Josef Elster is Professor in the Centre for Polar Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceské Budejovice, and senior scientist, Phycology Centre, Institute of Botany, Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Trebon, Czech Republic. His expertise is in the field and laboratory study of polar cyanobacteria and microalgae. He has led or been a member of many polar research expeditions and was founder of the Czech Arctic Research Infrastructure 'Josef Svoboda Station', Svalbard.