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:

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    Luca Bonatti
    Bonatti, Luca
    Research Professor at
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
    Social & Behavioural Sciences
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    Research interests

    I am fascinated by thinking, by the very fact that we conceive structured states of mind that can be true or false, that can be imaginary or real. I am fascinated by how pervasively thinking populates our mental life. We reason when we read, or when we speak, but also when we walk around, or when we dream. Indeed, thinking is at the roots of the unique cognitive place humans have in the animal kingdom. I investigate its early structure, finding ways to describe the potential primitives of the scaffoldings supporting the combinatorial structure of human thought. I try to reveal bits and pieces of the representations underlying our abilities to come to conclusions, to form expectations, or to find what happens next. When time allows, I also work on how infants and adults find linguistic structure in speech, and how we can pack so much conceptual information inside those tiny and odd bits of sounds that we call words.

    Key words

    Language acquisition, Cognition, Infant cognition, Probabilistic Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning
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    Christian Brander
    Brander, Christian
    Research Professor at
    Institut de Recerca de la Sida - IrsiCaixa (IrsiCaixa)
    Life & Medical Sciences
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    Research interests

    Our group aims to understand the cellular immunity to viral infections in different disease contexts. Using complementary tools for immune analysis and integrated -omics approaches, we seek to identify functional correlates of virus control and to explore their underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. We combine immune assays with methylome, communicome and transcriptomics analyses to assess to what degree and at which stages of different viral infections the effector function profiles of virus-specific T cells are epigenetically controlled. We are especially interested in understanding these mechanisms in lympho-proliverative and neurological diseases driven by these viral infections.

    Key words

    Viral infections, cellular and innate immunity, epigenetic regulation, neurotropic viruses, host genetics, therapeutic vaccination

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-0548-5778
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    Dan Brockington
    Brockington, Daniel
    Research Professor at
    Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
    Social & Behavioural Sciences
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    Research interests

    My research covers many aspects of conservation social science, rural resource management and livelihood change. I have published on the social impacts of conservation, capitalism and conservation, media and celebrity and large-N studies of NGO sectors. As well as working in Tanzania, I have also conducted research in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and India. I have published around 200 papers and chapters. My books include Fortress Conservation, Celebrity Advocacy and International Development, Celebrity and the Environment, Nature Unbound (with Rosaleen Duffy and Jim Igoe), The Anthropology of Conservation NGOs (with Peter Billie Larson), Prosperity in Rural Africa? (with Christine Noe) Prosperity in Rural Africa? and Contested Sustainability (with Stefano Ponte and Christine Noe) Contested Sustainability. In pursuit of this work have held 2 personal fellowships from the ESRC and was awarded an Advanced ERC in 2022 for work on Conservation Data Justice.

     

     

    Key words

    Conservation Social Science; Development Data; Conservation Data; Celebrity and Representation; Livelihood Change; Political ecology

    ORCID

    : 0000-0001-5692-0154
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    Stefan Bromley
    Bromley, Stefan T.
    Research Professor at
    Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
    Engineering Sciences
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    Research interests

    With the constant technological drive for device miniaturisation, materials are increasingly being used at scales of only a few 100s or 1000s of atoms (i.e. the nanoscale). Such nanomaterials display novel size-dependent properties compared to materials at everyday length scales. Employing classical atomistic and quantum chemical modelling methods implemented on powerful supercomputers, we aim to provide a detailed predictive understanding of the structural, electronic and chemical properties of nanomaterials. We focus on how nanomaterials evolve with size, and designing new materials from nanoscale building blocks. Our research follows three main themes: (i) inorganic nanoclusters and nanostructured materials for energy applications (e.g TiO2, ZnO, CeO2), (ii) nucleation and properties of astronomically important nanomaterials (e.g. TiC, silicates), and (iii) design and understanding of low-dimensional materials for electronics/spintronics using organic molecular building blocks .

    Key words

    Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles, Nanostructured materials, 2D materials, Computational modelling

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-7037-0475

    RESEARCHER ID

    : A-2481-2009
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    Sandra Brucet
    Brucet, Sandra
    Research Professor at
    Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVIC)
    Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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    Research interests

    Our research focuses on the response of aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity to global changes (e.g. eutrophication, habitat destruction, climate change). We use the organisms’ size structure, in combination with taxonomical approaches, to assess biodiversity and ecosystem processes. We are also interested in basic and applied aspects of ecological theories relating organisms’ body size, metabolism and temperature. Our research includes the whole trophic structure from phytoplankton to fish. We focus on different aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, ponds) and use complementary approaches such as experiments, latitudinal comparisons and models. An important line of our research is the study of the biodiversity and functioning of ponds ecosystems. Within this line I am coordinating the EU H2020 project PONDERFUL with the main objective to use pond ecosystems as Nature Based Solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to protect biodiversity. Ultimately, we aim to apply our research results to solving problems related with the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. We also pay particular attention at transferring our knowledge into European policies and platforms (e.g. Water Framework Directive, New Restoration Law, Biodiversity Strategy, IPBES) and the general public. 

    Key words

    biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, ecology, global change, aquatic ecosystems, trophic structure, conservation

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-0494-1161
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    Jorge Burés
    Burés Amat, Jordi
    Research Professor at
    Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ)
    Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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    Research interests

    Our objective is to acquire chemical knowledge that provides a competitive advantage in innovating chemical processes, focusing on mechanistic studies, chemical kinetics, organic chemistry, and catalysis.

    We advance mechanistic analysis by developing methods such as Variable Time Normalization Analysis (VTNA) to extract valuable information from reaction profiles and employ machine learning to enhance kinetic analyses.

    We conduct experimental mechanistic studies of complex catalytic reactions involving various metals and organocatalysts, impacting industries such as pharmaceuticals, polymers, fragrances, and flavors. Our insights lead to innovative synthetic solutions that offer improved reproducibility, efficiency, and sustainability.

    We also collaborate with engineers and spectroscopists to develop advanced data-collection methods and devices that gather high-quality kinetic data, even under challenging conditions, thereby improving reaction profile analysis.

    Key words

    Organic Chemistry; Homogeneous catalysis; Mechanistic Studies

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-7821-9307