#womensday: Get to know Alena Budinska
In celebration of tomorrow's International Women's Day, we present Alena Budinska. The organic chemist has already accomplished remarkable milestones, even though she only recently completed her doctorate at D-CHAB – and has been selected for this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 Czech Republic. What is her secret to success? In this video clip, Alena Budinska shares her journey and delivers a powerful message to aspiring female researchers.
About Alena Budinska
Alena Budinska completed her Bachelor's degree at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague, during which she published her first papers. Her master's degree in chemistry, which she pursued as an Alfred Werner scholarship holder at ETH Zurich, saw further publications. Following an internship at Roche, she earned her doctorate in 2024 under the guidance of Prof. Helma Wennemers at the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at ETH Zurich, focusing on “Asymmetric Organocatalysis with Peptides.”
Budinska received the Swiss Chemical Industry Scholarship (SSCI) in addition to the Alfred Werner Scholarship and was honored with several awards, including the Jaroslav Heyrovsky Foundation Prize, the Česká hlavička (Czech Little Head Award), and the Willi Studer Prize of ETH Zurich. In 2025, she was recognized as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Czech Republic.