Jakub Niederle

While I may not spend as much time chasing insects or catching lizards as I did when I first discovered my passion for biology, the study of the natural world never ceases to amaze me. The deeper I delve into the field, the more I gravitate towards a focus on the molecular processes and principles that determine external biological phenomena.

I owe my education so far to the Nový PORG gymnasium in Prague, where I have completed the International Baccalaureate Programme over the last two years. At the school, among other things, I led a series of debates with leading scientists and prominent personalities of Czech public life. I developed my knowledge of the principles of biochemistry and genetics with open-access online courses from leading world universities on the edX platform.

I was immensely fortunate to have the Biology in Practice project allow me to explore the fauna and flora of incredible places around the world, including the Arctic tundra of Finland, the Indian Himalayas and the Galapagos archipelago. There, our expedition observed with our own eyes the organisms and phenomena on which Charles Darwin based his theory of evolution by natural selection.

Besides studying nature, I also enjoy it as a means of escaping from the everyday stress of city life. You might find me backpacking in the mountains, around a campfire with a guitar and my dog friend Hany by my side.