News and events archive

The passing of our colleague, lecturer and friend Barbora Bühnová brings great sadness and emptiness. However, her legacy has left a mark on each of us. RNDr. Martin Macák, Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Systems and Communications, Faculty of Informatics, MU brings his story that shows what Bára meant to us. Thank you.

Bára Bühnová was my closest person at FI. She stood by me for 7 years, during which she constantly supported and helped me develop. She was an extraordinary personality with many admirable qualities that I could tell many stories about.

The first quality I noticed was that nothing was impossible for her. From my point of view, she could do everything. It started with our very first conversation, which took place at the end of my undergraduate studies. I searched for a long time for a course to join and help teach there, but I was just turned down everywhere. When I wrote to Bára about teaching in this way, she also wrote back at first saying that unfortunately the course was already at full teaching capacity. However, the very next day I received a message from her saying that she had increased the capacity of the course for my sake, so I could go and teach. She made such a gesture for me, a completely unknown student at that time.

Linked to this is her great willingness to give people a chance and support them in their endeavours. During my Master's studies, Bára and I developed a grant proposal to develop the faculty by innovating the PV179 course (Systems Development in C#/.NET – note). She also helped me to get into a research project, which eventually motivated me to do my PhD under her supervision. Throughout my PhD, she opened many new opportunities for me and always stood by me in my decisions.

Her other great quality was that she was always able to make time for others. When I had any problem, she was always there for me, always giving me advice, help or encouragement, whatever it was. On top of all that, I was always fascinated by how, along with the great work she did at FI, she was still able to devote herself fully to her family, whom she often mentioned and loved very much.

Overall, it is hard for me to put into words how much I will miss Bára. She gave me so much during the years we spent together, and I wanted to thank her for all of it for a long time to come. She had a very strong influence on my life, inspiring me with her humanity, empathy, positive attitude and high ambition. I believe that many people who were also lucky enough to know her can say this about her.

Bára will always remain in my memory and in my actions, which will continue to be influenced by her legacy. I will carry on and pass on what she taught me to those I meet in my life.

Martin Macák

Brno, December 10, 2024

Doc. Ing. RNDr. Barbora Bühnová, Ph.D. has been active at the Faculty of Informatics of MU since the beginning of her studies at the turn of the millennium. After a research career in Germany and Australia, she led several research teams at FI MU in the field of software architecture and at the Czech Centre of Excellence for Cybercrime, Cyber Security and Critical Information Infrastructure Protection (C4e). She was the chair of the steering committee of the International Conference on Software Architecture (ICSA) and served as a reviewer and editor of a number of scientific journals, including the most prestigious ones in the field of software engineering. As Vice Dean of FI MU she was responsible for the Association of Industrial Partners and the Faculty's external relations agenda.

In addition to her academic activities, she was passionate about technical education for the general public. She was a co-founder and board member of Czechitas, a non-profit organization that aims to make IT skills accessible to young people and women (with more than 30,000 alumni). She has also been involved in a number of initiatives to get more women involved in technical fields, such as the Informatics Europe Women in Informatics Research and Education (WIRE) working group and EUGAIN: European Network for Gender Balance in Informatics.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards: in May 2024, for example, she received the MU Rector's Award for Volunteering, Computerworld magazine ranked her among the top IT personalities of 2021, and in the same year she also became a holder of the MUNI Scientist Award for her contribution to science. She has also regularly appeared in Forbes magazine's list of the most influential women in the Czech Republic, thanks to her ability to work with talent, inspire, connect the world of education with practice and open opportunities for all without distinction.

She died on 5 December 2024 after a long illness at the age of 43.