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:

Graupera Garcia-Mila, Mariona

Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras (IJC)

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Graupera Garcia-Mila, Mariona
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras (IJC)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

The Graupera lab studies how signaling events regulate vessel morphogenesis, and how this knowledge can be translated into therapeutic opportunities for diseases characterized by aberrant vessel growth. Current topics of interest are (i) How the endothelium instructs organ function in an organotypic fashion, (ii) How mural cell plasticity can be targeted to prevent disease pathogenesis and progression, and (iii) Why there is distinct endothelial spatio-temporal sensitivity to oncogenic mutations. Her research combines zebrafish and mouse models, patient derived samples, high-throughput analysis (NGS, single cell RNA sequencing, (phospho)proteomics) and high-resolution imaging.

Key words
Endothelial cells, vascular biology, PIK3CA, PI3K

ORCID
: 0000-0003-4608-4185
Grinstein, Sebastian

Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE)

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Grinstein, Sebastian
Research Professor at
Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My research has been focused on high-energy experimental particle physics: understanding which are the fundamental constituents of nature and how they interact. At the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator I have performed studies of QCD and the properties of the top quark. At the LHC accelerator at CERN I conducted searches for new physics in the top sector. I am now leading a coordinated project to develop semiconductor tracking and timing detectors for the ATLAS experiment. During the first stage of this project, 3D pixel silicon sensors designed and produced at Barcelona were included in the innermost detector layer of ATLAS. Currently, we are fabricating 3D pixel module prototypes for the coming high luminosity LHC era. I am also the deputy Project Leader of the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector. My group aims to produce about 10% of the modules for this detector in-house. I am also co-leading a project investigating silicon sensors for medical applications.

Key words
Particle Physics, High Energy Physics, LHC, ATLAS, Pixel Detectors, Silicon Timing Sensors, LGADs, Fermilab, Tevatron

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0002-6460-8694

RESEARCHER ID
: ABE-1880-2020
Guallar Tasies, Víctor

Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS)

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Guallar Tasies, Víctor
Research Professor at
Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

In the EAPM lab at BSC we are devoted to the development and application of computational algorithms in molecular modeling. Using techniques such as Monte Carlo simulations, bioinformatics, machine learning and mixed quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods, we face different biophysical and biochemical challenges, including characterization and engineering of enzymes for industrial and biomedical applications, software development for more efficient early stages of drug discovery and immunology. Along 2022, particular interest has focused on: i) engineering PluriZymes (enzymes with artificially added active sites) for plastic degradation and cascade reactions, ii) developing mixed molecular modeling&machine learning approaches, iii) vaccine development for respiratori viruses and pancreas cancer, and iv) bioprospecting and engineering enzymes for industrial usage.

Key words
Bioinformatics, molecular modeling, drug design, enzyme engineering, PELE

ORCID
: 0000-0002-4580-1114

RESEARCHER ID
: B-1579-2013
Güell Cargol, Marc

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

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Güell Cargol, Marc
Research Professor at
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

My goal is to leverage biology to create new scientific principles and technologies to engineer genomes and metagenomes, and push biological engineering to the next level. Read and write technologies have been advancing at breathtaking pace. This has enabled us to understand and engineer life using its genuine language: DNA.

Very recently, a great ally came to provide intelligence to this unique molecular hardware. AI is approaching a very remarkable understanding of life language and can produce new synthetic proteins. Directed evolution is capable of fast generation of genotypes and fast selection of phenotypes. However, current methods have no software to orient evolutionary trajectories. Coupling this biological hardware with AI massively accelerates the evolution rate of protein function. Not only we can read and write DNA, but we are starting to design synthetic parts de novo. This has been a transformative development for my research goals.

Key words
Synthetic biology, Gene editing, CRISPR, Skin microbiome, Sensors, Xenotransplantation, AI-based biodesign

ORCID
: 0000-0003-4000-7912

RESEARCHER ID
: AAB-3054-2021
Guerrero, Josep M.

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
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Guerrero, Josep M.
Research Professor at
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

His research interests are oriented to different microgrid frameworks like energy microgrids, hydrogen and biomass, water micronets, biological systems, seaport microgrids and electrical ships, airport microgrids and more electrical aircrafts, space microgrids and smart medical systems.

Research threats:
- Digital Twins
- Cybersecurity and Resiliency
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum Computation
Applications:
- Maritime: The research done on microgrids in ships and seaports became fundamental in the state of the art.
- Aeronautics: The pioneering research developed was on aircraft microgrid control and energy management.
- Astronautics: First and very timely results on this space microgrids and electrical power systems for satellites, space stations and lunar/Mars bases and life-support eco-systems.
Key words
Microgrids; Renewable Energy Systems; Neuroscience-based Artificial Intelligence; Digital twins; Cybersecurity

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0001-5236-4592

RESEARCHER ID
: D-5519-2014
Guimerà Manrique, Roger

Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)

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Guimerà Manrique, Roger
Research Professor at
Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

Cells and economies are examples of complex systems. In complex systems, individual components interact with each other giving rise to complex networks of interactions that are neither totally regular nor totally random. Partly because of the interactions themselves and partly because of the interaction's topology, complex systems cannot be properly understood by just analyzing their constituent parts. This feature of complex systems poses important challenges from both a fundamental perspective and an engineering perspective. Roger's research is devoted to the study of complex systems. During his career, he has: (i) made methodological contributions to the study of complex networks, and (ii) used complex network analysis to gain understanding on a number of systems. During the last years, Roger's work has turned to the development of probabilistic models and Bayesian inference, at the interface of probability theory, statistical physics, and interpretable machine learning.

Key words
Complex systems, Complex networks, Systems biology

ORCID
: 0000-0002-3597-4310

RESEARCHER ID
: C-1727-2008