Profile
Bio
Pavel Plevka is the head of a research group at CEITEC Masaryk University and has been the institute’s director since 2024. His research focuses on structures of virus particles and their behaviour during infection. Using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, he has determined the structure of numerous viruses, including enterovirus 71, which can cause severe encephalitis in children. Pavel Plevka also studied the maturation process of the dengue and tick-borne encephalitis viruses, and explores infectious cycles of bacteriophages, which may be used as treatments against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. His work enhances the understanding of virus infection mechanisms.
Pavel Plevka studied molecular biology and virology at Charles University and earned a Ph.D. in structural biology from Uppsala University in 2009. Between 2009 and 2013, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Purdue University in the USA. He has been awarded two prestigious ERC grants supporting his research of picornaviruses and bacteriophages.