Science at FSV UK: Jakub Tesař on the connection between social science, quantum physics and environmental policy

Dr. Jakub Tesař from the Institute of Political Studies at FSV UK combines social science, quantum physics and environmental policy in his research. He explores how so-called quantum social science can help us better understand human behavior. His work shows that similar principles can apply both to physical particles and to people – and that understanding these patterns can change the way we think about society.

Before starting his undergraduate studies, he was fascinated by two seemingly very different fields – physics and international relations. Unable to choose between them, he decided to study both simultaneously. “Later, I realized that there was something connecting them: both disciplines study systems composed of units that interact with one another and together create certain behavioral patterns. Fundamentally, this is the same in both the physical and the human world,” he explains.

He still conducts research in the so-called field of quantum social science. Since 2022, he has been the principal investigator of a project funded by the Czech Science Foundation titled Mutual interaction of the self-perspective and the other-perspective in political decision-making: a perspective of quantum social science. The most significant outcome of the project is expected to be a collective monograph that will present concepts of quantum theory and their applications across disciplines – from psychology and economics to game theory. “Cambridge University Press has already expressed preliminary interest in publishing the book, which I consider a success at this stage," he says proudly.

Read the full interview on our website about science at FSV UK.