Tribute to Professor Josef Kubát, dr.h.c.
23. January 2024The world-renowned professor Josef Kubát passed away in Stockholm at the end of December 2023.
He was born and raised in Roztoky u Jilemnice. In 1945, he left for Stockholm to pursue his studies in theoretical physics and chemistry at the Royal Institute of Technology. After completing his studies, he conducted research on cellulose at a Stockholm-based research institute. Later, he returned to the Royal Institute of Technology as an accomplished researcher. In 1969, he was invited to establish the Department of Polymer Materials at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. During this period, he was also elected president of The Swedish Society of Rheology. Thanks to his efforts, the department he established became a distinguished and prosperous international centre for polymer research.
Josef Kubát had a wide network of international contacts that helped him organize the VII. International Rheological Congress in Gothenburg in 1976. The Congress was a great success with over 500 participants and 243 presentations, including 29 invited papers, and it continued to be held every two years. Josef Kubát remained president of the Society until 1983, serving with unmatched excellence.
He was also a member of the German Rheological Society. During the 1999 congress in Leipzig, Professor Kubát was awarded the “Ehrenmitgliedschaft”, an honorary membership. Only seven people have received this honour since 1951, and Josef was the third of them. When he delivered his speech of thanks in Old German, all the contemporary giants of polymer science gave him a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes.
He is the author of Kubát’s relaxation theory, which explains volume changes in matter at the atomic level. He achieved fame in other fields such as biopolymer science, electrically conductive polymer systems, and the rheology of solid phases. For his contributions to the advancement of science, he received the Swedish Royal Order of the North Star. He consistently supported Czech science and Czech scientists, earning him the Hlávka Medal from the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague.
He made significant contributions to the development of the Faculty of Technology in Zlín BUT, and as a result, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from BUT in Brno. He enabled many employees and students of the Faculty to undertake long-term study stays at Chalmers University of Technology. He also provided financial support to the faculty, which allowed it to acquire modern instrumentation for research purposes in the 1990s. This support led to the establishment of the faculty in the international environment and made it the best faculty of BUT in the field of international relations in the early 1990s. Furthermore, his support was instrumental in the establishment of the university in Zlín.
He played a key role also in the development of Zlín by seeking the cooperation of architect Eva Jiřičná, who happened to be his relative, to work on projects for the newly established Tomas Bata University. One of her first projects was the University Centre, which alongside the Congress Centre, became a modern landmark in the city. Professor Kubát’s efforts resulted in the development of new degree courses at the Faculty of Technology, which greatly contributed to the global recognition of Zlín’s polymer science. Thanks to his initiatives, several internationally renowned professors work in Zlín today, and this also led to the establishment of the successful research unit Centre of Polymer Systems, which is a part of the University Institute. Professor Kubát was deeply affected when the Faculty of Technology terminated his Polymer Centre.
He had cooperated with the University until the very end. Even as a man of advanced age, he continued to provide professional consultations that were always of exceptional quality. Anyone who had the privilege of meeting him appreciated his brilliant judgment. One of his most noteworthy suggestions was “You don’t have to save, just earn well”.