IN-PERSON Prague Research & Teaching Conference

Dr Graham Cairns, UK, Director, AMPS. He has taught at Universities in Spain, the UK, Mexico, South Africa and Gambia. He has worked in architectural studios in London and Hong Kong and ran a performing arts company, Hybrid Artworks, with a specialism in video installation and performance art. The author and editor of several books and multiple articles on architecture, film, advertising and socio-politics, he co-founded AMPS in 2011 and is Executive Editor of the AMPS journal ISSN 2050-9006.

Dr. Jitka Cirklová is a sociologist and educator affiliated with the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT), where she teaches Sociology for Architecture Students and also leads the doctoral-level course Doctoral Propedeutics, designed to prepare PhD candidates for academic teaching. Her teaching and research focus on art-based research methodologies and the role of the built environment in shaping social memory and identity. Within the PhD curriculum at ČVUT, she guides students through the fundamentals of research ethics, interdisciplinary inquiry, and creative methods that bridge architecture, sociology, and cultural studies. Dr. Cirklová is actively involved in both national and international research projects that explore memoryscapes, cultural heritage, and the symbolic dimensions of public space.

Assoc. Prof. Radek Holý is Vice-Rector Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU). His academic expertise lies in measurement and instrumentation, with a particular focus on advanced metrology and data systems within electrical engineering. As Vice-Rector, he is responsible for the strategic development of undergraduate and graduate education across CTU, including curriculum innovation, interdisciplinary integration, and internationalization. In his opening address, he will introduce CTU’s commitment to fostering a well-rounded technical education and emphasize the growing importance of social sciences and humanities in shaping ethically aware, socially responsible engineers and architects. His remarks will open the conference by framing the evolving role of technical universities in responding to global challenges through interdisciplinary teaching and research.