Dr Varvara Nikolayenko

Bio

Dr Varvara Nikolayenko was born in Kyiv Ukraine but grew up in various parts of Africa and received her PhD in Supramolecular chemistry from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2015. Varvara’s research to date has centred around elucidating the behaviour of a variety of dynamic self-assembled porous materials (these include MOFs, HOFs, CP’s and discrete complexes). After her PhD, Dr Nikolayenko undertook a post-doctoral fellowship with Professor Leonard Barbour wherein her research focus was on developing and modulating the gas storage and sequestration behaviour of various porous materials utilizing external stimuli such as light, pressure and temperature. In 2018, after completing her first fellowship, Dr Nikolayenko ventured into the pharmaceutical industry and took on the Head of Innovation position at Afriplex pharmaceuticals – this position was specifically created for Dr Nikolayenko. In 2020 Varvara decided to return to academia and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Mike Zaworotko’s Crystal Engineering Research Group at the University of Limerick, Ireland.

Publications

• S. Sobczak, A. Połrolniczak, P. Ratajczyk, W.Cai, A. Gładysiak, V. I. Nikolayenko, D.C. Castell, L.J. Barbour and A. Katrusiak, Chemical Communications, 2020, doi.org/10.1039/d0cc00461h

• M. Du Plessis, V. I. Nikolayenko and L. J. Barbour, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b11314.

• I. Claassens, V. I. Nikolayenko, D. A. Haynes, L. J. Barbour, Angewandte Chemie Int Ed, 2018, 47, 15789- 15792.

• M. Du Plessis, V. I. Nikolayenko and L. J. Barbour, Inorganic Chemistry, 2018, 57, 12331-12337.

• V. I. Nikolayenko, D. C. Castell, D. P. van Heerden, L. J. Barbour, Angewandte Chemie Int Ed, 2018, 57, 12086-12091.

• V. I. Nikolayenko, L. van Wyk, O. Q. Munro, L. J. Barbour, Chemical Communications, 2018, 54, 6975-6978. Cover article

• V. I. Nikolayenko, A. Heyns, L. J. Barbour, Chemical Communications, 2017, 53, 11306-11309.

• V. I. Nikolayenko, D. A. Haynes, A. Arauzo, J. Campo, J. M. Rawson, L. J. Barbour, Chemical Communications, 2017, 53, 11310 -11313.

• V. I. Nikolayenko, S. A. Herbert, L. J. Barbour, Chemical Communications, 2017, 53, 11142-11145.

• D. C. Castell, N. Lesotho, V. I. Nikolayenko, G. E. Arnott, Eur. J. Org. Chem., 2017: 4328-4333.

Awards/Conferences

• ICCOSS Poster prize 2017

• Stellenbosch University Consolidoc 2016

• Stellenbosch University Incentive bursary 2015

• SACI poster prize 2014

• NRF grant holder bursary 2012-2015

• Stellenbosch Merit Bursary 2012-2015

• NRF innovation bursary 2011