Zdeněk Hostomský studied biochemistry at the Faculty of Science and the history of philosophy at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. He continued at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, where he focused on genetic engineering and in 1983 completed his postgraduate studies. In 1985, he went to the United States for a one-year internship at Caltech. In 1987 he emigrated to the United States and worked for Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Warner Lambert, and finally Pfizer, where he became executive director of oncology research in 2000. In 2012–2022 he worked as the director of IOCB Prague. After the end of his term, he was awarded the position of Honorary Chair and continues as vice-director for international relations.