Rok studied pharmacy at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of pharmacy (Slovenia). In 2004 he graduated at the Chair of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana and received his Ph.D. in 2009 under the supervision of Prof. Slavko Pečar working on the design, synthesis and biological testing of novel small molecule inhibitors of Mur inhibitors as potential antibacterial agents.
His Post-doctorate studies were conducted in 2009 - 2010 at Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, Université Paris Descartes (France) under the direction of Christine Gravier-Pelletier on the synthesis of bacterial transferase MraY inhibitors.
From 2005 he was working at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy. From 2016 until 2020, he was working as an assistant professor for medicinal chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana.
His research interests are in the field of medicinal chemistry of antibacterial compounds and organic synthesis. His pedagogic work includes the experimental practice of medicinal chemistry and instrumental pharmaceutical chemistry.
Rok received two Krka Prizes in 2004 for his research in the design and synthesis of Ag85C inhibitors as potential antitubercular drugs and 2009 (Special prize) for his research in the design, synthesis, and evaluation of MurC and D inhibitors.
In 2016 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia awarded him the golden prize for the innovation on work on the green and efficient synthesis of Sitagliptin. |