Vaclav Bayer

A man with a beard wearing a red sweater, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression

Bridging academic research into real-world applications through innovative technology 

Vaclav Bayer is a part-time PhD student at the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) of The Open University, where his research explores how Learning Analytics can support more equitable educational outcomes. His journey into the world of Research & Development (R&D) began in 2016 at KMi, where he contributed as a web developer to CORE, the world’s largest open-access research aggregator, and worked on technology reaching millions of users worldwide. This experience sparked a deep interest in leveraging technology to make a real-world impact. After earning his MSc in Computer Science with Distinction from Coventry University, he returned to KMi as a full-stack developer. There, he worked on OUAnalyse, an AI system that helps university staff give students the support they need. 

Over the years, Václav moved into a leadership role and now works as a Technical Programme Manager. He oversees the design and development of innovative tools that help educators support students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. His work, which left a real-world footprint by directly contributing to a 10% improvement in student retention at the Open University, has been recognised with multiple international awards. 

Passionate about making a practical and positive impact, Václav combines his R&D expertise with a creative mindset to turn academic research into real-world solutions that use technology for social good. 

Melete Foundation

We founded Melete in 2019 because our life experience told us that motivated and inspiring people are absolutely the basis of positive change in the world. Our vision is to seek out such people and help them create the credibility that will enable the realisation of their talents.

We are looking for people with ideas that they can put into practice to create self-sustaining social good, to nurture ideas that have the potential to benefit those who are disadvantaged in any way and give an opportunity for exceptional people to have the extra financial freedom that a scholarship provides to create a space to realise their talents.

Our aim is to seed innovative approaches which have the potential to take root and blossom into self-sustaining enterprises. We also want to encourage the networking of amongst an innovative community dedicated to social good such that each member gains insights from fellow collaborators ad together have the potential of being far more than the sum of their parts.

John and Kitty Chisholm

https://melete.foundation/