Board member
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Wikimedia CommonsPavel Jungwirth photo by Jindřich Nosek (NoJin), CC BY-SA 4.0