Ing. Jan Holub, PhD

E-mail: holubj@vscht.cz
Birth date: 02/09/1988
Nationality: Czech Republic
Orcid: 0000-0001-9472-9131

Profile

An all-round chemist with 8+ years of laboratory experience, apprentice supervision and laboratory teaching practice. Friendly, outgoing and depression resistant. Seasoned in accident solving, fighting with failures and delivering results regardless of obstacles.
Broad international experiences (3 Countries, 4 Groups) with a deep understanding of all research stages.
Published results in high impact journals (J. Am. Chem. Soc., Chem. Sci., Inorg. Chem. Etc.) Publications: 9; H-index: 6, Citacions: 123
Involved in projects spanning from dynamic systems responding to outside stimuli, self-assembling shape-changing supramolecular complexes all the way to projects addressing environmental and sustainable energy issues such as electrochemical CO₂ reduction.

Research Experience and Education

Junior Group Leader – Group of Coordination Chemistry; Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech republic (2.2.2022-PRESENT)

• Supramolecular chemistry of molecular grids and metalo-driven self-assembly
• Electrocatalytic activation of small molecules
• Water and Ammonia oxidation for green hydrogen production using transition metal molecular (electro)catalysts

Laboratory and Project Manager (Prof. G. Bernardes); Yusuf Hamied department of chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (2.8.2021-31.1.2022)

• Students’ induction into laboratory
• Management of accompanying funding administration – reports, filling of spending and working statements, negotiation and purchase of laboratory equipments

The 5 months gap was caused by problems in acquiring UK Working Visa during COVID19 restrictions.

Postdoctoral research (Prof. A. Llobet); Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Tarragona, Spain (1.7.2017-26.2.2021)

• Electrochemical transformations– H₂O, NH₃, CO₂, N₂ oxidations and reductions.
• First in the group to develop ammonia oxidation research line

Ph.D. study and research (Prof. J.-M. Lehn - Nobel prize laureate); Institut de Sciencia et d’Ingénierie Supramoleculaires (I.S.I.S), University of Strasbourg, France (26.9.2012-28.9.2016) (29.9.2016-30.6-2017 – Postdoc)

PhD thesis: Generation of Coordination Architectures from Dynamic Covalent Ligand Libraries

• Stimuli-responsive dynamic combinatorial networks – Developed proof of concept dual metallo-trainable dynamic network based on dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) of imines
• Self-assembling metalosupramolecular grids and helicates – First to prepare and and characterize folded and aldehyde decorated grids with use in DCC

MSc. and BSc. Studies (Prof. P. Lhoták); University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague, Czech Republic (2007-2012)

Master’s degree research topic: Upper rim substitution of calix[4]arenes: Use of directed C-H activation for meta substitution of the upper rim of the calixarenes

• First example of intramolecularly bridged calixarene

Bachelor’s degree research topic: Design and synthesis of dendrimers based on thiacalix[4]arene derivatives

ERASMUS internship, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain                 2011 –February - July

Contract worker in a chemical factory; Synthesia, Pardubice, Czech Rep.                           2006-2008

Personal skills and Competences

Teaching:

External examiner of Master and Bachelor theses at UCT, Prague and Technical University of Liberec (TUL), Czech republic. External evaluator of PhD applications at BIST-UPF Master - Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF).

As a senior demonstrator at the University of Cambridge students’ course of Organic laboratories was responsible for the supervision, testing and grading of students’ tasks and projects

Languages:

Czech:.......................... Native
English: ....................... Proficient user. Fluent in spoken and written English
Russian:........................ Proficient user. Good spoken and written Russian
Spanish:........................ Independent user. Basic conversation and written text.
French:......................... Passive user. Understanding of the spoken language and written text

List of Fundings

2012-2016.................... PhD funding grant from the University of Strasbourg (France)
2018-2021.................... PROBIST – Joint Postdoctoral fellowship between BIST and Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant
2022-2024........................Starting grant - Dagmar Procházková Fund – Starting grant for young scientists establishing their independent group at the UCT, Prague

 List of publications

• Holub, J.; Eigner, V.; Vrzal, L.; Dvořáková, H.; Lhoták, P. Calix[4]arenes with Intramolecularly Bridged Meta Positions Prepared via Pd-Catalysed Double C–H Activation. Commun. 2013, 49 (27). DOI:10.1039/c3cc40655e
• Holub, J.; Vantomme, G.; Lehn, J.-M. Training a Constitutional Dynamic Network for Effector Recognition: Storage, Recall, and Erasing of Information. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138 (36). DOI:10.1021/jacs.6b05785
• Dhers, S.; Holub, J.; Lehn, J.-M. Coevolution and Ratiometric Behaviour in Metal Cation-Driven Dynamic Covalent Systems. Sci. 2017, 8 (3), 2125-2130. DOI:10.1039/c6sc04662b
• Holub, J.; Santoro, A.; Lehn, J.-M. Electronic Absorption and Emission Properties of Bishydrazone [2 × 2] Metallosupramolecular Grid-Type Architectures. Inorganica Chim. Acta, 2019, 494. DOI:10.1016/j.ica.2019.05.017
• Ghaderian, A.; Holub, J.; Benet-Buchholz, J.; Llobet, A.; Gimbert-Suriñach, C. A Ru-Bda Complex with a Dangling Carboxylate Group: Synthesis and Electrochemical Properties. Chem., 2020, 59 (7), 4443–4452. DOI:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b03595
• Santoro, A.; Holub, J.; Fik-Jaskółka M. A., Vantomme G.; Lehn J.-M. Dynamic Helicates Self-Assembly from Homo- and Heterotopic Dynamic Covalent Ligand Strands Eur. J. 2020, 26, 15664-15671. DOI: 10.1002/chem.202003496
• Vereshchuk, N.; Holub, J.; Benet-Buchholz, J.; Llobet A. The Fate of Molecular Ru-phosphonate Water Oxidation Catalyst under Turnover Conditions. ACS Catal. 2021, 11, 5240–5247, DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c05363
• Holub, J.; Vereshchuk, N.; Sánchez-Baygual, F.-J.; Gil-Sepulcre, M.; Benet-Buchholz, J.; and Llobet A. Synthesis, Structure, and Ammonia Oxidation Catalytic Activity of Ru-NH3 Complexes Containing Multidentate Polypyridyl Ligands, Chem. 2021, 60 (18), 13929–13940, DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c01528
• Holub, J.; Santoro, A.; Stadler, A.-M.; Lehn, J.-M. Peripherally Multi-Functionalised Metallosupramolecular Grids: Assembly, Decoration, Building Blocks for Dynamic Covalent Architectures, Chem. Front. 2021, 8 (23), 5054-5064, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D1QI01084K