Professor Čestmír Šimáně, born on May 9, 1919, in Opava, graduated at the Dr. Beneš Technical University in Brno, later he was on a study visit at Fréderic Joliot-Curie at the College de France. After coming back from abroad, he worked at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Masaryk University in Brno, he was the first employee of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czecho-Slovak Academy of Sciences. In 1955, he became the first director of the newly established Institute of Nuclear Physics in Řež (INP) - see the video below. His successful career continued and he became the Dean of the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FNSPE CTU), a Director at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna (IAEA) and also a Deputy Director at the Joint Institution of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia (JINR).

Furthermore he was a member and also a president in several professional and organizational committees and advisory boards concerning mostly the field of nuclear physics and energy. He also took part in scientific boards of JINR, INP and FNSPE CTU. His scientific a pedagogical activity was mainly aimed at the experimental nuclear physics and energetics.

Professor Simane remained professionally active even in his late senior years, his last position was at the MT25 microtron laboratory. His last article was finished about a month before his passing at the age of 93 on July 26, 2012.