Igor Goljer was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). His parents worked in banking and his mother later became an economist in the health care industry. Learning languages, including Slovak, Russian, German, and English, was a big part of Goljer’s education, and his English teacher, Livia Hrozienčíková, made an impact on him. Outside of school, Goljer would play with his brother and other children in the neighborhood.

In high school, Goljer developed an interest in math, physics, and chemistry. He participated in chemical, mathematical, and physical olympiads. He also enjoyed drawing and painting. Religion was not completely suppressed by the Communist Party, and Goljer was raised Lutheran. Goljer remembers seeing tanks and hearing planes in August 1968 when the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia following the Prague Spring.

Goljer attended Slovak Technical University in Bratislava to study physical chemistry and chemical physics. Goljer excelled in school. His undergraduate education was four years, followed by a fifth year to complete a master’s degree. Goljer’s master’s research was focused on describing the energy levels of dioxetane.

After graduating, Goljer was looking for books in a bookstore one day when he met his wife. They began dating and continued to date while Goljer completed his service in the Czechoslovak military. During his military service, he learned about chemical weapons and how to protect troops from chemical warfare.

Goljer was hired as an assistant professor in the physical chemistry department at Slovak Technical University. In that position, he taught classes in physical chemistry. During his time as an assistant professor, he also worked on a PhD, studying under Ladislav Valko.

Goljer’s PhD studies were focused on the composition of dioxetane and light created by the decomposition of dioxetane. He received code from Michael James Steuart Dewar, learned the computer programming language Fortran, and used punch cards to carry out his work. He also employed perturbation theory and Liouville theory in his research. In addition to Valko, Peter Pelikán and Vojtech Kellö provided guidance about his research. Goljer explains that his work on optimization of energy levels on a broad surface was novel work.

As he was finishing his graduate studies, Goljer was offered a position in an NMR lab. To learn about the lab equipment, Goljer traveled to the United States to train on JEOL and Varian instruments. At Brooklyn College, he worked with Vojtech Fried. Goljer then traveled around the country for equipment training with his colleague Miroslav Vida.

After returning to Czechoslovakia, Goljer set up a lab and worked as a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopist. Goljer and Tibor Liptaj studied classical analytical chemistry and two-dimensional Fourier transform NMR spectroscopy, using what they learned to write the book New Methods in Fourier Transform NMR Spectroscopy in Liquids. Goljer and Liptaj used simple descriptions of methods to make them accessible to a broad audience.

Eventually, Goljer saw the need for more advanced equipment in his lab, and a grant provided him with funds to purchase modern equipment. With the new instrumentation, Goljer’s lab began work on the structure and viability of human red cells. New technology also allowed Goljer to study high-resolution NMR spectra in solids through use of a probe analyzing solidstate high-resolution carbon-13 NMR spectra.

Goljer was awarded a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to work in the lab of Hans Wolfgang Spiess at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. Goljer spent three months conducting research there in 1983, learning more about solid states and contributing to collaborative research.

Changes in funding opportunities and leadership positions led Goljer to explore employment in the United States. He accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow in Philip Bolton’s lab at Wesleyan University. In Bolton’s lab, Goljer created structures with aldehydic abasic sites. After a yearlong postdoc, Goljer accepted the opportunity to continue in Bolton’s lab. He did some collaborative work with David L. Beveridge’s lab. Goljer’s notable research projects included work on aptameric DNA and proton-carbon coupling constants.

Goljer was familiar with the people at DNAgency, and when they were looking for a chemist, they reached out to him. Goljer accepted the position, utilizing his knowledge of DNA synthesis to address problems and make processes more efficient.

Varian contacted Goljer when they were looking for an applications chemist, and Goljer accepted a position based in Florham Park, New Jersey. At Varian, Goljer assisted customers in using NMR spectroscopy for DNA structure elucidation and protein structure elucidation. He learned new NMR technology as it was developed and became an expert in hyphenated technology. He began working with many customers in the pharmaceutical industry.

During this time, Goljer researched how to make two-dimensional sequences faster and he introduced the combination of liquid chromatography detection with the Hadamard transformation. He worked on limited data sets and also worked with Howard Taylor on noisy spectra. Additionally, Goljer worked on microquantities.

Goljer traveled often for his role at Varian and he eventually became a US citizen, knowing it would make traveling easier and working for government customers easier. Over time, Goljer built up a reputation with the customers he served through his position at Varian.

After working at Varian, Goljer accepted a position at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. He managed the NMR laboratory and recorded, sent, and elucidated the structure of spectra. Goljer elucidated small quantities with the nano probe. He also purchased equipment for Wyeth and learned to use the Bruker microcryoprobe to elucidate the structures of metabolites. While at Wyeth, Goljer was involved in the development of Prevnar 13, a vaccine to prevent pneumonia. Following the transition of his work from Wyeth to Pfizer, Goljer’s time with the company ended. As Goljer looked for his next role, he did some pro bono consulting for people he knew.

Goljer accepted a research scientist position with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), returning to the area of NMR spectroscopy. At GSK, Goljer used the expertise he had gained from his prior positions to solve structures, advise colleagues, and introduce the Bruker microcryoprobe. Goljer’s work on structures made it possible for the HIV treatment drug dolutegravir to gain FDA approval. Goljer encouraged GSK to share technology across laboratories, furthering openness and efficiency across GSK sites. He worked in collaboration with colleagues in the United Kingdom on a bacterial topoisomerase that is now used to treat anthrax infections.

During Goljer’s retirement, he has traveled around Europe and the US. He and his family have visited Slovakia, and Goljer was in Slovakia when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Goljer gave lectures at the University of Slovakia about COVID-19 vaccines and his drug development expertise.

Goljer discusses the war between Russia and Ukraine, staying in touch with scientists in Slovakia, and pressing issues in science. He reflects on contributions he has made to the development of drugs and vaccines and to the use of NMR technology. He shares gratitude for his wife and family and his hopes for the future.

This interview was conducted remotely via Zoom.