During the Fall Semester of 2008/2009 the Principle Investigator (PI) held a Visiting Professor position at Department of Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago lecturing Physical Chemistry I to undergraduate students. The course consisted of 50 hours of lectures, 50 hours of discussion sessions, 30 hours of help to students on individual basis, mid-semester and final examinations. 67 third- and fourth-year Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Forensic Science majors were enrolled in Physical Chemistry I. The PI received excellent student evaluations of his teaching performance with the average grade 3.55 out of 4.00 maximal. Consequently, the invitation was repeated in the Fall Semester of 2010/2011 and the PI again in the position of a Visiting Professor lectured Physical Chemistry I to 87 undergraduate students of Department of Chemistry, Loyola University Chicago. He received stellar student evaluations of his teaching performance with the average grade 4.8 out of 5.0 maximal and was selected for the third best professor at the Department of Chemistry.
B.05 Guest lecturer at an institute/university
COBISS.SI-ID: 3976218E.02 International Awards The PI was in a worldwide competition selected as one of the thirteen young scientists contributing most to the research of Planetary Emergencies and was in 2011 awarded the prestigious Best Fellow Prize of the World Federation of Scientists – a society joining over 10000 researchers from 110 countries. In 2009 he was selected as one of the top 15% of reviewers for ACS journal J. Chem. Inf. Model. His Article Inherent Stereospecificity in the Reaction of Aflatoxin B1 8,9-Epoxide with Deoxyguanosine and Efficiency of DNA Catalysis was selected as Highlight of month May 2009 by ACS journal Chem. Res. Toxicol. as well as was included in the thematic collection Chemistry and Biology of DNA Damage. E.01 National Awards The PI was selected as the most quoted Slovenian young scientist and obtained the related Jozef Stefan Golden Emblem award in March 2010.
E.02 International awards
COBISS.SI-ID: 4155674In January 2010 the Principle Investigator published a popular article Aflatoxins – A Frequent Group of Natural Carcinogens in supplement Znanost of leading Slovenian newspaper Delo. In March 2010 he gave a radio interview describing his research activity and the problems of young Slovenian scientiests for Radio Slovenia 1. Moreover, in June 2010 he published a popular article Computer Simulations of Carcinogenesis in monthly magazine Novice IJS. Finally, in October 2011 he gave interviews describing his research activity and the scientific challenges for leading Slovenian newspapers Delo and Dnevnik as well as for radio Val 202.
F.29 Contribution to the development of national cultural identity
COBISS.SI-ID: 4344858D.06 Final Report on International Project In April 2008 the PI was appointed as United Nations Expert in Combinatorial Chemistry and Molecular Design at International Centre for Science and High Technology, United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Trieste, Italy. The mission of the Centre is to award one-year fellowships to the most talented graduate and postdoctoral students from developing countries and to provide them with the opportunity to work together with the best European experts on issues troublesome for their countries before an obligatory return to their homeland. The PI supervised research work of two Thai Ph.D. students on rational design of new avian influenza virus inhibitors and summarized the obtained results in the final report on the international project CHM/08/1. D.08 Research Management PI is involved in the creation of scientific policy, having been elected as one of the two internal members of the Board of Governors – the highest managing body of the Slovenian National Institute of Chemistry – in June 2010. D.10 Educational Activities In May 2011 the PI was at Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education appointed as Expert Evaluator of quality of higher-education study-programs and institutions. D.01 Projects Since May 2009 the PI was successfully leading a two-year ARRS basic research project grant Z1-2000 Molecular Simulations of Carcinogenesis, 100000 €. In 2010 he was also awarded a two-year ARRS bilateral research project grant with USA Carcinogenesis – A Theoretical Approach, 4000 €. Both the PI and his proposed research project Chemical Carcinogenesis – A Computational Approach have been evaluated above the quality threshold in the first phase of the prestigious European Research Council 2011 Starting Grant Call – with a high mark of 2.67 out of 4.00 maximal.
D.06 Final report on a foreign/international project
COBISS.SI-ID: 4069914B.04 Invited Lectures The PI has held 4 invited lectures at universities: Microwave catalysis: Theory versus Simulation at Institute of Mathematics, Physics, and Mechanics, 11 November 2009, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Potent carcinogen aflatoxin B1 and efficiency of DNA catalysis at Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Biological Research Center, Institute of Enzymology, 24 September 2009, Budapest, Hungary; Chemical Carcinogenesis – A Computational Approach at Loyola University Chicago, Department of Chemistry, 22 February 2011, Chicago, USA; and Evolutionarily Conserved Furofuran Region of Aflatoxin B1 and Related Micotoxins is Electrostatically Preorganized to Bind DNA at University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Institute of Molecular Modeling and Simulation, 20 September 2011, Vienna, Austria. B.03 Contributions The PI has presented 10 contributions at international scientific conferences.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 4267546