This is us

Tu-Nan was born in Jilin, China. In 2016, he graduated from Changchun University of Science and Technology with a bachelor’s degree in optical materials. That same year, he joined Prof. Zhen-An Qiao’s group at Jilin University to work on a master’s in inorganic chemistry, where his thesis on hyper-crosslinked polymers won the Excellent Master Thesis Award of Jilin Province. In 2019, he moved to Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands to study removal of PFAS from water using macrocycles under the supervision of Prof. Zuilhof Han and Prof. Harry Bitter. After obtaining his PhD in 2024, he joined the group as a postdoctoral researcher investigating new approaches to porous organic materials. Outside the lab, he’s a big fan of gaming, good beer (who isn't?), and running. 

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. 

Robin comes from the picturesque Groede, a small village in southwest of the Netherlands. He moved to Breda to start his bachelor’s in Chemistry. During his studies he was invited to participate in a student challenge competition organised by the KNCV (Royal Dutch Chemistry Society) and won the first prize. He later moved to Leiden to finish his bachelor’s at Leiden University under supervision of Prof. Lies Bouwman working on catalytic aziridination. He stayed in Leiden to obtain his Master’s in Chemistry conducting research on photoswitchable catalysts under supervision of Dr. Sander Wezenberg. There he got acquainted with the elegance of supramolecular photochemistry, which quickly piqued his interest.  After finishing his Master’s, Robin joined the group a few months later in September 2024. In his spare time, Robin enjoys playing and performing music with his band, hiking, gaming, and going places with friends.