Dr. Andrea Usenik has been working as a Research and Teaching Assistant at the Division of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, Croatia. Her investigations in supramolecular chemistry began during her B.Sc. studies and later focused on the development of fluorescent calixarene-based sensors for cations in solution under the supervision of Prof. Vladislav Tomisic. She completed her Ph.D. in 2023. under the supervision of Prof. Josip Pozar in the area of (supramolecular) physical chemistry, focusing on the thermodynamics of inclusion reactions of hydrophobic and amphiphilic compounds with cyclodextrins and cucurbiturils. Andrea's research interests now center on the thermodynamic and photophysical studies of supramolecular host-guest complexation reactions, focusing on macrocyclic ligands, including calixarenes, cyclodextrins, and cucurbiturils. Her work combines thermodynamic and spectroscopic studies for the detailed characterization of molecular hosting and sensing reactions in solution.

 

Besides her scientific work, she is a Young Observer in the EuChemS Inclusion and Diversity Task Group, serves as the Croatian National Delegate in the European Young Chemists' Network (EYCN) and is a CAS Young Scientist. She is a member of the Croatian, Slovenian, and American Chemical Society, and is actively involved in organizing international conferences and science outreach initiatives.

 

Besides science, she is passionate about technology, graphical design, and dogs - especially her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, HRH Drifty. 🐶