Assoc. Prof. Ing. Martin Luxa, Ph.D., (May 31, 1964 – July 21, 2025) passed away after a two-year brave struggle with a serious illness.
He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) in 1988, having studied Aircraft Engineering from 1983 to 1988. He completed his studies by defending his diploma thesis titled “The Influence of Local Nonuniformity in Pitch of Stator Turbine Blades on Aerodynamic Characteristics of Cascade”. In 2006, he obtained his Ph.D. in Fluid Mechanics and Thermomechanics at the same institution with a dissertation titled “High-speed Flow in a Radial Turbine Cascade”. In 2018, he successfully completed his habilitation with a thesis focused on high-speed compressible flow in the last stage of a large-output steam turbine.
Since 1986, Martin Luxa had been a researcher at the Institute of Thermomechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. From 2004 to 2023, he led the Laboratory of Internal Flows, and from 2011 to 2023 he also headed the Department of Fluid Dynamics. He played a key role in the technical and organizational development of the Laboratory of Internal Flows in Nový Knín. Among his many achievements, he initiated and oversaw the construction of a modular aerodynamic wind tunnel, which continues to be used intensively.
He was the principal investigator of numerous projects in both fundamental and applied research. His professional work focused primarily on experimental investigation of high-speed compressible fluid flow in turbine blade cascades using optical refraction-based measurement methods. He studied phenomena occurring in supersonic flow fields and their influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of blade cascades. In collaboration with Doosan Škoda Power a.s., he significantly contributed to the development of long rotor blades for the last stages of large output steam turbines, resulting in substantial improvements in electricity generation efficiency—most notably at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant. He was the author or co-author of numerous scientific functional specimens, and utility models.
Since 2014, he had been the main organizer of the annual Aerodynamic Seminar in Nový Knín, whose technical sessions earned wide recognition among experts from both academia and industry. He also actively participated in the international organizing committee of the ISAIF symposium (International Symposium on Aerothermodynamics of Internal Flows).
In addition to his scientific work, he was dedicated to teaching and mentoring students. From 2011 to 2019, he served as a researcher at the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Since 2015, he had been giving lectures on Flow Modelling at the Department of Technical Mathematics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, CTU in Prague. From 2019 onward, he was also a member of the Scientific Committee of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Liberec.
Martin Luxa was also involved in organizing numerous exhibitions—both of the artworks of his wife, Marie, and of scientific themes. Notable examples include the exhibition Aerodynamics for the Warmth and Light of Our Homes, held at the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences in 2014, and Nisi videro … non credam (Unless I See … I Will Not Believe), which showcased visualized flow fields and was held at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, in 2017. The former exhibition, in particular, received great acclaim.
Martin was highly attentive to the needs of his closest colleagues and possessed deep social empathy. He always approached people with respect and kindness, and he was a source of support and inspiration to his colleagues. He was a man of deep faith and valued his family greatly.
We will miss him dearly.