People

Semira Bener, Ph.D.
Semira was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. She obtained a B.S in chemistry from Istanbul University. Semira then completed her MSc. in the department of chemistry at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) where she studied physical properties of chitosan/graphene oxide composite films. For her PhD, she worked with Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yagci at ITU, focusing on photopolymerization and hyperbranched polymers. In October 2021, she joined the Sedlacek polymer group as a post-doctoral fellow to expand her polymer chemistry knowledge focusing on the development of functional, stimuli responsive polymeric architectures via RAFT and PISA. Outside of the lab, she is a tango dancer. Besides, she attended culinary arts academy in Istanbul and enjoys cooking/baking.

Vyshakh Manayath Panakkal
I was born and brought up in Kerala, the southern part of India and obtained my master’s degree at the University of Rennes 1, France. I worked on ring-opening polymerization using an organometallic catalyst with an industrial collaboration at the Institute des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes. For my PhD, I am excited to synthesize polymer nanoparticles with potential biomedical applications using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). Besides academics, I enjoy cooking and landscape photography.

Tuba Ayca Tunca Arin
I was born and grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry, at Bogazici University. In my sophomore year, I started my research about polymers thanks to Prof. Amitav Sanyal in the Sanyal research group. During my master’s, I synthesized dual-functional polymer-coated responsive magnetic materials for cancer therapeutics under his supervision. In October 2022, I joined the Sedlacek polymer and biomaterial synthesis group for my Ph.D. Currently, my research focuses on the synthesis of highly functional polymer materials for biomedical applications. Outside of chemistry, I enjoy cooking, spending my time with cats & dogs and I have a sea-shell collection.

Niccolò Lusiani
I grew up in Tuscany, Italy, and received my master`s degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Pisa. As an undergraduate student, I worked under the supervision of Prof. Elisa Martinelli on the synthesis and characterization of phosphorus-based anti-fouling polymers. This experience, combined with the desire to do research that could have potentially positive implications on human health and treatments, led me to try to pursue a career somewhere at the interface of polymer science and biomedicine. Currently, as a PhD student at Charles University, my research gladly revolves around biomedical polymers, poly(oxazine)s and poly(oxazoline)s, with a focus on their bioconjugation chemistry. Aside from polymer chemistry in my free time, I enjoy playing the piano, reading and cycling.