Jan Kříž: key obituary facts
Is Jan Kříž dead? Yes. Jan Kříž died on October 21, 2026, at age 51.
Cause of death: Jan Kříž's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Jan Kříž known for?
Jan Kříž was a Czech physicist and university educator.
Jan Kříž, a Czech physicist and university educator, died on October 21, 2026, aged 51.
Born in Hradec Králové, he built his academic career at the University of Hradec Králové (UHK), where he became rector in July 2024 and served until his death. He had led the university’s Faculty of Science as dean from 2019 to 2024 and served on the Hradec Králové city council from 2022 to 2026 as a member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS).
Kříž studied theoretical physics, astronomy and astrophysics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague. He earned a master’s degree in 1998, a higher doctorate in 2003 and the RNDr. degree in 2004, and habilitated at UHK’s Faculty of Science in 2015. From 2001 to 2003, he worked in the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences’ theoretical physics department. He then joined UHK’s Faculty of Education as an assistant professor and later moved to its Faculty of Science, where he also headed the physics department. His research included quantum-mechanical systems and mathematical methods in physics; he also focused on working with talented young people.