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:

Martínez-Picado, Javier

Institut de Recerca de la Sida - IrsiCaixa (IrsiCaixa)

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Martínez-Picado, Javier
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca de la Sida - IrsiCaixa (IrsiCaixa)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

His research is focused on characterizing the immuno-virological mechanisms of viral pathogenesis in human diseases, including HIV-1, Ebola virus, arenaviruses and, more recently, SARS-CoV-2. His group’s translational program has the ultimate goal of investigating potential new viral therapeutic strategies, especially in the field of HIV/AIDS, through basic and applied research. They work closely with other national and international biomedical institutes, focusing on three priority research topics: understanding viral persistence to tackle HIV cure strategies, viral pathogenesis mediated by myeloid cells, and extreme phenotypes of virus disease progression. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have expanded their research to the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2, implementing organoid models to assess viral infection and inflammatory responses.

Key words
HIV, AIDS, virology, viral pathogenesis, antiretroviral therapy, vaccines, genomics, dendritic cells, drug transporters.

ORCID
: 0000-0002-4916-2129

RESEARCHER ID
: G-5507-2012
Maspoch Comamala, Daniel

Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)

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Maspoch Comamala, Daniel
Research Professor at
Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

My research interests are focused on controlling the assembly -Supramolecular Chemistry- of molecules, metal ions and nanoparticles for the creation of functional nanostructured materials -Nanotechnology- with empty spaces; and use them to encapsulate, store, separate, react and deliver molecules of interest. My main contributions are in the fields of nanoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent-Organic Frameworks (COFs), Metal-Organic Polyhedra (MOPs) and Delivery Systems for applications in myriad areas, including Energy (e.g. gas storage), Catalysis, the Environment (e.g. pollutant removal, CO2 storage), Encapsulation (e.g. long-lasting fragrances), and Life Science –Medicine and animals health– (e.g. drug-delivery systems and contrast agents).

Key words
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Supramolecular Chemistry, Porous Materials, Micro- & Nanoencapsulation

ORCID
: 0000-0003-1325-9161

RESEARCHER ID
: O-9266-2015
Mateos, David

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

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Mateos, David
Research Professor at
Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My main goal is to understand the physics of the Universe at the most fundamental level. Our present understanding is based on two theories. General relativity is a classical theory that provides a good description of gravitational interactions at large, macroscopic scales. The other three interactions, the electromagnetic, the strong and the weak interactions, are unified in a quantum theory, the so-called Standard Model of elementary particles. The answers to many important questions in fundamental physics require a unified, quantum theory of all interactions; these questions include the quantum properties of black holes, cosmology and the origin of the Universe, particle physics beyond the Standard Model, etc. For this reason I work on string theory, a quantum theory that has the potential to describe all forces and particles in Nature in a single, unified framework.

Key words
String theory, quantum field theory, black holes, gauge/string duality.

ORCID
: 0000-0001-7654-0140
Maury, Anaëlle

Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (CSIC - ICE)

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Maury, Anaëlle
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciències de l'Espai (CSIC - ICE)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

I study the physics at work in our Galaxy to transform gas into stars and planets. To do so, I use cutting-edge observations with large radio observatories, which I interpret to describe the physics at work by collaborating closely with modelers. My main decisive contributions have been diverse as I evolved as a researcher and stumbled upon new exciting problems, but they all revolve around characterizing the physical processes at work to build stars like our Sun, their circumstellar disks and the first seeds of planetary systems.

Key words
Protostars - Disk formation and evolution - Star and Planet formation - Polarization - Magnetic fields - Interstellar dust

ORCID
: 0000-0002-3801-8754
Mencuccini, Maurizio

Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF)

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Mencuccini, Maurizio
Research Professor at
Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

I work at the frontier between plant biology and environmental sciences, at the interface with global change. My major contributions to science are in the study of the carbon and water cycles of forests, across Boreal, temperate, tropical and Mediterranean biomes of Europe, the Americas, Australia and Africa. I have authored more than 250 peer-reviewed papers. I am very involved in debates concerning how more severe droughts, as a consequence of climate change, can accelerate tree mortality. One area of major contribution has been in identifying the processes by which plant physiological properties affect the likelihood of survival following extreme drought events. I am also very interested in how canopies of forest trees can act as filters of atmospheric nitrogen deposition via their leaf microbiome. I have supervised more than 40 scientists, of whom more than 20 are still active in senior academic positions or universities. I have spoken at several high-profile conferences.

Key words
forest ecosystems, terrestrial carbon cycle, terrestrial water cycle, adaptation and mitigation to climate change

ORCID
: 0000-0003-0840-1477

RESEARCHER ID
: B-9052-2011
Méndez de la Iglesia, Raúl

Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)

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Méndez de la Iglesia, Raúl
Research Professor at
Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

The primary interest of our group is to understand the molecular mechanisms that dictate alternative 3' UTR formation and the temporal and spatial translational control of specific mRNAs during cell cycle progression and chromosome segregation, senescence and related pathologies. Cell cycle progression is programmed, at least in part, by stored silent mRNAs whose translation is specifically regulated by sequences located at their 3´-untranslated regions (3´-UTRs) and their binding proteins. Our work in the past years has focused on three main questions: 1, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the translational control by cytoplasmic polyadenylation cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. 2, to define how this translational control circuit regulates cell cycle progression by establishing a molecular circuit, stabilized by positive and negative feed-back loops. 3, to explore the contribution of these mechanisms in the reprogramming of gene expression in cancer.

Key words
Gene expression, translational control, cell cycle, cytoplasmic polyadenylation, cancer

ORCID
: 0000-0002-1952-6905