Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what motivated you to come to CERN? 
My name is Jiří Jalůvka, I’m 25 years old, and I’m currently studying space engineering.  Ever since I started university, I’ve always been most passionate about courses that were deeply rooted in Physics. I was never satisfied just plugging numbers into formulas, I always wanted to understand the principles behind them. I liked to dig deeper and really get to the bottom of things.  
That’s why I often asked myself whether I should have studied Physics instead of Engineering. But then, I had the opportunity to work on my bachelor’s thesis with a team of academics who were developing their own space satellite at the time. That experience led me to space engineering, where I eventually got to work on real space industry projects for the European Space Agency.

What I loved most was that everything I worked on or calculated was something no one had ever done before, it was always a new challenge, and I found that incredibly exciting. So, when the opportunity came up to do an internship at CERN, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I knew it was exactly what I was passionate about, and even more Physics- oriented than anything I’d done before.  
To many people, it might seem like an unusual jump from Space Engineering to Nuclear Physics. But from my point of view, it's quite natural. I deal with radiation, vacuum, and extreme temperature ranges—so in many ways, I’m still solving the same kinds of problems. It’s just that now, instead of being in orbit, they’re happening in an accelerator in Switzerland.

 
What do you do at CERN today? 
At CERN, I’m currently working at the ISOLDE facility with the VITO team, under the supervision of Professor Magdalena Kowalska and Dr. Amy Sparks. My main task is the complete design of an experiment in β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (β-NMR). It’s a highly specialized technique that uses unstable nuclei known for its extreme sensitivity. While it’s usually used for nuclear physics, it can also be applied to study and characterize materials with a level of sensitivity and depth resolution that’s hard to achieve with other techniques.  
That’s exactly what our project is about. We’re working closely with a team from the University of Oxford who are working on all-solid-state battery materials, and we’ll be using β-NMR to investigate them. These batteries have a huge potential for the future of energy infrastructure, but they still face some critical challenges that limit their large-scale deployment. Our research aims to help identify and better understand these problems by looking at every layer of these materials with very high resolution.  
So, how does it actually work? Unlike traditional magnetic resonance, like the one you might encounter in a hospital MRI, where the signal comes from atomic nuclei already present in the sample or hydrogen nuclei in patient’s body , our technique involves directing a beam of polarized radioactive nuclei into the magnetic field. These nuclei are extremely short-lived, often decaying within milliseconds. As they decay, they emit beta radiation, which become our NMR signal that we detect using specialised detectors.  
In simple terms, we analyse the direction of this beta radiation to understand what’s happening  at the interfaces between the different layers of the battery material. Our collaborators in Oxford will use the results (connected to the speed of lithium-ion movement across the battery material) to further improve next-generation battery materials and bring all-solid-state-batteries closer to real-world application.

 
What is working at CERN like for you?
Working at CERN is amazing for several reasons. First of all, you get to interact daily with top-level scientists, which allows you to grow incredibly fast, gain hands-on experience, and receive advice from true pioneers in their fields. But it’s not just about science, there’s also a vibrant social life here.  
CERN is full of bright young people from all over the world, and there’s an endless number of clubs and activities you can join, whether you’re into sports, arts, or science. Another great thing is CERN’s location. Geneva is a beautiful city, and whether you enjoy architecture, chocolate, or the mountains, there’s something for everyone here.
Personally, I love the mountains, and I spend almost every weekend either skiing or hiking. And honestly, there’s nothing better for clearing your head than packing a backpack on the weekend and taking a walk around Mont Blanc.  

What have been the main hurdles or challenges you encountered along the way?
As an engineer, one of the biggest challenges for me was adapting to the way physicists approach problems. In the beginning, I was the only engineer in our team, which meant I felt a strong sense of responsibility for making sure the design would be functional and reliable. At first, I sometimes had the impression that physicists didn’t have a completely clear idea of what they wanted—but they also wouldn’t be satisfied until they saw it done exactly right.  
But that’s also what makes science fascinating: it’s an evolving process, full of exploration and refinement. Fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to work with an amazing team of smart, kind, and open-minded people. We quickly found a common language, and our collaboration has been both productive and rewarding.  
Another challenge was fully understanding the physics behind our project. I’m someone who needs to feel connected to the deeper motivation behind my work, so I spent many evenings studying topics like beta asymmetry, nuclear spin polarization, and other key concepts essential to our experiment. It helped me not only to improve the quality of my contributions but also to make well-informed, critical decisions in both the design and calculation phases.    

What advice would you give potential applicants?
The main advice I would give is don’t be afraid. I’ve learned again and again that the best approach is to just jump in headfirst. Even if things seem challenging at the beginning, you won’t regret it in the end. These are exactly the kinds of experiences that help you grow, both professionally and personally.