Dr Branislav Ferko

Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I'm originally Slovak, but was born and raised in Serbia. In 2019, I obtained my PhD from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava under the supervision of Prof. Dušan Berkeš. During my PhD studies, I received a mobility grant for a short-term visit and spent 6 months in the Dixon group, where I was working on the development of a novel photocatalytic method for the synthesis of α-tertiary ethers. After finishing my PhD studies I was awarded a 1-year postdoctoral research place in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the Slovak University of Technology, where I was working on the development of novel cross-coupling reactions of nitrostyrenes. After finishing my postdoc place I was appointed as a research assistant in the same department, while simultaneously working as an API synthetic chemist in Auchem s.r.o. I've now rejoined the Dixon group as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral researcher, focusing on the desymmetrisation of phosphorous (V) centres. Outside of the lab, I enjoy sports and ice baths.