Prof. Jan Deska is currently leading the research group for Synthetic Organic Chemistry that was established at Aalto's Department of Chemistry in 2015. The research interests of the unit cover a wide range of topics across chemistry and life sciences including organic synthesis; metal, photo- and electrocatalysis; enzymatics; as well as molecular biology. The current research focus lies in the field of Bioorganic Chemistry and particularly on the question of how to integrate biological catalysts and cellular factories into traditional synthetic chemistry approaches.

Before joining Aalto, Jan Deska held positions at Cologne University, Germany (Assist. Prof., 2010-2015) and RWTH Aachen, Germany (Prof., 2014-2015). Prior to his independent career, Deska spend postdoctoral research visits at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India (2007-2008) and Stockholm University, Sweden (2008-2010). He holds both a diploma in chemistry (2004) and a doctorate in natural sciences (Dr. rer. nat., 2007) from the Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.