Ing. Diana Černayová prepared her doctoral dissertation as part of full-time study in the PhD programme Biophysical Chemistry at the Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology. She commenced her doctoral studies in September 2020 and submitted her dissertation in October 2025.

During her PhD studies, the doctoral candidate successfully completed all required examinations and passed the state doctoral examination. An integral part of her training also included an international research internship – in 2023, she completed a six-month research stay at Lund University in Sweden.

In addition to her dissertation work, the student actively participated in the implementation of several research projects throughout her doctoral studies. One of the GAČR projects was largely based on her experimental work and results, and her research has provided a foundation for follow-up studies which have continued to develop and expand upon her findings.

Furthermore, she made a significant contribution to teaching activities at the Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, particularly through student consultations and by supervising a number of bachelor’s and master’s theses. As part of her doctoral training, she also completed a certified course in pedagogical fundamentals required for secondary school teaching.

The achieved results were published in three papers in internationally recognised journals with a high impact factor. The candidate is the first author of one publication and the second author of the remaining two. Ing. Diana Černayová is also the author or co-author of several conference contributions presented at both national and international conferences. Notably, she received the Best Poster Award at the International Conference on Chemical Technology held in Mikulov in 2023.

Within her dissertation research, the student focused on a novel concept for the preparation of microbial inoculants for agricultural applications. This new approach is based on the encapsulation of bacteria within a gel matrix, where gelation is achieved using extracellular polysaccharides produced directly by plant growth-promoting bacteria (so-called self-encapsulation). Within this concept, the student carried out all key experimental activities, including the screening of suitable bacterial strains, optimisation of cultivation conditions and the gelation process of microbial suspensions, as well as the verification of the effectiveness of the prepared formulations through pilot pot experiments.

The student summarised the most important experimental results achieved during her doctoral studies in a well-prepared dissertation written in English. The Results and Discussion section is divided into several thematic chapters and is complemented by parts outlining the contribution of the submitted work to the current state of knowledge as well as future perspectives in the field.

Ing. Diana Černayová is a well-rounded individual who, during her studies and international research internship, achieved a high level of professional independence and demonstrated the ability to conduct both independent and collaborative scientific research. She repeatedly proved her strong motivation, work ethic, and responsible approach to assigned tasks. Her friendly and positive attitude towards colleagues and students, as well as her willingness to provide support, also deserve special recognition.

In view of the above and in accordance with the applicable legislation, I recommend that the dissertation be accepted for defence and, upon its successful defence, that Ing. Diana Černayová be awarded the academic degree Ph.D.