Zdeňka Smutná, Ph.D.

ZdeňkaSmutná has been working at the Department of Geography as an assistant professor since 2022. In 2024 she completed her PhD studies at the Faculty of Social and Economic Studies of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, majoring in Applied Economics and Administration. She defended her dissertation on Alternative food networks in Czechia: current situation and perspectives of rural development. During her doctoral studies, she completed a three-month internship at the University of Granada, where she also worked on sustainable food production and consumption. Her doctoral studies were preceded by a Master’s degree in Geography at her alma mater in Ústí nad Labem. The acquired knowledge and skills were put into practice during a three-month internship at the Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung in Leipzig, Germany, and then during a six-month internship at the IAMO Institute in Halle. Since mid-2024, she has been involved in the RUR project (Region to University, University to Region, Just Transition Fund), where she works as an assistant professor. In addition, between 2018 and 2022, Zdeňka participated in research activities in the SMART City – SMART Region – SMART Community project, where she addressed the topics of regional identity and development of old industrial regions. From 2019 to 2020, she was involved in the project Rural 3.0: Social and technical conditions for the realization of 21st century development potentials in rural areas.

• 2018-2024 postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, UJEP in Ústí nad Labem (study programme Economic Policy and Administration, major Applied Economics and Administration)
• 2022, research internship, University of Granada,  Department of Urbanism and Spatial Planning
• 2018, research internship, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)
• 2017, research internship, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental research (UFZ) – Computational Landscape Ecology
• 2015-2017, Master degree, Geography

• since 2022 Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem

• SMUTNÁ, Z., VÁVRA, J., & DUŽÍ, B. (2024). An insight into market and non-market alternative food networks in Czechia during Covid-19 and beyond. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11.
• HRUŠKA, V., PITTLOVÁ, K., & SMUTNÁ, Z. (2023). Measuring the localness of household expenditure in a post-socialist rural periphery. Europa XXI, 44.
• MILLARD, J., STURLA, A., SMUTNÁ, Z., DUŽÍ, B., JANSSEN, M., & VÁVRA, J. (2022). European Food Systems in a Regional Perspective: A Comparative Study of the Effect of COVID-19 on Households and City-Region Food Systems. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 138.
• VÁVRA, J., SMUTNÁ, Z., HRUŠKA, V. (2021). Why I Would Want to Live in the Village If I Was Not Interested in Cultivating the Plot? A Study of Home Gardening in Rural Czechia. Sustainability, 13(2), 706.
• HRUŠKA, V., KONEČNÝ, O., SMUTNÁ, Z., DUŽÍ, B. (2020). Evolution of alternative food networks in an old industrial region of Czechia. Erdkunde, 74(2), s. 143–159.
• SLAVÍKOVÁ, L., SMUTNÁ, Z., ŽAMBOCHOVÁ, M., VALENTINOV, V. (2020). Public and community conservation of biodiversity: rivalry or cooperation? Geoscape, 14(1), s. 36–46.

• OP Just Transition (2023-2027). RUR – Region to University, University to Region
• OP VVV (2018–2022). SMART City – SMART Region – SMART Community
• TA ČR (2019–2020). Rural 3.0: Social and technical conditions for implementing development potentials of the 21st century in the rural areas

• Czech Geographical Society