ACDC-NSYNC
Matija Gredičak
Matija is an associate professor at Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Croatia. He worked on chemistry of enediyne peptidomimetics under the supervision of Dr Ivanka Jerić, gaining his PhD in 2010. He then moved to the University of Oxford to work as a postdoc with prof. Martin D. Smith. In 2015 he began his independent career in the Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ruđer Bošković Institute. In a spare hour, he spends time with his two beloved, perfectly synthesized natural products (b. 2014 and 2017).
POSTDOCS
Danijel Glavač
Danijel obtained his PhD in our group in 2019 working on asymmetric organocatalytic arylations. He then moved for a one-year postdoc to work with prof. Ilija Čorić at University of Zürich on a design of new organocatalysts. When not in lab, Danijel likes skiing and running. His favorite chemical is 20-40% ethanol solution of various plants and fruits.
Nikola Topolovčan
Nikola worked with prof. Martin Kotora at the Charles University in Prague, gaining his PhD in 2018. He moved to Brock University in Saint Catharines as a postdoc with prof. Tomas Hudlicky, and then joined our group in March 2020. His hero is Mikhail Semyonovich Tsvet, whose grave inscription says: "He invented chromatography, separating molecules but uniting people."
Special power: knows how to drive HŽ train 7121 series.
PhD STUDENTS
Mateja Matišić
Mateja graduated from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, in 2018. After a short working experience at Croatian Conservation Institute, she joined our group in October 2018. Her research includes C-C bond formation for the asymmetric generation of quaternary stereogenic centers. Her hero is Rosalind Franklin.
Special power: gets lost even with navigation.
Arben Beriša
Arben finished his masters degree at Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, in 2018. During his studies, he spent his Erasmus+ fellowship with prof. Nuno Manuel Xaviera at Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. He joined our team in April 2019. Theme of his PhD thesis are asymmetric organocatalytic arylations. If he wasn't a chemist, he would be a pilot. When not in lab, Arben enjoys cycling.
EXTERNAL TEAM MEMBERS
prof. Chao Zheng
State Key Laboratory of Organometallic Chemistry
Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, CAS
345 Lingling Lu, 200032 Shanghai, China