News & events

The news portal of Comenius University published a press release about the LAM laboratory:

For more info click here: link 

The Research and Development Agency (RDA) has approved funding for the research project APVV-23-0202 on Ternary Chalcogenide Perovskites for Photovoltaics and APVV-23-0300 on Charging and Charge Transfer in Quantum Confined Nanocrystals. Congratulations!

The Faculty of Natural Sciences organized the student conference to encourage undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students to present their work on April 25, 2024. The program featured two main sessions: a presentation and a poster session. An estimated 150 participants from various departments showcased their research. Three students participated from LAM: Sameer Kumar Tiwari presented on “Preparation of BaZrS₃ Thin Films at Moderate Temperature and its Mechanism.” Ivana Božeková discussed her research “Using Gold Nanocrystals to Inhibit Bacterial Growth as a Possible Alternative to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance.” This work contributes to advancing our understanding of nanomaterials in biomedical applications. Ehsan Rezaie Ahari presented a Photoluminescence study of BaZrS₃ Perovskite nanocrystals at a single nanocrystal level showing a phenomenon of photoluminescence intermittence, blinking. For more info click here https://fns.uniba.sk/svk

PhD students Ivana Božeková, Sameer K. Tiwari were awarded UK student research grants and PhD student Daniil Zinoviev was awarded an excellent UK student grant for 2024.

Congratulations to Ivana, Sameer, Daniil!

Ing. Peter Lešták joined LAM team as a new research administrator. Welcome to LAM, Peter!

On 20.03.2024, members of the LAM team participated in an event organized by NextStep Science. This event focuses on creating contacts between those interested in career opportunities in the natural sciences, people from the field of science and the private sector. Members of the LAM team introduced the visitors to the scientific focus, work in the laboratory, and the possibilities of future use of nanomaterials and new materials that are being developed at LAM.

https://nextstepscience.org/

On 08.03.2024 Dr. Sýkora gave a lecture for dozens of participants of the Chemistry Olympiad from all over Slovakia. High school students learned about quantum dots and the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In addition, they had the opportunity to learn more about research at LAM in the form of an interesting excursion in the laboratory.

An interview with the Director of the laboratory, Dr. Milan Sýkora, under the title “Research from Los Alamos brought to Bratislava”, was published in journal „Naša Univerzita“ (Our University). You can read the entire interview in Slovak on page 16 of the magazine by clicking on „Ročník 70, 2. číslo, letný semester 2024)” here: https://uniba.sk/nu/.

We have filed an international invention disclosure, based on our discovery of a new type of quantum confined nanoparticles with NIR photoluminescence that are suitable for use as contrast agents in bioimaging applications.

On January 29, 2024 LAM PhD student MSc. Namrata Jaykhedkar successfully defended her dissertation “Theoretical Modelling of Thermodynamic and Electronic Properties of Crystalline Solids” in front of a full conference room at the Science Park of Comenius University, thus fulfilling the final requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Congratulations! May this doctorate be the beginning of a very successful professional career!

Review article “Chemical aspects of halide perovskite nanocrystals”, by Dr. M. Roy and Dr. M. Sykora, in collaboration with prof. M. Aslam, IIT Bombay, has been accepted for publication in the March issue of Topics in Current Chemistry. Congratulations!

On January 12, 2024, LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered an invited public lecture, promoting the LAM research and more broadly the recent advances in the development and application of nanomaterials, in the Garden Reading Room of the Juraj Fándly Library in Trnava. The recording of the lecture can be found here.

The article “Type-II CdSe/ZnO Core-Shell Nanorods: Nanoheterostructures with a Tunable Dual Emission in Visible and Near-Infrared Spectral Ranges” authored by LAM researchers Dr. Anamul Haque, Mgr. Filip Zechel, Dr. Mrinmoy Roy and Dr. Milan Sýkora in collaboration with Dr. V. Vretenar from the Center for Nano-Diagnostics STU, has been accepted for publication in the prestigious journal Advanced Functional Materials, Congratulations!

On November 24, 2023, LAM Director, Dr. Sýkora, delivered an invited lecture about LAM research titled “Green Synthesis and Optical Properties of Semiconductor Nanocrystals and Nano-heterostructures” at the conference “Novel Trends in Chemistry, Research and Education 2023”, at the Faculty of Science, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik in Košice.

An international patent application was filed based on LAM discovery of new method for preparation of chalcogenide perovskite materials, suitable for development of next generation of solar cells and optoelectronics.

LAM graduate Dr. Filip Zechel, received his diploma at the Comenius University graduation ceremony on November 9, 2023. Congratulations Filip!

Director of LAM, Dr. Milan Sýkora participated as an invited guest at a career and networking event for natural science enthusiasts organized by the NextStepScience association in Campus City Bratislava. Science students had the opportunity to make new contacts, learn more about the work of a scientist and get important information for their career decision making in the natural sciences.

Dr. Sýkora was an invited guest on the discussion show Experiment, which was broadcasted by Slovak Television on 9 October 2023. Dr. Sýkora introduced the audience to the chemistry and physics behind the discoveries that led to the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023. The recording of the show can be viewed here.

Dr. Filip Zechel and Dr. Peter Hutár presented their research results on preparation and characterization of MoS2 nanoflakes at the 2023 IEEE 13th International Conference “Nanomaterials: Applications & Properties” in Bratislava, Slovakia. See more details here.

Pranav Sasikumar joined LAM team as a PhD student. Welcome to LAM, Pranav!

LAM Director, Dr. Sýkora delivered an invited public lecture to talented high school students at a premier high school at Grösslingová (Gamča) Gymnasium in Bratislava, as part of the 4th year of the science-popularization school conference “Older to Younger”, a is a relatively unique concept in Slovak high schools. The lecture focused on establishing of LAM and LAM research, particularly in the area of nanomaterials. The lecture generated great interest among the students and was very interactive and engaging. One of the main objectives of this project is to stimulate interest in science and inspire students in their choice of future profession. More information can be found here and here.

A new publication by LAM researchers, Filip Zechel, Peter Hutár and Milan Sýkora, titled, “Green Colloidal Synthesis of MoS2 Nanoflakes” has just been accepted by Inorganic Chemistry. Congratulations and thank you also to our collaborators, Viliam Vretenár (STU), Karol Végsӧ (SAS), and Peter Šiffalovič (SAS).

During Aug 28 to September 2, 2023, LAM researcher Dr. Hutár attended a summer school ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) in Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic to learn more about the opportunities to utilize high powered lasers within the recently established user facility in materials research.

On Aug 28, 2023, LAM Master’s student, Bc. Daniil Zinoviev, successfully defended his Master’s thesis “Organic Photocatalysis with Quantum Confined Inorganic Nanocrystals”. Congratulations, Daniil!!! We congratulate you on your academic achievement, cheers to your well-deserved success!

On Aug 28, 2023, LAM PhD student, Mgr. Filip Zechel, successfully defended his dissertation thesis “Colloidal Syntheses of Quantum Confined Nanocrystals and Nano-heterostructures with Various Dimensionality” and is now a Doctor of Philosophy. Congratulations, Filip!!! May this be a stepping stone of your future scientific endeavors! Happy Graduation!

LAM PhD student Namrata Jaykhedkar presented her research results in the poster session at the 14th European Conference on Computational and Theoretical Chemistry (EuChemS CompChem 2023), organized by European Chemical Society at Thessaloniki, Greece. More information about the conference can be found here.

LAM PhD student Namrata Jaykhedkar presented her research results in the poster session at the Symposium “TDEP 2023: Finite-temperature and anharmonic response properties of solids in theory and practice”, organized by Linköping University at Linköping, Sweden. More information can be found here.

A new LAM publication by: Namrata Jaykhedkar, Roman Bystrický, Milan Sýkora and Tomáš Bučko, titled, “How the Temperature and Composition Govern the Structure and Band Gap of Zr-Based Chalcogenide Perovskites: Insights from ML Accelerated AIMD” was just published in Inorganic Chemistry. Congratulations!!!

The workshop will focus on important current trends and activities in the area of preparation, characterization and application of 2D materials in general as well as on current capabilities in the field of 2D materials in Slovakia. It will also serve as a networking opportunity, aiming to facilitate possible scientific collaborations.

When: 9 June 2023

Where: Comenius University Science Park, (link: https://cusp.uniba.sk/en/), Ilkovičova 8, Bratislava

Registration: There are no registration fees. We kindly ask the participants to register via the following link – REGISTRATION no later then 8 June 2023.

Programme: The workshop programme will be organized into two morning sessions and one afternoon session. Two coffee breaks are included, lunch will not be provided.

Confirmed speakes:

Milan Sýkora (Bratislava, SK)

Establishing Laboratory for Advanced Materials at Comenius University

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Jaroslav Fabian (Regensburg, DE)

Current trends in physics of 2D materials

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Peter Šiffalovič (Bratislava, SK)

Overview of applied 2D materials research at Institute of Physics SAS

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Ľuboš Mitaš (North Carolina, USA)

Quantum Monte Carlo for systems with strong correlations and spin-orbit interactions

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Ivan Štich (Bratislava, SK)

DFT and Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of 2D materials

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Marius Kadek/ Michal Repiský (Tromsø, NO)

First-principles modelling of 2D materials using relativistic all-electron Dirac-Kohn-Sham theory based on Gaussian-type orbitals

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Martin Gmitra (Košice, SK)

Aspects of proximity effects in van der Waals heterostructures

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Ján Minár (Plzeň, CZ)

Electronic structure, correlations and excited states of topological quantum materials

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Michaela Sojková (Bratislava, SK)

Preparation of 2D Materials by CVD and PVD methods

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Milan Sýkora (Bratislava, SK)

2D Nanomaterials Prepared by Bottom-up Chemical Methods

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Martin Hulman (Bratislava, SK)

Raman Spectroscopy of 2D Materials

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Viera Skákalová (Bratislava, SK)

Synthesis and properties of 2D metal iodides/graphene heterostructures

Dr. Sykora was a guest of the series “Knowledge, Education, Science” in Radio Regina Zapad on May 15, 2023, where he talked about nanotechnology, nanomaterials and the possibilities of their use in everyday life. You can find the recording here.  

On April 27th, 2023, LAM Director, Dr. Sykora, gave a public lecture “Nanomaterials for New Technologies” at the Centre of Scientific and Technical Information of the Slovak Republic (CVTI SR) in Bratislava, Slovakia. In his lecture he explained what are nanomaterials, how are they produced and how they can be used in the development of innovative technologies. The recording of the lecture can be found here.

LAM PhD student MSc. Sameer Kumar Tiwari successfully completed and defended his mid-term thesis on April 12, 2023. Congratulations and best of luck in the second half of your PhD studies!

Our doctoral student, Sameer Kumar Tiwari was selected in a competition for student grants and was awarded a financial fund. Congratulations Sameer and good luck with the project!

On March 22, 2023, PhD students and researchers from the Laboratory of Advanced Materials participated in the NextStep Science Conference, which focuses on creating contacts between those interested in career opportunities in the natural sciences, people from the field of science and the private sector. Members of the LAM team introduced the visitors to the scientific focus, work in the laboratory, and the possibilities of future use of nanomaterials and new materials that are being developed at LAM.

On March 22, 2023, LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered a pitch talk at the workshop Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks and Twinning – Advanced Materials & Processes and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability, promoting Material Research Opportunities at the LAM. The workshop was organized by the Bavarian Research Alliance, Bayhost, and the Czech-Bavarian University Agency.

The annual Open Day at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University took place on February 10. More than 400 high school students from all over Slovakia had the opportunity to learn about study programmes and research that is ongoing at the faculty. Several LAM employees presented our research to the students and showed them our laboratories, where the new materials and nanomaterials are developed.

Director of LAM, Dr. Milan Sýkora answered questions for NextStepScience Podcast about his life as a researcher in the field of nanomaterials and about his career path. You can find the podcasts here and here.

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered an invited lecture about LAM research “Nanomaterials and advanced materials. New opportunities for chemists to participate in the development of innovative technologies”, at the Faculty of Chemical and Food Tecnology of Slovak Technical University, promoting the LAM research.

LAM Director, Dr. Milan Sykora, presented an invited lecture at the meeting of Slovak Chemical Society as part of the Chemical Horizons cycle entitled “Nanomaterials and advanced materials. New opportunities for chemists to participate in the development of innovative technologies”. The recording of the lecture can be found here.

MSc. Ehsan Rezaie Ahari joined LAM team as a PhD. student. Welcome to LAM, Ehsan!

A publication by LAM researchers, R. Bystricky, S.Tiwari and P. Hutár titled “Synthesis of Sulfide Perovskites by Sulfurization with Boron Sulfides”, has just been published in ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry. Congratulations, Roman, Sameer, Peter!

LAM Director, Dr. Milan Sykora presented LAM research, at the International Conference NANOP 2022 (Nanophotonics and Micro/Nano Optics) held in Paris on October 25-27, 2022. LAM PhD student Mr. Gokul Raj Mini Rajendran presented his research results at the Poster Session, with the title of his poster “Effect of charging on electronic structure and plasmonic properties of derivatized anthracenes”. More details about the conference can be found here.

Members of LAM team participated in the 6th year of the international conference NFA 2022 – Nanomaterials Fundamentals and Applications, which was held under the High Tatras at Štrbské pleso. Ten scientists from LAM had the opportunity to present the latest discoveries in their research and share their knowledge with many other participants from Slovakia and abroad. The conference was organized by PF UPJŠ and the Slovenská chemická spoločnosť. You can find more information about the conference here and the abstracts here.  

The LAM team participated in a Europe-wide one-day public outreach event, European Researchers’ Night 2022, which took place in Bratislava’s Stara tržnica. The goal was to stimulate the interest of general public, particularly elementary and high-school students, in science and also to highlight the importance of critical thinking. The visitors had opportunity to learn about various scientific disciplines through interactive demonstrations and experiments. In LAM presentation booth we showed visitors what are nanomaterials, how are they prepared and what is their importance and use in our daily lives. You can find more information about the event here.

LAM PhD student Namrata Jaykhedkar presented her research results at an international conference, Psi-K, in Lausanne, Switzerland. More information about the conference can be found here.

Mgr. Ivana Božeková and Mgr. Filip Zechel participated in ChemoUK summer school – an outreach activity aimed at talented high school students. Ivana and Filip prepared and guided students during a laboratory exercise focused on “green” synthesis and characterization of Copper nanocrystals.

LAM PhD student Namrata Jaykhedkar’s paper “Understanding the structure-band gap relationship in SrZrS3 at elevated temperatures: A detailed NPT MD study”, has just been published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. Congratulations, Namrata!

Dr. Anamul Haque joined LAM team as a postdoctoral research associate. Welcome to LAM, Anamul!

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered an invited lecture, promoting the LAM research, at the international conference ”From Solid State to Biophysics X” in Dubrovnik, Croatia. More information about the conference can be found here.

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered an invited lecture, promoting the LAM research, at the University of Regensburg, Germany.

LAM PhD student Mgr. Ivana Božeková successfully completed and defended her mid-term thesis today. Congratulations and best of luck in the second half of your PhD studies!

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora and several LAM PhD students and researchers participated in the annual Conference organized by NextStepScience, which took place at Comenius University Science Park on March 16, 2022. The conference focused on professional networking between people looking for career opportunities in natural sciences and local companies, start-ups, entrepreneurs, initiatives and inspiring individuals from science and technology. At the conference Dr. Sykora presented to the attendee’s information about the goals, scientific focus and career opportunities at LAM and answered number of questions to interested participants.

Mgr. Natália Prekopová joined LAM team as a new research administrator. Welcome to LAM, Natália!

Dr. Pavol Tisovský joined LAM team as a research associate. Welcome to LAM, Pavol!

LAM PhD students, Mgr. Ivana Božeková and Mgr. Filip Zechel, presented their latest research results on preparation and applications of metal and semiconductor nanocrystals at the 23rd Slovak Student Scientific Conference, which took place on November 24, 2021, at the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology STU in Bratislava under the title “Chemistry and Technologies for Life“.

Dr. Mrinmoy Roy joined LAM team as a postdoctoral research associate. Welcome to LAM, Mrinmoy!

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered an invited lecture, promoting the LAM research, at the Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Dr. Peter Hutár joined LAM team as a postdoctoral research associate. Welcome to LAM, Peter!

LAM Director, Dr. Sykora delivered a lecture, promoting the LAM research, at the international conference “Graphene 2021”, in Grenoble, France. More information about the conference can be found here.

LAM PhD student M.Sc. Namrata Jaykhedkar successfully completed and defended her mid-therm theses today. Congratulations and best of luck in the second half of your PhD studies!

The research proposal for studies of properties and applications of 2D nanomaterials was approved for funding by the Scientific Grant Agency of Slovak Ministry of Education (VEGA). Congratulations!

LAM students Mgr. Ivana Božeková, MSc. Mini Rajendran Gokul Raj and Mgr. Filip Zechel participated in student science conference organized by the Faculty of Natural Sciences on April 19-23, 2021. At the conference the students presented results of their research results on metal nanocrystals, graphene quantum dots and semiconductor nanocrystals, respectively.

LAM PhD students MSc. Mini Rajendran Gokul Raj and Mgr. Filip Zechel succesfully completed and defended their mid-therm theses today. Congratulations and best of luck in the second half of your PhD studies!

Research proposals developed by LAM PhD students Mgr. Ivana Božeková, MSc. Namrata Jaykhedkar, MSc. Mini Rajendran Gokul Raj and Mgr. Filip Zechel for the Comenius University Student Grant competition were all funded. Congratulations to all and good luck with your projects!

LAM Director Dr. Sykora and LAM research administrator, Mgr. Žárska particpated at the online Conference organized by NextStepScience (https://nextstepscience.org/), which took place via Zoom on 17. March 2021. The conference focused on professional networking between people looking for carrer oportunities in natural sciences and local companies, start-ups, enterpreneurs, initiatives and inspiring individuals from science and technology. LAM was one of the thirteen invited organizations. At the conference Dr. Sykora presented to the attendess information about the goals, scientific focus and career opportunities at LAM and answered number of questions to  interested particpants.

On Jan 18, 2021 the Director of LAM – Dr. Milan Sýkora gave a Career talk during the online event. The participants could learn about his research work in the Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA and in Laboratory for Advanced Materials in Slovakia. Networking activities were an interesting part of the event, facilitating new contacts and collaboration opportunities.

Researchers from the Laboratory for Advanced Materials participated in the CHeMoUK summer school for high school students at the Faculty of Natural Sciences during Aug 27 – 31, 2020.

LAM designed and sponsored a laboratory excercise for the CHeMoUK summer school, where the students could fabricate and test a functional solar cell. The program of the summer school also included a „Day in the life of a scientist”, providing students with an opportunity to experience research work in the actual scientific laboratory. Dr. Lukáš Petra and Mgr. Ivana Božeková of LAM guided students in preparation and characterization of metal nanoparticles. At the end of the CHeMoUK summer school, students presented their work to their student colleagues during a miniconference.

The research proposal for studies of properties and applications of Ternary Chalcogenides was selected for funding by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (APVV) just last week. Congratulations!

As a safety precaution related to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19 disease) we are canceling the LAM 2D MATERIALS WORKSHOP on the March 27, 2020. We will announce a new date for the workshop at a later date.

Each year, the Faculty of Natural Sciences opens its doors to the general public to showcase the opportunities and information about research and study programmes.

Aiming to kindle interest in materials science and nanomaterials research among the visitors, Mgr. Filip Zechel presented various areas that LAM scientists focus on. Thank you for visiting!

Director of LAM, ERA Chair, Dr. M. Sýkora presented the overview of the LAM research program at Advanced Technologies Research Institute, at Slovak Technical University in Trnava, Slovakia.

Students participating in the CHeMoUK summer school tried out some interesting experiments this week. In the LAM designed and sponsored lab exercise participants prepared and tested their own solar cells using some commonly available materials, such as pigments extracted from blackberries.

Laboratory for Advanced Materials is now a partner of the Summer school – CHeMoUK. During the first week of July students will have an opportunity to learn more about research in the field of novel materials during a lecture and a discussion led by the head of the LAM, Dr. Milan Sýkora. The participants will also take part in an interesting practical lab exercise, sponsored by LAM. More details about the CHeMoUK program and this year’s summer school can be found here and here.

Prof. J. Noga and the newly appointed Director of LAM, ERA Chair, Dr. M. Sýkora presented the overview of the ERA Chair project and the plans for the LAM at the “Natural Sciences Tea House” seminar dedicated to H2020 projects at the University of Pavel Jozef Safarik in Kosice, Slovakia.

Prof. J. Noga presented the LAMatCU project during the Workshop on tools and developments for Widening NCP at the Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Members of the LAM presented overview of LAM research at the Open Day at the Faculty of Natural Sciences on 22 Jan 2019 and for this occasion, a propagation flyer was prepared and distributed. The same flyer was also distributed among students from several high schools.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University received a visit from the president of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS), Prof. Odile Eisenstein. The main goal of IAQMS is to provide a forum for international contact and collaboration and a periodical evaluation of the main developments, advances and promising directions of research in the broad field of its interest – the application of quantum mechanics to the study of molecules and macromolecules. It was established in Menton, France in 1967 and among it’s members there are 14 laureates of the Nobel prize.

On December 14^th Prof. Eisenstein gave a lecture about her research involving chemical shifts in NMR spectra of organometallic compounds. NMR is without any doubt one of the most versatile methods for characterization of chemical species. It is used widely in all domains of chemistry and biology. Prof. Eisenstein showed, that by combining the information derived from solid state NMR with simple molecular orbitals analysis it is possible to understand specific reactions associated with transition metal complexes.

Prof. Odile Eisenstein currently performs her research at the Institut Charles Gerhardt, University Montpellier and at the Hylleraas centre for Quantum Molecular Science, University of Oslo. In her scientific work she focuses on theoretical chemistry, reaction mechanisms, organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis.

The university periodic My University informed about the visit in the January 2019 issue.

Laboratory for advanced materials (LAM), established 1.10.2018 as a part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences will be lead by RNDr. Milan Sykora, PhD., as of 1.2.2019. The head of LAM (the ERA-chair position within the LAMatCU-H2020-WIDESPREAD-03-2017-ERAchairs project) was chosen in an international selection process from several other candidates.

RNDr. Milan Sykora, PhD. is an internationally recognized expert in the area of material chemistry. The results of his research were published in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals, for example Nature, J. Am. Chem. Soc. and ACS Nano and are highly cited. He has also contributed to the development of eight patent applications, all in the area of materials science. His research includes number of important advances/breakthroughs in the field of materials science.

RNDr. Milan Sykora, PhD. obtained his master’s degree in chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava. He received his PhD. in chemistry from Marquette University, Milwaukee in USA and later moved to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he performed a postdoctoral research. Prior to his return to Slovak republic he held a position as a permanent technical staff member at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), New Mexico, USA. As the head of LAM, he will establish a research program in the field of advanced materials. Particular focus will be on materials for applications in energy conversion and storage, optoelectronics, electronics and related applications.

The information was published in the Our University periodic.

Dr. Z. Lisoňová presented the LAMatCU project at the ERA Chair Call Seminar at The Technology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Czech Republic.

Comenius University periodic Our University brings information about the LAMatCu project in the June/2018 issue. The popular magazine SME also mentions the LAMatCU project, the fourth H2020 project to be coordinated by the Comenius University. The LAMatCU project is also noticed by the portal Bratislava Day.