Pavel Vacha, PhD

Pavel Vacha, PhD. is a Director in Artificial Intelligence, Responsible AI and AI Research at MSD Czech Republic, where he leads a team focused on generative AI, multi-modal large language models, and AI safety. With ten years at MSD, he has driven innovation in computer vision, data science, and machine learning for manufacturing and pre-clinical research. He has consistently focused on delivering value by turning prototypes into impactful internal products, which resulted in multiple patent applications and the prestigious 2017 Manufacturing Leadership Award from Frost & Sullivan for optimizing production schedules.

Prior to MSD, Pavel specialized in video analytics and probabilistic modeling at Honeywell, where he co-authored five granted U.S. patents and participated in EU project initiatives, including research stays at INRIA and Queen Mary University of London. He holds a PhD. from Charles University in Prague in collaboration with UTIA, Czech Academy of Sciences, where he worked for eight years and published more than twenty peer-reviewed publications. He was awarded the Antonin Svoboda Award for the best PhD. thesis in Informatics and was a finalist for the Cor Baayen Early Career Researcher Award in 2013.