Meet the Team

Juraj comes from Prievidza, a small town in Slovakia. His career as a chemist started when he represented Slovakia at 44th and 45th International Chemistry Olympiads in Washington and Moscow. In 2013, he joined University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT) in Prague and graduated there as a Master of Science in Organic Chemistry (2018). At UCT in Prague, he worked in Svoboda-Kohout research group on photoswitchable liquid crystals and stationary phases for high performance liquid chromatography. In September 2018, Juraj  joined the group and finished his PhD on new topologies of carbon nanohoops at the University of Basel in January 2023. Juraj moved in July 2023 rejoining the group at the University of Amsterdam as a postdoctoral scholar. Outside the lab, he loves computer games, dank memes, metal music, history, and enjoys a good party or hiking. 

Of polish origins, Remek grew up in canton Fribourg in Switzerland. During his master at EPFL in Lausanne, he decided to explore further horizons and did an internship in 2019 in the group of Prof. Morris at UNSW in Sydney, where he tried to establish a synthetic pathway towards new analogs of the natural product Jaspine B. He then carried out his master’s thesis work on the Lewis acid catalyzed halogen metathesis in the group of Prof. Morandi at ETH Zürich in late 2020. In April 2021, he joined the group as a PhD student. In his free time, Remek likes to hike, work out, cook, and travel.

Kovida was born and raised in Kurukshetra, India. She obtained her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Chemistry in June 2016 at University of Delhi, India. Following her interest in Chemistry, she then moved to Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal where she obtained her Master's degree in 2019. Her interest in synthetic organic chemistry was sparked by research projects in the group of Dr. Apurba Lal Koner. Her Master thesis project focused on the synthesis of NIR-emitting perylenemonoimide (PMI) dyes for photovoltaic applications. Her interests in these fields led her to join the group as a PhD student in June 2021. In her spare time, Kovida enjoys hiking, reading, learning foreign languages and Indian classical music. 

Sergey was born in Russia in a small town close to Wolgograd. At the age of four he moved to Germany. He studied Chemistry at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin where he obtained his master´s degree in 2021. His chemical career started in inorganic chemistry during an internship under the supervision of Prof. Limberg where he later also did his Bachelor thesis. After he broadened his knowledge in spectroscopy in the group of Prof. J. Kneipp and Dr. Z. Heiner in cooperation with School of Analytical Sciences Adlershof in Berlin, he developed a passion for organic chemistry, which motivated him for his research and Master thesis project on carbon nanohoops in the lab of Dr. Oliver Dumele. His interest in physical-organic chemistry led him to join our group in July 2021 as a PhD student. Outside the lab, Sergey very much enjoys cooking, swimming, and spending time outdoors and with animals.

reach Sergey at s.fisher[at]uva.nl

Noah grew up in a rural village in the Emmental Valley in Switzerland. During his Bachelor's studies, he came into contact with members of the Šolomek Group and their exciting research. Those encounters sparked his interest to start pursuing the interdisciplinary fields of physical-organic chemistry. One thing led to another, and he eventually joined the group for his Bachelor thesis on the synthesis of precursors for covalent organic cages. He did not resist the opportunity to follow the group to the Van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, to work on the synthesis of heteroleptic covalent organic cages within the scope of his Master thesis.  After a long day in the lab, you may very well find Noah outdoors running his laps in the parks of Amsterdam, taking his bike out for a spin, overcoming climbing challenges on boulders, cooking/eating lots of food, or playing the occasional game of chess.