Heyrovský–Ilkovič–Nernst lecture 2025: Prof. Uwe Karst

At the end of last year, on 7–9 December 2025, the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences welcomed a distinguished guest – Professor Uwe Karst from the University of Münster (Germany), who delivered the prestigious Heyrovský–Ilkovič–Nernst (HIN) Lecture.

Professor Karst’s lecture, entitled “Electrochemistry and Mass Spectrometry: A Complementary Couple,” opened the traditional conference “Afternoon with Electrochemistry,” held on 8 December 2025 in the Brdička Lecture Hall at the Institute. In his talk, he presented the use of electrochemistry to enhance mass spectrometric detection, the simulation of oxidative metabolism of xenobiotics using a combination of electrochemistry, liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry (EC/LC/MS), as well as the investigation of electrode surfaces using MALDI-MS.

Prior to his lecture, Professor Karst met with the Director of the Institute, Professor Martin Hof, the Vice-Rector of the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, Professor Petr Matějka, the newly elected Rector of Charles University, Professor Jiří Zima, and Dr. Petr Barath from Metrohm Czech Republic.

Professor Uwe Karst is a leading figure in analytical chemistry. He studied chemistry at the University of Münster, where he obtained his Dr. rer. nat. degree in 1993 under the supervision of Professor Karl Cammann. After a postdoctoral stay at the University of Colorado in Boulder (USA), he began his independent research career and completed his habilitation in 1998. In 2001, he was appointed Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Twente (Netherlands), and since 2005 he has held his current position in Münster. He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, has an h-index of 57, and his work has been cited over 13,000 times. His research focuses on hyphenated analytical techniques, particularly the combination of electrochemistry with mass spectrometry, as well as speciation analysis and molecular bioimaging.

The HIN Lecture series was established in 2002 through a joint initiative of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh), the Czech Chemical Society (ČSCh), and the Slovak Chemical Society (SChS). Its aim is to strengthen collaboration between research institutions in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Germany. Within this framework, a nominated German chemist delivers lectures in Prague and Bratislava, while a Czech or Slovak scientist is invited to present at selected institutions in Germany.

The more than twenty-year tradition of HIN lectures continues to foster international scientific collaboration. This year, a distinguished Czech or Slovak chemist is expected to be nominated to represent ČSCh or SChS in a series of lectures at selected German universities and research institutions.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all partners who supported the 2025 HIN Lecture: Metrohm Czech Republic, the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, and Charles University.

Prof. Tomáš Navrátil