Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Faculty | Chemistry | University of West Florida
Skip to main content
Logo of University of West Florida
Alessa Rolka 211

Dr. Alessa Blanka Rolka

Biography

Dr. Alessa Blanka Rolka is a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and a Faculty Mentor in the UWF STEM Scholars Program. Originally from Germany, she obtained a B.S. from the University of Regensburg, working on the detection of drugs in forensic samples. Staying at the same University but switching gears from analytical to organic chemistry, she ventured on to earn a M.S and finally a doctorate degree, performing research in the colorful field of organic photocatalysis in the group of Burkhard König. While mainly studying in Germany, Dr. Rolka had the opportunity to perform research in different groups over the world, including the University of Aberdeen (John Storey), Stanford University (Barry Trost), and the University of California, Berkeley (Dean Toste). After graduating, she joined the group of Marcos Suero at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia as a Postdoctoral Researcher, before she moved from the warmth of Spain to the even warmer Panhandle.

Degrees & Institutions

  • Postdoctoral Scholar, ICIQ, Spain (2023-2024)
  • Dr. rer. nat., University of Regensburg, Germany (2019-2023)
  • Visiting Student Researcher, University of California, Berkeley (2021-2022)
  • M.S., University of Regensburg, Germany (2016-2018)
  • Visiting Student Researcher, Stanford University (2017)
  • Erasmus+ Scholar, University of Aberdeen, Scotland (2016)
  • B.S., University of Regensburg, Germany (2013-2016)

Current Courses

  • Organic Chemistry I
  • Organic Chemistry I Laboratory

Publications

  1. “Alkoxy Diazomethylation of Alkenes by Photoredox-Catalyzed Oxidative Radical-Polar Crossover” Qiyuan He, Quan Zhang, Alessa B. Rolka, Marcos G. Suero J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 12294-12299.
  2.  “Bifunctional Organic Photocatalysts for Enantioselective Visible-light-mediated Photocatalysis” Alessa B. Rolka, Burkhard König Nat. Synth. 2023, 2, 913-925.
  3. “Hybrid Catalysts for Enantioselective Photo-Phosphoric Acid Catalysis” Alessa B. Rolka, Nataliya Archipowa, Roger J. Kutta, Burkhard König, F. Dean Toste J. Org. Chem. 2023, 88, 6509-6522.
  4. “Oxidative con-PET Catalysis for Arene Functionalization” Bartosz Bieszczad, Tobias Karl, Alessa B. Rolka, Patrick Nürnberger, Roger Kutta, Burkhard König ChemRxiv 2022, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv-2022-39x5l.
  5. “Photocatalytic C−H Trifluoromethylthiolation by the Decatungstate Anion” Tobias E. Schirmer†, Alessa B. Rolka†, Tobias Karl, Ferdinand Holzhausen, Burkhard König Org. Lett. 2021, 23, 5729-5733. (†Equal contributions)
  6. “Dearomative Cycloadditions Utilizing an Organic Photosensitizer: An Alternative to Iridium Catalysis” Alessa B. Rolka, Burkhard König, Org. Lett. 2020, 22, 5035-5040.
    · Highlighted in Synfacts 2020, 16, 1102.
    · Highlighted in ChemistryViews 2020, DOI: 10.1002/chemv.202000064.
  7.  “Desymmetrization of Phosphinic Acids via Pd-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation: Rapid Access to P-Chiral Phosphinates” Barry M. Trost, Simon M. Spohr, Alessa B. Rolka, Christopher A. Kalnmals J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 14098-14103.