Lucie Ráčková studies human stress in extreme conditions. She is involved in training analog astronauts for space analog missions. She has received the Forbes 30 Under 30 award. How does she perceive this success? What changes does she believe should be made regarding the situation of women in science?
Researcher I - I. Neurological Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, MUNI
Advanced R&D Scientist at Honeywell
In 2022, she spent almost three months in Antarctica studying the stress of polar expeditioners. She recently completed her Ph.D. in environmental physiology, a field closely related to astronautics. She works as a researcher at the 1st Neurological Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University. She has also recently taken on a research position at Honeywell, where she focuses on optimizing safety, performance, and efficiency in aviation systems and the interaction between humans and technologies. In 2024, the European Space Agency also accepted her project proposal for a 100-day training space mission that the agency organizes. In this project, Lucie Ráčková is the principal investigator alongside Dr. Suzanne Bell, head of NASA Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory.
What does the Forbes 30 Under 30 award mean to you?
Receiving this award is a great honor for me, but I take it with humility. I see the award as an indicator that I am heading in the right direction and that the studying stress in extreme environment is interesting to the broader public.
What do you think is behind this success?
I studied for my Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor Julie Dobrovolná, who significantly popularized and publicized the research activities of her team. Her team developed an innovative method for measuring stress, which led to the founding of a spin-off company, Entrant s.r.o., that attracted media attention, including from Forbes. Working with this method gave me the opportunity to speak about it in the media. Media visibility, participation in various panel discussions and events where I contributed to the popularization of science, also helped me to become more visible, which certainly contributed to receiving this award.
It's worth noting that environmental and space physiology is not yet firmly established in the Czech Republic, lacking a systematic research infrastructure. My doctoral studies were the first PhD in this field at MU and were not part of any pre-defined grant project – research and funding opportunities had to be sought and created during studies, step by step. This was made possible mainly thanks to the support of MUNI, RECETOX, the Czech Antarctic Research Program, and other partners. I participated in seven space analog missions, collaborated with Human Design Group and MEDES CNES, which, under the auspices of the French space agency, focuses on space medicine and physiology. We presented our research at prestigious conferences such as IAC and NASA HRP IWS, and our article from Antarctic study was published in Nature Scientific Reports. I also completed studies at the International Space University, which opened the door for me to establish collaboration with Dr. Suzanne Bell from NASA BHP on a project for the European Space Agency. I see this proactive approach to building a research environment in the Czech Republic as a key factor in my success.
Do you think it’s important not to be discouraged and to follow your path?
It is important to balance two things: to believe in yourself and your ideas, but also to have people around you who can provide constructive criticism. You need to have a team that supports you and says that your ideas make sense. The world of science is competitive. It is challenging in terms of publishing and when dealing with failed grants. It is important to have a tough core but also a good team that can support you. I am extremely grateful to Associate Professor Miroslav Králík from the Institute of Anthropology, who supported me when I was starting out. His support was tremendously important for me. When I began to gain media visibility, I encountered colleagues who belittled my work and spread rumors. It's important to have people around you who support you and believe in your research.
What barriers do you perceive at this stage of your career?
I definitely want to emphasize that my studies and research have provided me with great freedom. I had the opportunity to explore areas that are not entirely traditional, which is something I am grateful for. Although it was challenging, it brought me valuable experiences and opened new opportunities. What upset me is the fact that although I completed my Ph.D. properly and on time in four years, I remained basically unemployed within the academy after finishing. Postdoctoral grants can only be applied for after obtaining the Ph.D. title, but their results are announced several months later. What is one supposed to do in the meantime? Even during my doctoral studies, I was interested in funding opportunities that would help bridge this period, but no such opportunities were available. I was dependent on random opportunities that appeared during this “in-between space,” which was extremely frustrating. I experienced absolute job instability and helplessness. Scholarships do not count towards maternity leave, they do not count for a mortgage. Although they are tax-exempt, the question is whether a 24-year-old needs to save on taxes or to support for starting a family. I was very fortunate that at RECETOX, Ph.D. students had a half-time position alongside the scholarship, and after completing my Ph.D., I was able to take a part-time job under the 1st Neurological Clinic, for which I am very grateful. But generally, this is very problematic for young women in science. In such an uncertain environment, you can't just have a child if you don't have a financially secured or older partner.
What changes do you think could help young doctoral students in similar situations?
I think it would be helpful if PhD students had the opportunity to get grants while they are still studying. This would simplify the situation where they are reliant on random opportunities or whether or not someone with a grant comes along. It would be great if there were more clearly defined options and tools for students to plan their future. While I had the opportunity to pursue interesting projects such as the study of humans and science in extreme environments and space science, it was challenging in the sense that there were no clear career paths or support systems in these new fields. In my case, it was a combination of space physiology and psychophysiology, something that is not commonly available even within the Czech academic environment. It was a freedom, but also a great challenge.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently employed as an R&D Scientist at Honeywell Honeywell in the field of human factors in aviation. I am also doing part-time research in space biology and psychophysiology at Masaryk University. I want to continue researching human-technology interactions in extreme environments such as space missions. My goal is not only to further investigate stress in these conditions, but also to contribute to the development of the field and find practical applications for the real world.
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