Petr Pavlas

Petr Pavlas, Ph.D. serves as deputy head of the Department of Comeniology and Intellectual History of the Early Modern Age at the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, where he has been employed since 2016 (as senior researcher since November 2023). He maintains a dual academic affiliation with the Faculty of Arts at West Bohemian University in Pilsen, where he has been teaching courses in philosophy since 2015 and is a member of the CCS-Lab research group.

Dr. Pavlas specializes in Renaissance and early modern philosophy, with a particular focus on the works of Jan Amos Comenius (J.A. Komenský) and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. His research interests include the history of metaphors and metaphorology, the history of the idea of a perfect language, encyclopedism, and pansophism. He is the editor of the journal Acta Comeniana and has published extensively on Comenius's linguistic theories, philosophical systems, and metaphorical structures.

His scholarly work demonstrates a consistent focus on metaphorological approaches to understanding early modern philosophical systems, particularly Comenius's triadic structures, linguistic theories, and encyclopedic projects. Dr. Pavlas has published three monographs and numerous articles in leading academic journals, establishing himself as a leading expert in Comenius studies and early modern metaphorology.

• Josef Hlávek Award 2020 (Hlávek Foundation for young talented researchers at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic under 33 years of age)
• Otto Wichterle Prize 2020 (Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic award for exceptionally qualified and promising scientific workers under 35 years of age)
• POSTDOC 2017 (motivational system at West Bohemian University for young postdocs achieving excellent results)
• TALENT awards 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 (motivational system at West Bohemian University supporting young talented students)
• Falling Walls Lab 2013 Finalist (Berlin showcase for young scientists)

Dr. Pavlas currently leads the ERC CZ project "Počátky novověkého encyklopedismu: Spuštění evoluční metaforologie" (LL2320, 2023-2025) and previously served as principal investigator for the GA ČR project "Raně novověký encyklopedismus v centru a na periferiích" (19-02938S, 2019-2022). He regularly supervises bachelor's and master's theses at West Bohemian University in Pilsen and teaches courses including "Renaissance and Modern Philosophy," "Modern Czech Philosophy," and specialized seminars on Latin philosophical texts.

His international scholarly engagement includes multiple research stays at Universität Passau (2019), Forschungszentrum Gotha der Universität Erfurt (2018), and Freie Universität Berlin (2017, 2013-2014), funded by KAAD, OP VVV, and DAAD scholarships. Dr. Pavlas is actively involved in major international conferences including the Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting and International Society for Intellectual History conferences.