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:

García de Abajo, Francisco Javier

Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)

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García de Abajo, Francisco Javier
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

Javier García de Abajo's research program on the theory of nanoscale photonics ranges from optical characterization free-electron microscope spectroscopies and ultrafast microscopy to studies of ultrasensitive single-molecule detection, quantum aspects of light-matter interaction, excitation and characterization of plasmons by electron beams, plasmonic metamaterials, quantum friction, radiative transfer and coherent control, two-dimensional materials, and ultrafast free-electron processes. These topics cover a broad spectrum of research in nanophotonics. This theoretical effort encompasses classical and quantum methods, both analytical and numerical, which are the basis to understand and propose new phenomena with application to biosensing as well as quantum optics and metrology.

Key words
nanophotonics, plasmonics, condensed matter physics, electron microscopy, light-matter interaction, nanomaterials

ORCID
: 0000-0002-4970-4565

RESEARCHER ID
: A-6095-2009
García Suero, Marcos

Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ)

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García Suero, Marcos
Research Professor at
Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

I uncovered the innovative nature of monovalent carbynes by using the following approach: the conceptual decoration of free carbynes with different masking (leaving) groups that provides stable sources. Selective activations (metal catalysts, light or/and electrons) remove one mask and form reactive equivalents that unveils dual reactivities of the free carbyne species and control the sequence of the different bond-forming processes. The combined radical, carbene and carbocation reactivity is a privileged platform that has allowed me to discover and develop new concepts for molecular editing, using peripheral carbon-hydrogen bonds and skeletal carbon-carbon bonds in chemical feedstocks, drug molecules or materials. The synthetic advantages of the new methods have been exploited in the synthesis or modification of complex molecules.

Key words
catalytic C-H/C-C bond functionalization, molecular editing, hypervalent iodine reagents, late-stage functionalization, carbynes, (photo)catalysis

ORCID
: 0000-0001-9796-7768

RESEARCHER ID
: F-2544-2015
Garrido Ariza, Jose A.

Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)

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Garrido Ariza, Jose A.
Research Professor at
Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

Jose A. Garrido leads the Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices group at ICN2. The activities of the team focus on technology and material science of novel electronic materials, with a strong emphasis on graphene and other 2D materials. In addition, the team works towards the development of technological applications of these materials in electronics, neural interfaces and bioelectronics. The activities cut across different scientific aspects, from fundamentals (physics of devices and semiconductors) to materials (growth of graphene and 2D materials, surface functionalization, advanced characterization), through devices (fabrication technology, nanofabrication), and to applications (neural implants and biomedical technologies, biosensors, energy storage, etc).

Key words
2d materials, electronic devices, nanotechnology, bioelectronics, neural interfaces
Gernjak, Wolfgang

Institut Català de Recerca de l'Aigua (ICRA)

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Gernjak, Wolfgang
Research Professor at
Institut Català de Recerca de l'Aigua (ICRA)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

I strife to to realize a vision for smart and water sensitive cities and societies by innovating the ways we treat reclaimed and drinking water. My research focuses on technology innovation. Specifically, I research novel advanced oxidation and reduction as well as membrane filtration. PhD projects I currently supervise e.g. investigate vacuum UV driven water treatment, membrane distillation, catalytic ozonation, and plasma treatment. My research on water treatment technology is typically strongly connected to controlling water quality hazards to end-users, including trace organic contaminants, disinfection byproducts, and also pathogens. I also continue to expand my research in aspects of integrated water management and industrial water treatment, for example in the projects INVEST, SUGGEREIX and iWAYS. Here, I combine my broad expert knowledge on technology and water quality to find tailored solutions working in multidisciplinary teams to solve real world problems.

Key words
water management, membrane technology, advanced oxidation, human health protection

ORCID
: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3317-7710

RESEARCHER ID
: D 3252 2018
Gieles, Mark

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

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Gieles, Mark
Research Professor at
Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

Most of my research focusses on trying to understand the formation and dynamical evolution of star clusters to shed light on the stellar initial mass function, black holes, gravitational waves, the globular cluster multiple population problem and the dark matter distribution in galaxies. The Milky Way contains approximately 150 globular clusters, for which we have exquisite observations. To interpret these, I use both star-by-star N-body simulations, fast approximate models for cluster evolution and dynamical mass models. I developed a new family of mass models for star clusters (LIMEPY) to search for stellar-mass black holes in star clusters and to probe dark matter in the Milky Way using data from the ESA-Gaia satellite and related surveys. In 2019, I joined the Virgo Collaboration and I make predictions for binary black hole mergers that formed dynamically in star clusters.

Key words
Stars and stellar systems; gravitational astronomy; formation and evolution of galaxies; globular clusters; black holes; numerical methods; gravitational waves; dark matter; ESA-Gaia

ORCID
: 0000-0002-9716-1868

RESEARCHER ID
: AAP-6403-2020
Gomis, Roger

Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)

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Gomis, Roger
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

Although metastasis is the leading cause of cancer death, we are still ill-prepared to fight it. Chemotherapy targets high-proliferating rather than the low-proliferating metastatic cells—allowing these to spread from the primary tumor to distant sites, where they resist conventional treatments, proliferate, and cause vital organ failure. We and others have helped to simplify our understanding of metastasis as an orderly sequence of basic steps, which allows us to rationalize the biological properties required for metastatic disease. We know that cancer cells must orchestrate diverse cellular functions to overcome the difficulties of transiting into the metastatic cascade; these functions are highly dependent on the interactions between the metastatic cell, the tumor, and host stroma. We now need a better understanding of steps of the kinetics and mechanisms that regulate tissue-specific metastasis progression, as a prerequisite for developing effective therapies in the future.

Key words
Metastasis, Cancer, Cell Cycle, TGFbeta

ORCID
: 0000-0001-6473-2858