News

In the first days of January, the Hungarian Young Academy was shaken by terrible news: Zoltán Fekete, one of our esteemed members became the victim of a tragic hiking accident on 23 December 2024.

In his motivation letter submitted upon his application to HYA, Zoli stated that he wanted to build a castle. A castle that would not prove to be built on sand, but rather, a successful and timeless school that could serve as a solid point of reference for fellow young researchers. He saw the need to reduce the manifold pressure on early career researchers and to adopt a supportive approach to individual life situations. His aim was to build a nationwide mentoring network that would provide individual counselling as well as group outreach to help young scientists develop a clear vision for their first – and perhaps most difficult – years in research. He firmly believed that everyone should be able to build their career with the calm and patience that was so characteristic of him, because only that could guarantee a successful and fulfilled research career in the long run.

Mentoring was at the heart of his work and ethos. To honour his memory, the Hungarian Young Academy is establishing an award to recognise young researchers supervising students’ papers at the National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference (OTDK).

Zoli was driven by the excitement of discovery, both in his work and passion – and he knew that in life, whether as researchers or mountaineers, we always lean on those around us. No life can be solitary: as scientists, teachers, husbands, and fathers, we are called to serve others. He worked tirelessly on building the future while cherishing the present. It is inconceivable that he had only 40 years to do so.

Dear Zoli, may you rest in peace!