Ruben Feringa was born and raised in Barger-Compascuum (Drenthe, the Netherlands) in a farming family. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in organic chemistry at the University of Groningen, working under the supervision of Prof. Gerard Roelfes on the modification of antimicrobial peptides using photoredox catalysis. He continued his academic journey with an M.Sc. in physical organic chemistry, also at the University of Groningen, under the guidance of Prof. Wesley Browne. His master’s research focused on the development of organic photochromic coatings using molecular photoswitches. In 2019, Ruben conducted a master’s internship in synthetic chemistry at the University of Geneva in the group of Prof. Jérôme Lacour, where he worked on the synthesis of fluorinated macrocycles. In 2020, he began his Ph.D. research in the group of Prof. Wesley Browne, investigating the switching of surface interactions through photochemical and electrochemical control, with a particular emphasis on Raman spectroscopy. In 2025, Ruben joined the Noël Research Group at the University of Amsterdam as a postdoctoral researcher.
E-mail: r.feringa@uva.nl