It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. RNDr. Rudolf Rozkošný, DrSc., a prominent figure in Czech zoology and a leading, internationally recognized expert in the field of dipterology, the study of two-winged insects.
During his scientific career, he made a significant contribution to the knowledge of the taxonomy and biology of several families, in particular the families Sciomyzidae, Stratiomyidae, and Muscidae. His work on aquatic larvae of dipterans was also of great importance (extending into the field of ecology and water protection). His professional activity was always closely linked to cooperation within the dipterological community and its development, both in Czechoslovakia, including both successor republics, and internationally (he was, for instance, one of the founders of the International Congress of Dipterology). In these days renown dipterists from all over the world are sending their condolences.
He had been associated with our faculty since his studies in biology and in his teaching combination of biology and chemistry. In 1960, he joined the then Department of Zoology and Anthropology as an assistant. In addition to his scientific and pedagogical activities, he significantly influenced the academic life of Masaryk University and further scientific institutions in the Czech Republic in a number of positions. At the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University, he was the chair of the Ecology Departmental Committee from 1985 to 2003, head of the Department of Environmental Protection for 10 years (1984–1994), and later head of the Department of Zoology and Ecology (1997–2002). He also briefly served as Vice-Rector for Research at MU (1989).
He was a member of the scientific councils of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, and the Institute of Soil Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, and in 2001 he served on the evaluation committee of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The passing of Professor Rozkošný represents a great loss for (not only) Czech entomology and zoology in general, as well as for the academic community. He will forever be remembered as a respected expert, an inspiring teacher, and a kind colleague who managed to combine scientific precision with a human approach.
We will give a last farwell to Professor Rozkošný on the 25th of November at 11:00 o’clock in the Brno cremation hall on Jihlavská street.
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