Vladan Hruška, Ph.D.

Vladan Hruška graduated from Masaryk University in Brno with a Master’s and PhD in Regional Geography and Regional Development. Since 2012, he has been working at UJEP, where he became the Head of the Department of Geography in 2023. V. Hruška specializes in two areas of research. The first is in rural geography and rural development, mainly from an economic perspective. On the one hand, he investigates the changing nature of contemporary rural economies with an emphasis on the possibilities of local development actors to face regional, national or global processes and to shape local development trajectories. He also focuses on rural planning from the perspective of local actors, particularly with regard to perceptions of rural economic development and the role of agriculture in it. The second area of interest is cross-border cooperation, especially in the Czech-German context. In these areas he has been and is involved in a number of domestic and international research projects. In addition, he is a member of the Association for Rural Renewal, represents UJEP in its membership of the Local Action Group Labské skály, and also in the Euroregion Elbe/Labe, where he is co-chair of the working group for regional development on behalf of the Czech side.

• 2014 Ph.D. degree, Masaryk Univeristy, Brno (Regional Geography and Regional Development)
• 2007 Master degree, Masaryk Univeristy, Brno (Regional Geography and Regional Development)
• 2005 Bachelor degree, Masaryk University, Brno (Geography and Cartography)
• 2010–2011 Research internship, Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde, Leipzig, Germany
• 2009–2010 Research internship, University of the Aegean, Mytilini, Greece

• 2007-2009 Consultant and project manager of projects from European funds
• 2011-2012 Analyst and evaluator in the field of European funds and regional development
• 2016-2017 External evaluator of community-led local development strategies for the Ministry of Agriculture
• since 2012 – Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, UJEP in Ústí nad Labem
• since 2014 – Consultant in strategic planning for the development of municipalities and local action groups
• since 2018 – Member of the editorial board of the European Countryside journal
• since 2023 – Head of Department, Department of Geography, UJEP in Ústí nad Labem

• PÍŠA, J., HRUŠKA, V. (2023). ‘It was my duty to change this place’: motivations of agents of change in Czech old industrial towns. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2023.2208580
• PÍŠA, J., HRUŠKA, V. (2023). Disentangling the ‘capacity to act’: variegated resources of individuals exerting change agency. European Planning Studies, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2023.2258165
• HRUŠKA V. et al. (2022). Průmyslová minulost, kreativní budoucnost? Perspektivy průmyslového dědictví Podkrušnohoří. Univerzita J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem, Přírodovědecká fakulta. ISBN 978-80-7561-379-0
• GÖRMAR, F., GRILLITSCH, M., HRUŠKA, V., MIHÁLY, M., NAGY, E., PÍŠA, J., STIHL, L. (2022). Power relations and local agency: a comparative study of European mining towns. Urban Research & Practice, 1-24. https://1url.cz/SrFCk
• HRUŠKA, V., KONEČNÝ, O., SMUTNÁ, Z., DUŽÍ, B. (2020). Evolution of alternative food networks in an old industrial region of Czechia. Erdkunde, 74: 143-159. https://1url.cz/TzmMx

• OP Just Transition (2025-2027). Region univerzitě, univerzita regionu (RUR), lead of the WP Image and identity.
• GA ČR (2020–2022). Nature and dynamics of land use conflicts in a polyrational arena, investigator.
• TA ČR (2019–2020). Rural 3.0: Social and technical conditions for implementing development potentials of the 21st century in the rural areas, principal investigator for UJEP.
• Volkswagen Stiftung (2019–2021). Agents of Change in Old Industrial Regions in Europe, lead partner Leibniz-Institute für Länderkunde, principal investigator for UJEP.
• International Visegrad Fund (2014–2015). Non-agricultural and non-tourism economic industries in rural peripheries of the Visegrad countries, principal investigator.

• since 2008 – Member of the Czech Geographical Society
• since 2009 – Member of the Association for Rural Renewal (including the SPOV Bureau for the Ústí nad Labem Region)
• since 2014 – Memebr of the expert working group for regional development of the Euroregion Elbe/Labe (incl. co-chairmanship for the Czech side)