Jan Vondrak, * 1940
Jan Vondr\'{a}k (with TeX diacritics)

E-mail

1957-1962 studies at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University, Prague (Geodesy, geodetic astronomy);

1962-1964 Geodetical and Topographical Institute, Prague;

1965-1977 Research Institute for Geodesy, Topography and Cartography in Prague (Geodetical Observatory Pecny);

1973 PhD. thesis Determination of ephemeris time and lunar orbital elements by the method of equal altitudes;

since 1977 at the Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic;

since 1979 member of the IAU;

1983 three-month stay at the Bureau International de l'Heure;

1985 DSc. thesis More accurate theory of lunar motion and solution of the modern problems of rotational dynamics of the Earth's body;

1988-1997 chairman of the IAU Working group on Earth rotation in the Hipparcos reference frame;

1989 three-month stay at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington DC (Dept. of Time Service and Earth Orientation);

since 1990 member of AGU;

1991 founding member of EAS;

since 1991 Head of the Department of Dynamical Astronomy at the Astronomical Institute;

1991/1992 six-month stay at Observatoire de Paris (Dept. of Fundamental Astronomy);

1992-1997 Principal Investigator of Earth rotation in the Hipparcos reference frame;

1994-1997 President of IAU Commission 19;

since 1998 Chairman of the Czech National Astronomical Committee;

since 1999 IAU representative to the Directing Board of the International Earth Rotation Service;

1999 two-month stay at Observatoire de Paris (Dept. of Fundamental Astronomy and Central Bureau of IERS).

Specialization: 38 years of experience in numeric treatment of observed data, especially of astrometric observations of Earth rotation parameters (smoothing method), orbital motion of the Moon and rotational dynamics of the Earth (tidal and rotational deformations, planetary effects in precession-nutation, atmospheric excitation of polar motion and speed of rotation), combination of Earth orientation parameters by different space techniques - about 150 papers published, mostly in English.