Jiří Drahoš
Jiří Drahoš (born 20 February 1949; Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈdraɦoʃ]) is a Czech physical chemist and politician who has been the Senator of Prague 4 since October 2018. Previously, Drahoš served as President of the Czech Academy of Sciences from 2009 to 2017, and was a candidate in the 2018 Czech presidential election.
Jiří Drahoš | |
|---|---|
| Senator from Prague 4 | |
| Assumed office 6 October 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Eva Syková |
| President of the Czech Academy of Sciences | |
| In office 25 March 2009 – 24 March 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Václav Pačes |
| Succeeded by | Eva Zažímalová |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 February 1949 Český Těšín, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Member of STAN Senate Club (2018–present) |
| Spouse | Eva Drahošová |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Alma mater | University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava |
| Awards | Medal of Merit (2012) |
| Website | Official website |
Born in Český Těšín and raised in nearby Jablunkov, Drahoš studied physical chemistry at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, and joined the Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1973, which he later led from 1995 to 2003. In 2009, he was elected President of the Czech Academy of Sciences. His term as head of the academy ended on 24 March 2017.
In March 2017, Drahoš announced his candidacy for President of the Czech Republic in the 2018 election. He ran on a moderate centrist platform, and is generally pro-European and supportive of NATO and Atlanticism. Drahoš lost the second round of the presidential election to his opponent President Miloš Zeman with 48.6% of the vote, but vowed to remain in public life. In October 2018, he stood for the Czech Senate in the Prague 4 district, winning the election outright in the first round with 52.65% of the vote.