We are a group of young and enthusiastic researchers working in the field of organic and supramolecular chemistry. Our goal is to develop catalytic systems for organic synthesis in water. Read more about the team members and their backgrounds on the People page.
Anamarija Knežević
Principal researchers
Anamarija completed her Ph.D. degree in 2013 under the guidance of Dr. Vinković at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, with a thesis entitled “Synthesis and Evaluation of Chiral Stationary Phases Containing N-(1-Arylpropyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamide Selector” (University of Zagreb, Croatia). She continued her work on chiral stationary phases and collaborated with Dr. Bosak and Dr. Šinko (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Croatia) on cholinesterase inhibitors and reactivators.
In 2015, Anamarija began working with Dr. Andreja Lesac on the design and synthesis of liquid crystalline dimers. The aim was to elucidate structural features responsible for the emergence of the twist-bend nematic phase, an intriguing chiral liquid crystal phase that emerges from the self-assembly of achiral molecules.
In 2018, Anamarija joined Dr. Tibor Kudernac’s group at the University of Twente, Netherlands, to work in the field of life-like supramolecular mechanics. During this time, she received independent funding through the prestigious MSCA Fellowship (2019). Her research focused on studying artificial supramolecular polymers and their potential to interact
through specific noncovalent interactions in solutions and crowded environments resembling cellular conditions.
After three years in the Netherlands, Anamarija returned to the Ruđer Bošković Institute in 2021 as a research associate. STARTNOW project enabled her to establish her group in the field of supramolecular systems designed for organic synthesis in water.
Antonija Ožegović
Postdoctoral researcher
Antonija Ožegović graduated with a Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Zagreb, specializing in analytical and organic chemistry. She joined the Ruđer Bošković Institute in 2020 as a research assistant in the Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, working on the SMChiral project under the mentorship of Dr. Andreja Lesac. In July 2024, she completed her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with the thesis The influence of chirality of 3-aryl-3-hydroxypropanoate-based molecules on mesogenic properites of liquid crystals. During her Ph.D. studies, Antonija gained extensive knowledge and skills in organic synthesis, particularly in the synthesis and analysis of liquid crystals. She acquired experience in investigating mesomorphic properties using polarized optical microscopy and in analyzing chiral supramolecular systems.
Emina Mehić
Postdoctoral researcher
Emina completed her graduate studies at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, modul Chemical Technologies and Products, in July 2018. After finishing her studies, she started working as a chemist at PLIVA, where she was involved in the development of API synthesis. A year later, she started working as an assistant at the Ruđer Bošković Institute as a part of the CATPHARMA project. At the same time, she enrolled in doctoral studies, which she completed in 2023 with the thesis “Biocatalytic properties of group B halohydrin dehalogenases in nucleophilic ring opening reactions of epoxides”. Again, she returned to PLIVA as a senior chemist, and after a year, she changed department and became a senior technologist in the Equipment department. In August 2024 she started working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Ruđer Bošković Institute as a part of the STARTNOW project.
Aleks Logožar
PhD student
Aleks was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and grew up in the northern Croatian province of Medjimurje. He obtained his BSc (2020) and MSc degrees (2023) from the University of Zagreb. His research, in the scope of his Master thesis, conducted as part of the CATPHARMA project, was in the area of synthetic organic and inorganic, as well as solid-state and computational chemistry. After completing his MSc, he worked at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in the industrial process development for the preparation of complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). His role in the API development was mainly the development of organic synthetic procedures and their scale-up, as well as preparation and characterization of solid-state compounds of APIs and their intermediates.
Ivan Lisjak
PhD student
Ivan was born in Zagreb in 1998. He obtained his Master in Chemistry degree in 2023 from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. His MSc research focused on the synthesis and separation properties of chiral metalloorganic networks with ligands derived from amino acids. This research involved the synthesis of organometallic networks both in solution and mechanochemically, and the characterization of the prepared compounds. Currently, Ivan is a PhD candidate at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Anamarija Knežević. His research is centered on supramolecular structures based on amphiphilic imines.
Karlo Petrić
PhD student
Karlo began his university education in 2017 at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb and obtained his Master in Chemistry degree in 2022. He completed his MSc thesis in the Laboratory for Biomimetic Chemistry of the Division for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in the field of photochemistry and carbene chemistry. Later that same year, he was employed as an assistant in the Laboratory for Stereoselective Synthesis and Biocatalysis. In 2023, he enrolled in the Doctoral Studies in Chemistry at the Faculty of Science.
Anamarija Knežević
Principal researchers
Anamarija completed her Ph.D. degree in 2013 under the guidance of Dr. Vinković at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, with a thesis entitled “Synthesis and Evaluation of Chiral Stationary Phases Containing N-(1-Arylpropyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamide Selector” (University of Zagreb, Croatia). She continued her work on chiral stationary phases and collaborated with Dr. Bosak and Dr. Šinko (Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Croatia) on cholinesterase inhibitors and reactivators.
In 2015, Anamarija began working with Dr. Andreja Lesac on the design and synthesis of liquid crystalline dimers. The aim was to elucidate structural features responsible for the emergence of the twist-bend nematic phase, an intriguing chiral liquid crystal phase that emerges from the self-assembly of achiral molecules.
In 2018, Anamarija joined Dr. Tibor Kudernac’s group at the University of Twente, Netherlands, to work in the field of life-like supramolecular mechanics. During this time, she received independent funding through the prestigious MSCA Fellowship (2019). Her research focused on studying artificial supramolecular polymers and their potential to interact
through specific noncovalent interactions in solutions and crowded environments resembling cellular conditions.
After three years in the Netherlands, Anamarija returned to the Ruđer Bošković Institute in 2021 as a research associate. STARTNOW project enabled her to establish her group in the field of supramolecular systems designed for organic synthesis in water.
Aleks Logožar
PhD student
Aleks was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and grew up in the northern Croatian province of Medjimurje. He obtained his BSc (2020) and MSc degrees (2023) from the University of Zagreb. His research, in the scope of his Master thesis, conducted as part of the CATPHARMA project, was in the area of synthetic organic and inorganic, as well as solid-state and computational chemistry. After completing his MSc, he worked at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in the industrial process development for the preparation of complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). His role in the API development was mainly the development of organic synthetic procedures and their scale-up, as well as preparation and characterization of solid-state compounds of APIs and their intermediates.
Ivan Lisjak
PhD student
Ivan was born in Zagreb in 1998. He obtained his Master in Chemistry degree in 2023 from the Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb. His MSc research focused on the synthesis and separation properties of chiral metalloorganic networks with ligands derived from amino acids. This research involved the synthesis of organometallic networks both in solution and mechanochemically, and the characterization of the prepared compounds. Currently, Ivan is a PhD candidate at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Anamarija Knežević. His research is centered on supramolecular structures based on amphiphilic imines.
Karlo Petrić
PhD student
Karlo began his university education in 2017 at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb and obtained his Master in Chemistry degree in 2022. He completed his MSc thesis in the Laboratory for Biomimetic Chemistry of the Division for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in the field of photochemistry and carbene chemistry. Later that same year, he was employed as an assistant in the Laboratory for Stereoselective Synthesis and Biocatalysis. In 2023, he enrolled in the Doctoral Studies in Chemistry at the Faculty of Science.
Emina Mehić
Postdoctoral researcher
Emina completed her graduate studies at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, modul Chemical Technologies and Products, in July 2018. After finishing her studies, she started working as a chemist at PLIVA, where she was involved in the development of API synthesis. A year later, she started working as an assistant at the Ruđer Bošković Institute as a part of the CATPHARMA project. At the same time, she enrolled in doctoral studies, which she completed in 2023 with the thesis “Biocatalytic properties of group B halohydrin dehalogenases in nucleophilic ring opening reactions of epoxides”. Again, she returned to PLIVA as a senior chemist, and after a year, she changed department and became a senior technologist in the Equipment department. In August 2024 she started working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Ruđer Bošković Institute as a part of the STARTNOW project.