Tom Runčevski was born in Macedonia where he finished his undergraduate studies in chemistry in 2011. He did his PhD at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany, with Prof. Robert E. Dinnebier. He graduated in 2014 with honors, and he was awarded with the Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. After one-year postdoctoral stay at the MPI, he joined UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley Nat Lab in 2015, as a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Jeffrey R. Long. In 2018, he started his independent career in the Southern Methodist University, as an assistant professor of chemistry. He has received the NSF CAREER and ACS PRF awards.

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Control of Molecular Materials 

The structure of materials dictates their physicochemical properties. The solidification of organic materials, whether in their crystalline or amorphous state, can occur as a thermodynamically or kinetically driven phenomenon. Here we will discuss modern experimental techniques used to explore the thermodynamically stable forms of organic materials, considering their potential as minerals on Titan, Saturn's moon. Furthermore, we will explore the utilization of kinetic control to rapidly cool and stabilize new physiologically active materials (drugs, supplements, and pesticides) with tailored properties. Finally, we will delve into post-synthetic modification techniques aimed at disrupting the crystalline integrity of metal-organic frameworks and layered hydroxides. By introducing defects into these materials, we can generate novel properties that are absent in ordered matter.