Position:
Scientist
Branch:
Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies
Workplace:
ÚVGZ AV ČR, v. v. i.
Drásov 470
Drásov
664 24
Email:
zavrel.t@czechglobe.cz
Research Focus
Dr. Tomáš Zavřel works at the intersection of microalgae/cyanobacteria biotechnology, photosynthesis research, and systems biology. His research is driven by understanding and optimizing how light, nutrients, and environmental stressors shape the physiology, productivity, and resource allocation in phototrophic microorganisms. His objective is to advance sustainable biotechnologies harnessing photosynthetic microorganisms, contributing both to fundamental understanding of photosynthesis and its regulation, and to applied innovations for bioenergy, biomaterials, and bioproducts.
Education
2015: Ph.D. degree in Plant Physiology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
2011: M.Sc. degree in Plant Physiology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Appointments
2020 onwards: Research Assistant, Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Institute CAS, Drásov
2015-2019: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Institute CAS, Drásov
2011-2015: Ph.D. student, Department of Adaptive Biotechnologies, Global Change Research Centre CAS, Drásov
2012–2014: Research & Development Assistant, Photon System Instruments, Ltd., Drasov 470, 664 24 Drásov, CZ
Important research visits and fellowships
2024/06, 2025/09-10: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO, USA (total 4 weeks)
2018-2024, repeated internships: Department of Hydrobotany, Balaton Limnological Institute, Tihany, Hungary (total 16 weeks)
2018/10: Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel (2 weeks)
2016/10-11: Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia (6 weeks)
2015/12: Johann Radon Institute for Computational and Applied Mathematics (RICAM), Vienna, Austria (3 weeks)
2013/04-05: Bioenergy Group, Center for Biotechnology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland (6 weeks)
2012/06: The Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO),Wageningen, Netherlands (1 week)
2011/06-08: Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA (7 weeks)
Membership
The Czech Society of Experimental Plant Biology
The Czech Biotechnology Society
Brief scientometrics
List of all publications (Google Scholar)
(2026/02: h-index: GS: 15, WOS: 12; počet citací: GS 1110, WOS: 557)
Zavřel, T., Pohland A-Ch., Pfennig, T., Matuszyńska, A. B., Tóth, S. Z., Bernát, G., Červený, J (2026): Estimating the redox state of the plastoquinone pool in algae and cyanobacteria via OJIP fluorescence: perspectives and limitations. Photosynthesis Research 164(6): https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-025-01194-x
Espinoza-Corral, R., Zavřel, T., Sutter, M., Leslie, Ch. H., Yang, K., Beck, W. B., Červený, J., Kerfeld, C. A. (2025): The linker protein ApcI regulates light harvesting under red light in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The Plant Cell 37(7), 1-16: https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf144
Pfenning, T., Kullman, E., Zavřel, T., Nakielski, A., Ebenhöh, O., Červený, J., Bernát, G., Matuszyńska, A. B. (2024): Shedding light on blue-green photosynthesis: A wavelength-dependent mathematical model of photosynthesis in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. PLoS Computational Biology 20(9): 1-32: e1012445. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012445
Höper R., Komkova D., Zavřel T., Steuer R. (2024): A quantitative description of light-limited cyanobacterial growth using flux balance analysis. PLoS Comput Biol 20(8): e1012280. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012280
Zavřel T., Segečová A., Kovács L., Lukeš M., Novák Z., Pohland A-Ch., Szabó M., Somogyi B., Prášil O., Červený J., Bernát G. (2024): A Comprehensive Study of Light Quality Acclimation in Synechocystis Sp. PCC 6803, Plant and Cell Physiology, pcae062, https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcae062
Espinoza-Corral R., Iwai M., Zavřel T., Lechno‐Yossef S., Sutter M., Červený J., Niyogi K. K., Kerfeld C. (2024): Phycobilisome protein ApcG interacts with photosystem II and regulates energy transfer in Synechocystis. Plant Physiology, kiad615, https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad615
Literáková P., Zavřel T., Búzová D., Kaštánek P., Červený J. (2024): Marine microalgae Schizochytrium demonstrates strong production of essential fatty acids in various cultivation conditions, advancing dietary self-sufficiency. Front. Nutr. 11, 1-8, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1290701
Rodrigues J.S., Kovács L., Lukeš M., Hoeper R., Steuer R., Červený J., Lindberg P., Zavřel T. (2023) Characterizing isoprene production in cyanobacteria– insights into the effects of light, temperature, and isoprene on Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Bioresource Technology, 380, 129068, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129068
Sukačová K., Szotkowski M., Pařil P., Mareš J., Touš M., Vícha D., Polášek M., Márová I., Zavřel T. (2023) Simultaneous production of γ-linolenic acid and carotenoids by a novel microalgal strain isolated from the underexplored habitat of intermittent streams. Algal Research, 71, 103055, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2023.103055
Inomura, K., Masuda, T., Eichner, M., Rabouille, S., Zavřel, T., Červený, J., Vancová, M., Bernát, G., Armin, G., Claquin, P., Kotabová, E., Stephan, S., Suggett, D. J., Deutsch, C., & Prášil, O. (2021). Quantifying Cyanothece growth under DIC limitation. Comp. Struct. Biotech. J., 19, 6456–6464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2021.11.036
Polerecky L., Eichner M., Masuda T., Zavřel T., Rabouille S., Campbell D.A. and Halsey K. (2021) Calculation and Interpretation of Substrate Assimilation Rates in Microbial Cells Based on Isotopic Composition Data Obtained by nanoSIMS. Front. Microbiol. 12:621634. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.621634
Zavřel T., Schoffman H., Lukeš M., Fedorko J., Keren N, Červený J. (2021) Monitoring fitness and productivity in cyanobacteria batch cultures. Algal Research. 56: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.algal.2021.102328
Rabouille S. et al. (2021): Electron & Biomass Dynamics of Cyanothece Under Interacting Nitrogen & Carbon Limitations. Front. Microbiol. 12: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.617802
Bernát, G., Zavřel, T., Kotabová, E., Kovács, L., Steinbach, G., Vörös, L., Prášil, O., Somogyi, B. and Tóth, V. R. (2021) Photomorphogenesis in the Picocyanobacterium Cyanobium gracile Includes Increased Phycobilisome Abundance Under Blue Light, Phycobilisome Decoupling Under Near Far-Red Light, and Wavelength-Specific Photoprotective Strategies. Front. Plant Sci. 12: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.612302
Sukačová K., Lošák P., Brummer V., Máša V., Vícha D.and Zavřel T. (2021) Perspective Design of Algae Photobioreactor for Greenhouses—A Comparative Study. Energies 14(5), 1338. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14051338
Polerecky L. et al. (2021): Temporal Patterns and Intra- and Inter-Cellular Variability in Carbon and Nitrogen Assimilation by the Unicellular Cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. Front. Microbiol. 12: 1-15 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.620915
Müller S, Zavřel T, Červený J. (2019): Towards a quantitative assessment of inorganic carbon cycling in photosynthetic microorganisms. Eng Life Sci. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201900061
Zavřel, T., Faizi, M., Loureiro, C. Poschmann, G. Stühler, K. Sinetova, M. A. Zorina, A. Steuer, R. Červený, J. (2019): Quantitative insights into the cyanobacterial cell economy. eLife (8): 1-29, e42508. 10.7554/eLife.42508
Zavřel T., Chmelík D, Sinetova MA, Červený J. (2018): Spectrophotometric Determination of Phycobiliprotein Content in Cyanobacterium Synechocystis. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 2018; (139):1 – 9. 10.3791/58076
Zavřel T., Szabó M., Tamburic B., Evenhuis Ch., Kuzhiumparambil U., Literáková P., Larkum A. W. D., Raven J. A., Červený J., Ralph, P. J. (2018): Effect of carbon limitation on photosynthetic electron transport in Nannochloropsis oculata. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology. 18: 31-43. 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2018.02.020
Faizi, M., Zavřel, T., Loureiro, C., Červený, J., Steuer, R. (2018): A model of optimal protein allocation during phototrophic growth. Biosystems. 10.1016/j.biosystems.2018.02.004
Zavřel, T., Očenášová, P., Sinetová, M. A., Červený, J. (2018): Determination of Storage (Starch/Glycogen) and Total Saccharides Content in Algae and Cyanobacteria by a Phenol-Sulfuric Acid Method. Bio-protocol 8(15). 10.21769/BioProtoc.2966
Zavřel T., Očenášová P., Červený J. (2017): Phenotypic characterization of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 substrains reveals differences in sensitivity to abiotic stress. PLoS ONE (12): 1-21.: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189130
Zavřel T., Červený J., Knop H., Steuer R. (2016): Optimizing cyanobacterial product synthesis: Meeting the challenges. Bioengineered. https://doi.org/10.1080/21655979.2016.1207017
Zavřel T, Knoop H, Steuer R, Jones PR, Červený J, Trtílek M. (2016): A quantitative evaluation of ethylene production in the recombinant cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 harboring the ethylene-forming enzyme by membrane inlet mass spectrometry. Bioresource Technology. 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.11.062
Červený J., Sinetova M. A., Zavřel T., Los D. A. (2015) Mechanisms of High Temperature Resistance of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803: An Impact of Histidine Kinase 34. Life 5: 676-699. DOI:10.3390/life5010676
Zavřel T., Sinetova M. a., Búzová D., Literáková P. Červený J. (2015) Characterization of a model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 autotrophic growth in a flat-panel photobioreactor. Engineering in Life Sciences. 15: 122-132. https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201300165
Zavřel T., Sinetová, M. A., Červený, J. (2015): Measurement of chlorophyll a and carotenoids concentration in cyanobacteria. Bio-protocol 5(9). 10.21769/BioProtoc.1467
Sinetova M. A., Červený J., Zavřel T., Nedbal L (2012) On the dynamics and constraints of batch culture growth of the cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. Journal of Biotechnology 162:148-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2012.04.009
