The ICREAs

ICREA Research Professors form a vibrant community of scientists and researchers in all areas of knowledge that contribute to the advancement of humankind by exploring, interpreting and questioning. Have a look and learn about their amazing discoveries and findings here:

Acín Dal Maschio, Antonio

Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)

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Acín Dal Maschio, Antonio
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

Acín's main research interest is in quantum information theory. This is a scientific area that studies how information is processed and transmitted when encoded on quantum particles. Using quantum effects, new information tasks become possible: more powerful computers, novel cryptographic protocols with unprucedented levels of security or more precise sensing devices. It is a highly inter-disciplinary area combining tools and concepts from mathematics, computer science, physics and engineering. Acín's research activity also covers aspects of foundations of quantum physics, quantum thermodynamics, many-body physics and quantum optics.

Key words
Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Thermodynamics, Many-Body Physics and Quantum Optics.
Alarcón, Tomás

Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM)

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Alarcón, Tomás
Research Professor at
Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My research focuses on Mathematical Biology, particularly in multi-scale and stochastic modelling of tumour growth and tumour-induced angiogenesis. The main aim of my research is to understand the mechanisms involved in drug resistance and formulate therapeutic strategies which are robust to such mechanisms. Although tumour growth is my main field of specialisation, I am interested in other areas of Mathematical Biology, particularly regarding cell reprogramming in cancer, senescence and ageing, tumour-induced angiogenesis, and epigenetic regulation.

Key words
mathematical biology, stochastic modelling, tumour growth, multiscale modelling

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0002-8566-3676

RESEARCHER ID
: D-9083-2013
Albà Soler, M. Mar

Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM)

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Albà Soler, M. Mar
Research Professor at
Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

As a result of a continuous process of gene birth and death, the genomes from different species contain different sets of genes. Some of these genes encode new functional proteins and facilitate the adaptation of the organism to a changing environment. Some new genes originate by gene duplication, but others emerge de novo from previously non-coding genomic sequences. We study the different mechanisms of gene birth using a combination of comparative genomics, high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and ribosome profiling data (Ribo-Seq). We have shown that transcription and translation are pervasive and result in many putative precursors of novel proteins. We are aiming at a quantitative and qualitative description of the still poorly understood process of de novo gene formation.

Key words
genomics; molecular evolution; transcriptomics

ORCID
: 0000-0002-7963-7375

RESEARCHER ID
: B-4793-2009
Alberni Jordà, Anna

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

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Alberni Jordà, Anna
Research Professor at
Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Humanities
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Research interests

Alberni’s research focuses on the study of medieval Romance poetry as an essential part of Europe’s cultural past. More specifically, she works on issues of poetic genre, intertextuality, discoursive traditions and textual criticism. During the last years Alberni has extensively dedicated her efforts to the consolidation of the research group created in 2009 in order to develop the project The Last Song of the Troubadours. Linguistic Codification and Construction of a Literary Canon in the Crown of Aragon (ERC-StG-2008). Her actual project, Ioculator seu Mimus. Performing Music and Poetry in Medieval Iberia (ERC-CoG-2017), aims at editing and analysing a large corpus of documents on the artists involved in musical life at the courts of the kings of the House of Barcelona (Crown of Aragon) from the mid-13th century to the mid-15th century (1235-1435).

Key words
Medieval Poetry, Textual Criticism, Codicology, Rhetorics, Book Production, Cultural History
Albert Cristóbal, Rosa María

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)

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Albert Cristóbal, Rosa María
Research Professor at
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Humanities
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Research interests

My scientific interest lies in improving our understanding of the relationship between humans and plants from a long-term perspective. To do this, my research focuses on rebuilding the vegetation of human-occupied landscapes and understanding the human use of plants, including studying fire, agriculture, and grazing practices and their impact on the landscape. Methodologically, I apply a fine resolution multi-proxy analysis based on the identification of the mineralogical composition and microscopic content (not visible to the naked eye) of archaeological sediments, and closely related, to identify plant remains (phytoliths, starches, calcium oxalates ), as well as other microremains of biological origin (diatoms, spicule sponges, chrysophytes, fecal spherulites). In recent years, I have also dedicated part of my time to developing digital platforms for database exchange to enhance the dissemination of microarchaeological research (www.PhytCore.org). As a Phytolith expert, I have been a member of the International Committee on Phytolith Nomenclature (ICPN) since 2014, which led in 2019, to the release of the ICPN 2.0 contribution to aid in naming and describing phytoliths.

Key words
Prehistory, Archaeology, Paleolandscape reconstruction, Vegetal resources, Phytoliths, geoarchaeology, first hominins

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0003-1722-9445

RESEARCHER ID
: ID=7202686146
Aliaga Alcalde, Núria

Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC - ICMAB)

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Aliaga Alcalde, Núria
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC - ICMAB)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My work focuses on the current need for molecular design in Nanoscience, where functional molecules would play a key role as they can provide tunable nanometer-sized homogeneous units and properties ready to be mined (as reliable sensors, switches, quantum computing materials or molecular electronics). My main objectives are the design of specific molecules together with their control and organization on substrates/surfaces/devices where their properties can be exploited. In my group, we synthesize different molecular systems (of 0D-3D, curcuminoid and porphyrinic nature and their respective coordination compounds), characterize and study them on substrates (e.g. graphene, gold, SWCNTs) and analyze their electronic behavior in micro-/nanodevices (e.g. nanoFETs). So far, my work has demonstrated the advantages of our systems as (i) biomarkers and/or sensors, (ii) active components in nanotransistors and as (iii) single molecule magnets.

Key words
coordinaton chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, nanochemistry, molecular magnetism, molecular electronics, multifunctional materials, nano-structuration, luminescence, microfluidics

ORCID
: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1080-3862

RESEARCHER ID
: H-5886-2011