معرفی
Jan Deska is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Helsinki and serves as Supervisor for the Doctoral Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences. He is affiliated with the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), focusing on sustainable chemistry research within active institutional frameworks.
His research spans organic chemistry, biocatalysis, and enzyme engineering with emphasis on CO2 utilization, enzymatic production of C1 chemicals, and artificial enzyme modules. Key methodologies include biocatalytic cascades, sustainable synthesis pathways, and nitrogen-containing compound development, directly addressing climate change mitigation through chemical innovation.
Recent publications (2020-2025) reveal dominant trends in enzymatic CO2 reduction to formate, nitroso-ene reaction engineering, and guanidine base synthesis. His work consistently bridges traditional organic synthesis with modern biocatalysis to create sustainable chemical production systems, particularly for carbon-neutral fuels and platform chemicals.
Professor Deska leads major externally funded projects:
- ABIONYS: Artificial Enzyme Modules (ERC Consolidator Grant, 2022-2025)
- ExtremoFor: Extremophile enzyme systems for CO2 reduction (Academy of Finland, 2022-2023)
- EnzIL: Biofriendly decontamination (NATO, 2022-2024)
- SweetCu: Sugar-active metalloenzymes (Academy of Finland, 2022-2024)
His research group operates within HELSUS and the Department of Chemistry, maintaining international collaborations across European and NATO partner institutions. The team specializes in enzyme engineering for sustainable chemical production, with current focus on carbon dioxide conversion technologies and biocatalytic cascade design.
