prof. RNDr. Jan Kalvoda, DrSc.

Education and affiliation

Education and employment

• 1991 – up to now Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology (Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague)
• 1994 – Professor of Physical Geography (Charles University, Prague)
• 1992 – Associate Professor of Physical Geography (Charles University, Prague)
• 1991 – DrSc. in Physical Geography (Charles University, Prague)
• 1991 – Senior research worker (Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague)
• 1974 – 1990 Czechoslovak Academy of Science: 1) Geographical Institute, 2) Geological Institute, and 3) Institute of Rocks Structure and Mechanics – technical and research worker
• 1973 – RNDr. in Natural Sciences (specialization in Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology), Charles University, Prague
• 1972 – Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography (Czechoslovak Academy of Science and Charles University, Prague)
• 1966 – Master Degree of Geography (Charles University, Prague)

Positions held

• 1994 – up to now Professor of Physical Geography, Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague
• 2006 – up to now Member of the Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, University of Cambridge, U. K. (Note: since 2012 – Honorary member)
• 2000 – 2012 Member of the Research Centre for Dynamics of the Earth, Czech Republic 2000 – 2003 Member of the Scientific Board of Charles University, Prague.
• 1998 – up to now Member of the Commission for defence of D.Sc. thesis in Earth sciences, Research Board of the Czech Academy of Sciences  
• 1998 – 2001 Member of the Scientific Board of University of Ostrava
• 1997 – 2003 Head of the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague
• 1994 – 2010 and 2016 – 2020 Member of the Scientific Board of Geographical Section, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague.
• 1994 – 2010 Member of the Scientific Board, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 1994 – 1997 Vice-dean of the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague
• 1994 – up to now Chairman of Commissions for State Examinations of Mgr., RNDr. and Ph.D. study programmes in Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague
• 1994 – up to now Tutor in postgradual studies of Physical geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague

Current editorial activities (member, expert and reviewer of research boards)

• The Editorial Board of „Geomorphology“, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
• The Editorial Board of “Geography”, Czech Geographical Society
• The Editorial Board of books in Geography, Czech Geographical Society

Memberships in scientific societies

• The Union of Czech Matematicians and Physicists
• The Czech Geographical Society
• The International Association of Geomorphologists

Research

Current research intentions of Jan Kalvoda are concentrated on: 1) dynamic and evolutional geomorphology, 2) landform development and the environment in the Quaternary, 3) physical geography of central Europe and High Asia, 4) cosmology related to Earth Sciences. During eight mountaineering and scientific expeditions he acquired original field materials, especially in the Asian mountain ranges. He had been, before his arrival at the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, on February 1st, 1991, for about 20 years research worker of Earth science institutes of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He especially examined slope movements and other Quaternary and recent geomorphological processes, morphotectonically (e.g. seismically) active areas and Late Cainozoic landforms development in Central Europe, as well as in the Balkans, Asia Minor, Tian-Shan, Pamirs, Himalayas and Karakoram, very often in landscapes with an extreme dissected relief. Jan Kalvoda published a series of papers especially aimed at a) relief development and recent geodynamics in the Bohemian Massif and the Carpathian System,              b) geomorphological record of the Late Cenozoic orogeny in the Asian mountain ranges.            The results of his studies are a contribution to the physical geographical research of the Alpine-Himalayan orogene and to the geomorphological evidence of the dynamics of the near-surface part of the Earth's crust. In this way, field and interpretation data were obtained for further research on 1) glacial geomorphology and related phenomena in the Late Cenozoic, 2) geodynamic interpretation of measurements and monitoring of the Earth's surface movements, 3) geomorphological evidence of natural hazards and risks.

Jan Kalvoda visited universities in Amsterdam (1991), Manchester (1993), Heidelberg (1995) and Jena (1996) and in France he was awarded by M.E.N.E.S.R. a Senior Scientific Fellowship (4 months, in 1996) at the Department of Geography and the Centre of Eco-geographical Research at the University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg. In 1997 he spent 4 months at the University of Oxford as Visiting Research Fellow of the School of Geography and in 1998 two months at the University of Cambridge as Visiting Research Fellow of the Department of Geography and the Fitzwilliam College. Jan Kalvoda continued his research work at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg in September 2001 (2 months), the University of Oxford in 1999, 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2013 (the Department of Geography and the Environmental Change Unit, altogether 12 months) and the University of Cambridge in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011, the Department of Geography, altogether 8 months), especially in the fields of geomorphology, Quaternary geology and Physical geography. Since 2006 he also is a research member of the Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group, University of Cambridge.

Jan Kalvoda participated in series of national and international research projects, e.g. „Utilisation du ¹⁰Be produit in situ pour dater le retrait de la durée de la derniére séquence glaciaire“ (C.N.R.S.), „European Paleoclimate and Man“ (E. U.), „Global Change in the Mountains“ (E.U.), „GOCE – specific tasks on fine gravity field structure of the Earth” (ESA/PECS),  „Mass wasting and erosion as indicators of morphotectonic activity in the Ethiopian Highland based on remote sensing approaches“ (GACR), “Recent dynamics of the Earth”, “World Centre of Excellence on Landslide Disaster and Reduction” (Charles University and UNESCO) and so on. More than 10 years Jan Kalvoda also was a chair-person of commissions for the evaluation of research results in the Czech Republic, namely in expert panels “Mathematics, physics and Earth sciences” and “Earth sciences”. Nowadays, he participate in the Charles University programme “Geography” as an active member of the research team “Geomorphology and geodynamics” at the Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science. Research papers published by Jan Kalvoda (et al.) are quoted in the list of selected publications (“SeznamPublikací_JanKalvoda_etal.doc”).

Current research interests of Jan Kalvoda consist in geomorphology of high mountains      in Europe and High Asia, palaeoenvironments in the Quaternary related to physical geography of central Europe, natural hazards and risks, geodynamics and geomorphic aspects of the theory of orogenesis.

Current lectures

Bachelor Studies:

• Geomorphology
• Mathematical geography

Master Studies:

• Theory of Physical geography
• Palaeogeography of the Quaternary
• Nature of high mountains,
• The Earth in the universe

Postgraduate Studies:

• General and regional Physical geography

(Note: During long-term teaching activities at the Faculty of Science of Charles University, Jan Kalvoda also substantially participated in lectures Physical geography of Asia, Natural hazards and risks, and numerous seminars in the field of Physical Geography and Geomorphology.)

Selected publications

• The list of selected publications