Sona Krajcovicova joined the Spring group in 2021 as a postdoctoral researcher after completing her PhD in organic chemistry and chemical biology. We are wishing Sona a fond farewell as she jets off to start her own independent research group at the Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, from October 2026, as a junior group leader.

She says: “My time at Cambridge has been a formative period in my career, giving me the opportunity to grow as an independent scientist within a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, especially as I know how competitive it is to secure an independent academic position, regardless of where one hopes to build a career. Olomouc is a fantastic place to be, and I feel very fortunate to have such strong support from the Department of Organic Chemistry, where I will be starting.

In my new group, I plan to build on the synthetic and chemical biology expertise I developed at Cambridge to create next-generation therapeutic platforms. The group will focus on modular chemical approaches for controlling peptide and protein function, bringing a totally new expertise to the Faculty. This is both exciting and challenging, and I look forward to establishing a research programme that combines rigorous synthetic chemistry with translational potential, while fostering a supportive and ambitious environment for early-career researchers.

Cambridge has played a central role in shaping the type of scientist and mentor I hope to become. I am very grateful to Professor David Spring, my colleagues in the Spring group, and the wider Department of Chemistry community for their support, collaboration, and inspiration during this important stage of my career.”