My research focuses on nanomaterials for sustainable energy tehnologies, particularly electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production and hydrogen fuel cells.
These devices rely on catalysts based on precious metals such as platinum (Pt) and iridium (Ir), whose scarcity and cost drive the need for more efficient and durable materials.
I investigate the relationships between their structure and their properties, and I develop new methods to do so.
Atomic-scale structure has a profound impact on catalytic activity and stability. Understanding it is essential for designing catalysts that meet industrial performance and lifetime requirements.
See the selected publications for more details.
A significant part of my work involves automated image and data analysis to extract quantitative insights from large datasets.
I work with experts to combine advanced electron microscopy, including identical-location and 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM, 4D-STEM), with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical testing (TF-RDE, modified floating electrode).
By uniting materials and data science, my research aims to enable a rational design of next-generation materials for a sustainable hydrogen economy and other advanced metal-based materials.
I lead a research project on scaling up identical-location microscopy and automating image analysis, hosted at the Institute of Metals and Technology with ReCatalyst d.o.o. as an industry partner. Co-financed by the European Union.
Research experience
- Postdoctoral researcher (2026–present), Institute of Metals and Technology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Postdoctoral researcher (2025–2026), National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Research assistant (2021–2025), National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Recognition
- Jožef Stefan Golden Emblem Prize (2026) — Jožef Stefan Institute.
- Pregl award for an exceptional doctoral thesis (2025) — National Institute of Chemistry.
- Best personal academic website – Accessible SciComm award (2025) — The Academic Designer LLC.
- Best natural science lecture (2024) — publishing house Slovenska matica and The Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia.
- Best master’s thesis in sustainable chemistry (2022) — Slovenian Chemical Society.
- Best poster (2022) — Slovenian-Bavarian Summer School: Materials for Energy and Environmental Application.
Past experience
Before my Ph.D., I had a bunch of student jobs and projects. Here are some of them:
- I was a science communicator at Hiša eksperimentov, where I explained do-it-yourself experiments to visitors, led workshops, and developed new experiments for a traveling science exhibition.
- I joined an international program, Pioneers into Practice by EIT Climate-KIC. It included a work placement at the start-up company PowerUp Fuel Cells OÜ in Tallinn, Estonia, as well as project work on wastewater treatment and several innovation workshops.
- I participated in a start-up accelerator with ReCatalyst (which later won the Slovenian start-up of the year award), organized by EIT RawMaterials.
- I developed machine learning algorithms for tumor tissue recognition on images of eye melanoma as part of a project at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana.
- I was an astronomy tutor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, and led observations with small telescopes for groups of physics students.
Education
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Ph.D. in Chemistry (2025), University of Ljubljana (cum laude).
Thesis: Crystal structure of platinum and iridium nanocomposite electrocatalysts -
M.Sc. in Physics (2021), University of Ljubljana.
Thesis: Algorithms for image analysis of atomically resolved electron micrographs (in Slovene) - B.Sc. in Physics (2019), University of Ljubljana; a semester abroad at TU Berlin.