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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    Susana de la Luna
    de la Luna Gargantilla, Susana
    Research Professor at
    Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CRG)
    Life & Medical Sciences
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    Research interests

    Protein kinases are central to all cellular processes in eukaryotes, and often linked to disease when they are altered. My group works on a family of protein kinases known as DYRK (dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinases), whose members -DYRK1A, DYRK1B, DYRK2, DYRK3, DYRK4- participate in the regulation of processes critical for cell viability and homeostasis. In general, alterations in DYRKs (expression or mutation) are linked to different cancer types. In addition, mutations in several DYRK genes are associated to developmental disorders, as in the case of the DYRK1A haploinsufficiency syndrome or the DYRK1B-associated metabolic syndrome. My group aims to dissect how DYRK activities are linked to human pathology. We are particularly interested on the DYRK-associated activities that impact on the regulation of expression programs either directly on chromatin or indirectly through modulation of signaling pathways.

    Key words

    cell signaling, protein kinases, transcriptional regulation, DYRK kinases, rare disease

    ORCID

    : orcid.org/0000-0001-7765-916X

    RESEARCHER ID

    : E-9553-2015
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    Hugues de Riedmatten
    de Riedmatten, Hugues
    Research Professor at
    Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)
    Engineering Sciences
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    Research interests

    Hugues de Riedmatten leads the Quantum Photonics group at ICFO. His research interests are in quantum information science (QIS) and quantum optics. QIS is a research field that aims at controlling quantum coherence in light and matter in order to enable new information processing capabilities impossible with classical resources. He is interested in the quantum control of light matter interaction between single photons and atomic ensembles implemented with rare-earth doped solids and cold atomic gases. Other research lines include quantum non-linear optics with Rydberg atoms, and the detection and manipulation of single ions in the solid-state. The goal is to develop the quantum technology to implement quantum information networks and quantum repeaters. A more fundamental goal is to enable the observation of fascinating quantum effects, such as entanglement, with distant material systems and to explore the limits of quantum coherence in complex material systems.

    Key words

    Quantum Information, Quantum optics, Quantum memory, Entanglement
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    Davide Debortoli
    Debortoli, Davide
    Research Professor at
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
    Social & Behavioural Sciences
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    Research interests

    Davide Debortoli main research interests are in the area of macroeconomics, with a special focus on business cycles, fiscal policies and monetary policies. One of his line of research has focused on the implications of (lack of) government credibility for the design of optimal fiscal and monetary policies, and for public debt management. In a different line of research he studies the role of heterogeneity and inequality among households for the propagation of aggregate shocks, and the associated policy implications.

     

     

     

    Key words

    Macroeconomics, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy

    ORCID

    : 0000-0001-8012-1790

    RESEARCHER ID

    : K-5785-2014
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    Gustavo Deco
    Deco, Gustavo
    Research Professor at
    Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
    Engineering Sciences
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    Research interests

    Perceptions, memories, emotions, and everything that makes us human, demand the flexible integration of information represented and computed in a distributed manner. Normal brain functions require the integration of functionally specialized but widely distributed brain areas. The main aim of my research is to elucidate precisely the computational principles underlying higher brain functions and their breakdown in brain diseases. My research allows us to comprehend the mechanisms underlying brain functions by complementing structural and activation based analyses with dynamics. We integrate different levels of experimental investigation in cognitive neuroscience (from the operation of single neurons and neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuroimaging and neuropsychology to behaviour) via a unifying theoretical framework that captures the neural dynamics inherent in the computation of cognitive processes.

    Key words

    Computational, Cognitive and System Neurosciences
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    Dan Dediu
    Dediu, Dan
    Research Professor at
    Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
    Humanities
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    Research interests

    My research is quite diverse, including the processes that shape linguistic diversity, the origins and evolution of language in the context of human evolution, and the application of quantitative and computational methods to the language sciences. In particular, I have been focusing on studying the influence of non-linguistic factors on linguistic diversity, such as the effect of vocal tract anatomy on phonetics and phonology, the effect of the bio-physical environment on language spread and on the color vocabulary, and of population genetics on linguistic tone, using statistics and computer modelling. I have been arguing that language and speech are an old feature of our evolutionary lineage, being shared, in some form, with our cousins, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans.

    Key words

    linguistic diversity; language evolution; genetic foundations of language; phonetics; statistics; computer modelling

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-0704-6365

    RESEARCHER ID

    : E-3279-2012
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    Hernando del Portillo
    del Portillo Obando, Hernando A.
    Research Professor at
    Institut de Salut Global Barcelona (ISGlobal)
    Life & Medical Sciences
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    Research interests

    My main research area is the biology of Plasmodium vivax, a neglected human malaria parasite responsible for millions of yearly clinical cases. We are presently looking for mechanistic insights of the role of reticulocyte-derived exosomes, nanovesicles of endocytic origin, in signalling the spleen and the bone marrow to estabish cryptic erythrocytic infections.  To pursue bone marrow and spleen studies,  we are implementing the usage of humanized mouse models and organs-on-chip. To use this information in novel control strategies, we are exploring the use of reticulocyte-derived exosomes as a novel vaccine against P. vivax as well as novel biomarkers of asymptomatic infections. Last, to rapidly move this field to translation, we are pursuing the development of exosome-based vaccines against infectious diseases of veterinary importance.

    Key words

    Malaria, Plasmodium vivax, exosomes, vaccine development, biomarkers, molecular insights pathology, lab chip

    ORCID

    : 0000-0002-5278-3452