Michaela Rumlová studied Enzyme Engineering at the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (UCT Prague), where she later obtained her PhD studying the expression and function of Mason–Pfizer monkey virus proteins. During and after her doctoral studies, she spent several research stays at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. She subsequently joined the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where she worked as a research scientist from 1997 to 2014.
In 2013, Michaela joined the Department of Biotechnology at UCT Prague, where she established her research group and continued her work on the molecular biology of viruses. She became Associate Professor of Biotechnology in 2018 and was appointed Professor of Biotechnology in 2021.
Her research has a strong focus on retroviruses, particularly the molecular mechanisms underlying viral particle assembly, structural organization, maturation, and inhibition. The group’s research also explores interactions between viral and cellular proteins and nucleic acids. Beyond retroviruses, her work has addressed the structural and functional biology of flaviviruses, including tick-borne encephalitis, dengue, and Zika viruses, as well as potential allosteric targets in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase.
As head of the group, Michaela shapes its scientific direction and uses her extensive experience in retrovirology to help turn research questions into workable experiments and new projects. Alongside securing funding and keeping the group moving, she supports students in developing their own scientific ideas and becoming independent researchers.