Who Is Radomir Saičić

Radomir Saičić (born in Belgrade on 31 October 1961) is a Serbian chemist, full professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Belgrade and a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU). His fields are organic chemistry, organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry.

His laboratory works on the synthesis of complex natural products and biologically active compounds, including taxol derivatives, drugs used in chemotherapy. Saičić has published in international chemistry journals and has led several national and international projects.

In recent years he has also become known to the wider public. He has supported the student protests, and in September 2026 he was presented as one of the candidates of the Student List in the snap parliamentary elections.

Early Life and Education

Radomir Saičić was born in Belgrade on 31 October 1961. Details about his childhood and family cannot be reliably confirmed from several public sources, so this biography does not state them.

He began studying chemistry in 1979 at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of the University of Belgrade and graduated in 1983. He completed his master’s degree in 1987. For the best master’s thesis he received the October Award of the City of Belgrade for students.

He earned his doctorate at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Belgrade. The faculty’s biography lists doctoral studies from 1988 to 1991, while SANU gives 1992 as the year of the doctorate. The sources therefore differ by one year.

Further Training in France

From 1995 to 1996 Saičić carried out postdoctoral studies at the Institute of Natural Products Chemistry of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Gif-sur-Yvette, near Paris. In 2005 he returned to the same institute as a visiting researcher.

Academic Career

Saičić has spent his entire professional career at the University of Belgrade. He started as a trainee assistant in 1984 and became an assistant in 1989. He was elected assistant professor in 1992, associate professor in 1997 and full professor in 2002.

Leadership Roles

From 1999 to 2003 he headed the Department of Organic Chemistry, and he returned to that post on 1 October 2023. Since December 2020 he has been a member of the committee drafting the faculty’s scientific development strategy. Since July 2021 he has chaired the faculty’s Ethics Committee.

Teaching

Saičić teaches courses in organic synthesis, including Organic Syntheses 1 and 2, Syntheses of Complex Organic Molecules, New Synthetic Methods and Organometallic Chemistry. In 1995 he also published a textbook, “Synthetic Free-Radical Reactions: Carbon–Carbon Bond Formation” (Sintetičke slobodno-radikalske reakcije: stvaranje veze ugljenik-ugljenik).

The Scientific Work of Radomir Saičić

Saičić’s research centres on the total synthesis of natural products, that is, building in the laboratory complex molecules normally made by plants and microorganisms. This has made him one of Serbia’s best-known specialists in organic synthesis.

Synthesis of Natural Products and Taxol

The laboratory he leads works on the synthesis of taxol and its derivatives, compounds used in cancer treatment. Together with collaborators, among them Z. Ferjančić, R. Matović and Ž. Čeković, he has published papers on the synthesis and biological testing of paclitaxel analogues. From 2014 to 2015 he also led an innovation project to develop a semisynthesis of paclitaxel from the natural compound 10-deacetylbaccatin III.

He is also known for total syntheses of other natural molecules, including periplanone C, cytoxazone, (−)-atrop-abyssomicin C, swainsonine and hyacinthacine. His paper on the synthesis of (−)-atrop-abyssomicin C, written with F. Bihelović, appeared in 2012 in Angewandte Chemie.

New Synthetic Methods

With his collaborators, Saičić has also developed new reactions in organic chemistry. One of them is the organocatalyzed Tsuji–Trost reaction, worked out with B. Vulović and F. Bihelović, which is used to close five- and six-membered rings. He also wrote a review of syntheses of natural and bioactive compounds without protecting groups, published in Tetrahedron in 2014. He is also a contributor to Wiley’s electronic encyclopedia of reagents for organic synthesis.

Research on Antiviral Drugs

In 2020 Saičić became principal investigator of the project “Small-molecule therapy of RNA viruses” (SMART Repurposing), funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia under its COVID-19 programme. The project dealt with iminosugars and chloroquine analogues, and the team also collaborated with scientists at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. From 2022 to 2025 he led the project “New synthetic methods and their applications for rapid total syntheses of complex natural products and bioactive molecules”.

Other Projects

• Project 172027: development of new synthetic methods and their use in the synthesis of natural products, funded by the Serbian ministry responsible for science.
• 2017: an innovation project on a production process for the vasodilator isosorbide dinitrate.
• 2019: an international donation contract with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Brussels.

Membership in SANU

On 1 November 2012 Saičić was elected a corresponding member of SANU in the Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences. He became a full member on 8 November 2018. Within the Academy he served as vice president of the Expert Council of the Audiovisual Archives and Digitalization Center and as a member of the Working Group for the Design of SANU’s Internet Presentation. He is also a member of the Board for Higher Education and the Board for International Cooperation.

In addition, he has been a member of the Serbian Chemical Society since 1984, where he is active in the Organic Chemistry Section and the Medicinal Chemistry Section.

Public Engagement and Support for Students

For a long time he was known mainly in scientific circles. He became publicly active after the student protests that began following the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station in 2024. He backed them at rallies and in the media.

The SANU Petition

In June 2025 Saičić was among 25 SANU members who signed a public appeal for the resignation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. The initiative was launched by academician Dušan Teodorović, and 25 of 134 academicians signed. Among other things, the signatories said the president was responsible for the erosion of institutions, the media and the judiciary.

The Speech at Slavija and the SANU Gallery Exhibition

At a protest on Belgrade’s Slavija Square, Saičić spoke about civil rights and said that freedom has no price. He stressed that he is a believer, and he also criticised part of the church leadership over its treatment of students. In May 2026 he demonstratively left the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Saint Sava at the SANU Gallery as soon as the address of Culture Minister Nikola Selaković was announced. He later said that by staying silent he would have appeared to accept what the minister represents.

The Student List and the 2026 Elections

President Aleksandar Vučić called snap parliamentary elections for 25 October 2026. The students in blockade decided to take part with their own list, and Saičić was one of the 14 signatories of the citizens’ group “Student List – Students Win” (Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju).

Presentation of the Candidates

The campaign officially began on 10 September 2026 with a rally in Novi Sad, where the first candidates were presented. Among them were the cardiologist Ilija Srđanović, Faculty of Philosophy professor Jovo Bakić, actor Tihomir Stanić and political scientist Adem Mavrić. At the rally Saičić said that the time for listing the government’s failings had passed and that the time for change was coming. On 14 September the students published the full list of 250 candidates, which includes his name.

Positions and Reactions

Saičić has said that personal political ambitions do not interest him and that he joined the list to stand with his students. On the possibility of new faculty blockades he said it was not for him to decide, since the movement belongs to the students. On RTS he spoke about state institutions, Kosovo and relations with Russia. According to Wikipedia, he described Kosovo as a temporarily occupied territory and said Serbia should keep good relations with Russia. Pro-government media, including Novosti, criticised his answers to a question about sanctions on Russia. The election results are not included in this biography.

Personal Life

Saičić does not say much about his private life, so only a few details are publicly known. He has said publicly that he is a believer. Details about his family have not been confirmed by reliable public sources, so this biography does not state them.

Awards and Recognitions

• 1987: October Award of the City of Belgrade for students, for the best master’s thesis.
• 1995: Medal of the Serbian Chemical Society for dedication and achievement in science.
• 2007: Award of the City of Belgrade for the best scientific achievement of 2006.

Interesting Facts

• As a student he received the October Award of the City of Belgrade for the best master’s thesis.
• He wrote entries on reagents for Wiley’s electronic encyclopedia of reagents for organic synthesis.
• His research team collaborated with the Pasteur Institute in Paris on a COVID-19 project.
• The faculty page lists him as the author of a large number of scientific papers, and the full bibliography is available on the faculty’s website.

Legacy and Influence

Saičić has trained generations of chemists at the Faculty of Chemistry, and his collaborators have continued work on the synthesis of complex molecules. In the scientific community he is known for combining fundamental research with applied projects, from taxol to antiviral drugs.

In public life he has become one of the best-known academicians to stand with the student movement. His political engagement came only after four decades in science, and any assessment of his influence depends also on the outcome of the elections and events still to come.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Radomir Saičić?

Radomir Saičić is a Serbian chemist, full professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Belgrade and full member of SANU. He is known for his work in organic synthesis and, since 2026, as a candidate of the Student List.

When and where was Radomir Saičić born?

He was born on 31 October 1961 in Belgrade. This is confirmed by the Faculty of Chemistry page and by SANU data.

How old is Radomir Saičić?

As of this biography’s writing (26 October 2026) he is 64 years old, and he turns 65 on 31 October 2026.

What does Radomir Saičić do?

He works in organic chemistry, specifically the synthesis of natural products and biologically active compounds. He teaches at the Faculty of Chemistry and leads a research laboratory.

Is Radomir Saičić a member of SANU?

Yes. He became a corresponding member of SANU on 1 November 2012 and a full member on 8 November 2018.

At which faculty does Radomir Saičić teach?

He teaches at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Belgrade, where he has been a full professor since 2002 and head of the Department of Organic Chemistry since 2023.

What awards has Radomir Saičić received?

He received the October Award of the City of Belgrade in 1987, the Medal of the Serbian Chemical Society in 1995 and the Award of the City of Belgrade for the best scientific achievement of 2006.

Why is Radomir Saičić on the Student List?

By his own account, he joined the list to stand with his students rather than for a political career. He was presented as a candidate on 10 September 2026 in Novi Sad.

What does Radomir Saičić work on in science?

His team works on the synthesis of taxol and other natural products, and he also led a project on drugs against RNA viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is Radomir Saičić married and does he have children?

Details about his family have not been confirmed by reliable public sources, so this biography does not state them.

Conclusion

Radomir Saičić is a Serbian chemist and academician, full professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and full member of SANU. Over more than three decades he has built a reputation in organic synthesis and led projects ranging from the synthesis of taxol to research on antiviral drugs. In recent years he has also stood out as a supporter of the student movement, and his candidacy on the Student List in 2026 opened a new chapter in his biography.