First non-Czech-speaking senator brings strong support for research excellence, internationalisation, and early-career academics

In the elections for the renewal of the academic members of the Senate of the Faculty of Science, held from 18 to 20 November 2025, Gianvito Scaringi secured one of the two available seats in the election district of Geology and Environmental Studies. He was one of four candidates and received the highest number of votes—29 preferences—from colleagues across several departments. The district also recorded the highest voter turnout in the faculty, with 67% of academic employees participating in the election. (Detailed results are available here)

When the new senate term begins in early 2026, Scaringi will become the first non-Czech-speaking senator in the faculty’s history. This milestone reflects an institution gradually moving toward more inclusive and internationally oriented governance. The current senate has already taken significant steps in this direction by implementing full dual-language communication (Czech and English), improving accessibility of information for both faculty staff and the public. Several candidates in this year’s elections also chose to publish their programmes in English, signalling a broader commitment to internationalisation.

Scaringi brings to the Senate the perspective of a researcher whose academic career began abroad and who chose to build his professional path in Czechia. His election programme, available here, emphasises the importance of meaningful internationalisation, including expanding English-language teaching, strengthening support for foreign researchers, and ensuring equal access to information regardless of language background. He also highlights the need for clearer and fairer career development pathways for early- and mid-career academics, better support for grant preparation and management, and conditions that enable researchers to meet habilitation and promotion criteria.

A strong advocate of research excellence, Scaringi supports competitive recruitment and the development of an environment in which ambitious researchers can thrive—an agenda aligned with the goals of the Junior Faculty association, where he currently serves as vice-chair. His mandate in the Senate will focus on representing academic employees with transparency, promoting inclusive practices, and contributing to the faculty’s efforts to strengthen scientific quality and international reputation.