{"id":119,"date":"2023-03-08T17:12:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T15:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/?page_id=119"},"modified":"2025-11-03T12:27:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T10:27:14","slug":"current-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/current-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Our team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Senior members<\/a> – Post-docs<\/a> – Graduate students<\/a> – Undergraduate students<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>
\n

Prof. Gonzalo Guirado<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonzalo Guirado obtained his PhD in Chemistry in 2002 from the Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB) working on Molecular Electrochemistry under the supervision of Prof. J. Marquet and I. Gallardo. After a more than one year post-doctoral training on Molecular Photochemistry in Prof. J.P. Dinnocenzo\u2019s Group at the University of Rochester (NY, US), he moved in 2004 to the NanoSciences Group of CEMES-CNRS (Toulouse, France) working on the field of electrochromic and photochromic molecular switches with Prof. J.P. Launay and Dr. C. Coudret. In 2005, he returned to the UAB and joined the GEFRO, being promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and Full Professor in 2024. Gonzalo was been awarded with the CIDETEC Young Researcher in Electrochemistry Award from the GEE-RESQ group (2007) and the  UAB Aposta Award in the Environmental Category (2011). His recent current research activities are devoted to the use of electrochemistry, ionic Liquids, green electrolytes and CO2<\/sub> for the development of sustainable CO2<\/sub> valorization processes, as well as the design of new smart switchable eco-friendly systems (paying special attention to electrochromic materials for making green devices including reusable (bio)sensors, bacteria detection and self-powered electrochromic wearables).

\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>
\n

Prof. Jordi Hernando<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jordi Hernando completed his BSc in Chemistry at Universitat de Barcelona (Spain) in 1996. Then he joined Miguel Gonzalez\u2019s group at the same university, where he got his PhD degree in Physical Chemistry in 2000. There he applied both laser spectroscopy techniques and theoretical calculations to investigate gas-phase reactions of relevance in atmospheric chemistry. In the early 2000s he was a post-doctoral fellow at Niek van Hulst\u2019s group at the MESA+<\/sup> Institute for Nanotechnology of Universiteit Twente (the Netherlands), where he exploited single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy techniques to study exciton dynamics in multichromophoric aggregates. Since 2004 he is a member of the GEFRO group of Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (Spain), where he is currently a Full Professor. His current research interests focus on the preparation and characterization of optically-active molecules and materials using both bulk and micro-\/nanoscopic approaches.

\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>
\n

Prof. Rosa M\u00aa Sebasti\u00e1n<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa M\u00aa Sebasti\u00e1n obtained her PhD in Chemistry in 1997 at Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain) and then she moved for two years to Laboratorie de Chimie de Coordination (Toulouse, France) for a postdoctoral stay. Then she returned to UAB with a contract financed by “Ramon y Cajal” program, where she became permanent Associate Professor in 2006. In 2020 she was promoted to Full Professor in Organic Chemistry at UAB. She has been involved in several aspects of organic and organometallic chemistry (enantioselective catalysis, metal nanoparticles, immobilization of catalysts on different surfaces, modification of surfaces with hydrophobic dyes), working also in the preparation of macrocycles and dendrimers with applications as catalysts, liquid crystals, sensors, etc. Her research interest has been lately focused on the synthesis of polymers, mainly epoxy resins, poly(cyanoacrylates) and poly(benzoxazines). She has been responsible of several contracts with companies, being the most important a post-doctoral training program between Henkel KGaA & Co. and UAB (2010-2020). For this partnership, UAB was awarded the \u201cNational Award for Public-Private Partnership Research\u201d in 2012. From 2020 she is also Vice Chancellor of Innovation, Transfer and Entrepreneurship of UAB, and Director of the \u201cUAB Research Park\u201d.

\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Dr. Silvia Mena<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silvia Mena graduated in Chemistry in 2015 from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, Spain). In 2016, she was enrolled in the interuniversity MSc and PhD in Electrochemistry. Science and Technology programs, where she completed her Master and PhD thesis under the supervision of Prof. G. Guirado in the fields of electrochemical Cu complexes and electrochemical reduction of CO2<\/sub> in green solvents, respectively. Her doctoral thesis was awarded with the VIII Antonio Aldaz by the GEE RSEQ. Once Silvia finished her PhD in 2021, she did a first postdoctoral stay at LEITAT Technology Center working on Bioelectrochemistry.  From 2022 to 2025, Silvia was awarded with Margarita Salas and Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral fellowships for developing sustainable smart films for radiotherapy at IMB-CNM-CSIC in collaboration with Dr. X. Mu\u00f1oz-Berbel and C. Guardiola and G. Guirado (UAB). Since July 2025 Silvia is a Lecturer in the Physical Chemistry unit of the Department of Chemistry at UAB. Her research is focused on developing sustainable reusable biocompatible smart films for radiotherapy. 

\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Post-docs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Dr. Arnau Marco<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnau Marco got his BSc in Chemistry (specializing in Materials Science) at Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain, 2018), followed by a MSc in Industrial Chemistry and Introduction to Chemical Research (specializing in Advance Chemical Research) at the same university (2019). Since 2020 he has been working on his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Jordi Hernando and Prof. Rosa M. Sebasti\u00e1n, which he defended in late 2024. Curently, he is a post-doctoral researcher at GEFRO. To date Arnau’s activity has been mainly focused on the development of light-responsive processes and materials based on molecular photoswitches, such as CO2<\/sub> capture materials and sensors as well as two-color controlled polymer photopatterning reactions.

\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Graduate students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Yuxi Chen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuxi Chen holds a BSc in Material Forming and Control Engineering and a MSc in Materials Science and Engineering from Dalian Jiaotong University (DJTU, China). She has experience in the synthesis of metal foam films by electrochemical techniques and the detection of electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction properties. Currently, she is doing a PhD at Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain) under the supervision of Prof. Gonzalo Guirado and Prof. Jordi Hernando. Her current research focuses on developing electro- and photoresponsive functional materials based on molecular switches for (bio)sensing. The aim of her project is to fabricate reusable photoelectrochromic biosensors for the long-term monitoring of glucose and lactate.

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Valeria Colmena<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valeria Colmena graduated in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 2017) with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Barcelona (UB, 2019-2020). She has a research experience at the UAB, Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and Onalabs since 2019. Currently, Valeria is a PhD student of the Electrochemistry. Science and Technology doctoral program where she is pursuing an Industrial Doctorate in the field of electrochromic biosensors under the supervision of Dr. J. Punter (Onalabs), X. Mu\u00f1oz-Berbel (IMB-CNM-CSIC) and G. Guirado (UAB).

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Ferran Crugeira<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ferran Crugeira did his bachelor\u2019s in Chemistry at Universitat Aut\u00f3noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain), where he specialized in materials chemistry. Afterwards, he got a MSc degree in Materials Science and Engineering at IQS – School of Engineering (Spain). Currently, he is doing an Industrial PhD in Materials Science at UAB through a collaboration between GEFRO, Nanosfun<\/a> (ICN2-BIST) and the company ColorSensing SL<\/a>. His research focuses on the preparation of new thermochromic compounds that can be used in smart packaging labels.

\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Oriol Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oriol Gonzalez got his BSc in Chemistry at Universitat de Barcelona (UB, Spain, 2022), followed by a MSc in Organic synthesis for pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries at Universit\u00e9 Grenoble-Alpes (UGA, France, 2023). Currently, he is doing a PhD at Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain) under the supervision of Dr. Jordi Hernando, Prof. Rosa M. Sebasti\u00e1n and Dr. Gonzalo Guirado within the CONFETI<\/a> project. His current research focuses on the study of CO2<\/sub> capture and valorization using ionic liquid-based materials.

\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/a>\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Tehreema Naeem<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tehreema Naeem completed her master\u2019s degree at UAB (Industrial Chemistry and Introduction to Chemical Research, specializing in advanced chemical research) in 2022, where she worked on electrosynthesis of organic compounds in ionic liquids under the supervision of G. Guirado. Her current research focuses on the study of the electrochemical and electrochromic behavior of electroactive compounds in green electrolytes (such as ionogel membranes).

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Kerly Ochoa<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerly Ochoa received her BSc in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM, Spain) in 2019 and worked in ethanol electrolyzers before pursuing a Master’s degree in Electrochemistry in Spain (UAM, 2020). She assisted in the improvement of nickel electroplating process in the ITP-aero industry and she is now demonstrating her expertise in the CONFETI<\/a> project, where she is working on CO2<\/sub> capture and reductive membranes under the supervision of Dr. Jordi Hernando, Dr. Silvia Mena, and Dr. Gonzalo Guirado.

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Anna Pozzobon<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Pozzobon completed her BSc in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies in 2017 at Ca\u2019 Foscari University of Venice (Italy), with a thesis on the synthesis and characterisation of azine half-sandwich osmium complexes. Then she took a MSc in Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies at the same university, which she completed in 2020 with a thesis on the optimisation of industrial reactions. After two years in industry and two other years as a research technician at Ca’ Foscari University, in early 2024 she joined GEFRO as a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. J. Hernando, Prof. R. M. Sebasti\u00e1n and Dr. G. Guirado. Her current research focuses on the field of molecular switches for detecting and autonomously repairing mechanical damage in light- and electroresponsive polymer materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Judith Serrano<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith Serrano obtained her BSc in Chemistry in 2023 at Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB, Spain), where she also completed her MSc in Industrial Chemistry and Introduction to Chemical Research, specializing in Chemical Research in 2024. Currently, she is carrying out her PhD studies through a joint collaboration between GEFRO and the SynOrgFun<\/a> group, under the supervision of Profs. Ramon Alib\u00e9s, F\u00e9lix Busqu\u00e9 and Jordi Hernando. Her research focuses on the development of novel molecular photoswitches for biological applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/a> \"\"\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Yiting Wang<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yiting Wang completed her master’s degree at SUES (Shanghai University of Engineering Science, China) in 2024, and worked in anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Currently, she is developing her PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, Spain), where she is working on CO2<\/sub> capture and activation under the supervision of Prof. Gonzalo Guirado and Prof. Jordi Hernando.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\"\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Master and Undergraduate students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senior members – Post-docs – Graduate students – Undergraduate students Senior members Prof. Gonzalo Guirado Gonzalo Guirado obtained his PhD in Chemistry in 2002 from the Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB) working on Molecular Electrochemistry under the supervision of Prof. J. Marquet and I. Gallardo. After a more than one year post-doctoral training on Molecular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2552,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-119","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2552"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":99,"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1417,"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions\/1417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/gefro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}