Group Members

Staff

Víctor A. Lórenz-Fonfría / Group Leader
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Position: Associate Professor - TU (2021), ICMol, UV.
- Senior Fellow (2021): MemBioPhys@ICMol, UV, Spain. Topics: Optical control of membrane proteins and peptides. Vibrational pH-sensitive probes..
- Senior Resarcher (RyC Fellow) (2015-20): MemBioPhys@ICMol, UV, Spain. Topics: Optical control of membrane proteins and peptides. Vibrational pH-sensitive probes..
- Postdoc (2008): Department of Physics - AG Heberle, Freie Universität Berlin - FU, Germany.
- Marie Curie Reintegration Grant (2008): , Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - UAB, Spain.
- Postdoc (2004): Prof. Kandori, Nagoya Institute of Technology - NIT, Japan.
- PhD (2003): Prof. Padrós, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - UAB, Spain.
Degrees: Graduate in Chemistry (1997), UV. Doctor in Biochemistry (2003), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - UAB.
Interest: Functional and dynamical aspects of membrane proteins and peptides, including pumps, channels and secondary transporters. Optical control of these systems. Instrumental and analytical developments in the area of spectroscopy.
Methods: Steady-state and time-resolved vibrational (IR, Raman) and electronic (UV/Vis, CD) spectroscopies, with particular expertise in FT-IR. Spectral and kinetic analysis based on Fourier transform, matrix methods, maximum entropy methods, Bayesian inference and global analysis.

Jesús Salgado
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Position: Professor - CU (2012), ICMol, UV.
- Associate Professor - TU (2002-12): Biomembranes group @ ICMol, UV, Spain. Topics: Minimal active domains of Bcl-2 proteins (pore formation activity and mechanism). MD simulations of peptide-membrane complexes.
- Senior Resarcher (RyC Fellow) (2001-02): Department of Biochemistry, UV, Spain. Topics: Membrane binding regions of Bcl-2 proteins.
- MEC returning grant (2000-01): E. Pérez-Payá group, UV, Spain. Topics: Bcl-2 proteins.
- Postdoc (EMBO fellowship) (1998-2000): Anne Ulrich's group, Friedrich Schiller University - FSU, Jena, Germany. Topics: Solid state NMR in membranes.
- Postdoc (MEC fellowship) (1996-98): Canters' group, Leiden University, Leiden Institute of Chemistry - LIC, The Netherlands. Topics: Electron transfer proteins.
- PhD (1991-95): Department of Inorganic Chemistry, UV, Spain. Topics: metalloproteins (mainly paramagnetic-NMR).
Degrees: Graduate in Biology / Biochemistry (1990), UV. Doctor in Chemistry (1995), UV.
Interest: Structure and dynamics of membrane proteins and peptides.
Methods: Spectroscopy (CD, NMR) tailored for the investigation of the structure and orientation of peptides in membranes. Molecular modeling and simulation. Statistical and theoretical data analysis.

Postdocs and PhD Students

Deborah Aurora Perini

Position: Postdoc (2023), ICMol, UV, Topic: Photoswitchable membrane peptides.
Degrees: Graduate in Chemical Safety and Toxicological Environmental Sciences (2014), Universitá degli studi di Milano - unimi , Italy. Master's in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Sustainability (2016), Universitá di Siena - unisi , Italy.

PhD thesis (2018-22): Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Universitat Jaume I, Spain. Topic: Electrophysiological characterization of membrane permeability: from protein channels to nanoparticles.

Exchange student (BEFPI, GVA) (2020): , University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Topic: Permeation of polystyrene nanoparticles across model lipid membranes.

Master’s thesis (2016): Universitá di Siena / Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal (IATS CSIC), Italy / Spain. Topic: Impacts of nanoplastics on Artemia franciscana larvae: effects on growth and protein responses.

Degree thesis (2013-14): Universitá degli studi di Milano / Universitatea Transilvania din Brasov, Italy / Romania. Topic: New approaches based on immunoenzymatic methods and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the detection of Ochratoxin A in liquorice extract.

Mónica V. Gutiérrez Salazar

Position: PhD student / FPI (2018), ICMol, UV, Topic: Photoswitchable membrane peptides.
Degrees: Graduate in Biotechnology (2016), Universitat Politècnica de València - UPV. Master's in Molecular Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (2016), UV.

Master's thesis (2015-16): MemBioPhys, UV, Spain. Topic: Photoswitching of hydrophobic and amphiphilic peptides in lipidic environments.

iGEM participant (2015-16): iGEM group, Polytechnic Iniversity of Valencia, Spain. Topic: International synthetic biology competition.

Degree thesis (2015-16): Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Polytechnic Iniversity of Valencia, Spain. Topic: Biomaterials as cell scaffolds.

Mateo Calle Velásquez

Position: PhD student / FPI (2021), ICMol, UV, Topic: Chemical and optical control of the structure and orientation of membrane peptides.
Degrees: Graduate in Biochemistry (2019), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - UAB. Master's in Neuroscience (2020), UAB.

Master's thesis (2019-2020): Institute of neurosciences - INC, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Topic: Biophysical analysis of cross-interactions in Alzheimer’s Disease.

Degree thesis (2019): Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Topic: Dismantle the fraud of vitamin B17 as a cure against Cancer..

Master's and Undergraduate Students

Tekoh Terriss Mbachick

Position: MSc student (2022), ICMol, UV. Topic: Chemical control of the insertion and folding of Transmembrane protein fragments.
Degrees: BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2019), University of Buea, Cameroon. MSc in Molecular Epidemiology and Diagnostic Science (2021), University of Buea, Cameroon.

Msc, Molecular Epidemiology and Diagnostic Science (2019-2021): Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Cameroon. Topic: Pyrethroid and Carbamate insecticide resistance status in Anopheles gambiae species in the Buea municipality.

Laboratory technician (2020-2022): Molecular & Cell Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Cameroon. Topic: Coordinate the bench work of B.Sc. students in the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory and Msc students.

Bsc, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2015-2019): Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Cameroon. Topic: Association of Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) polymorphism with essential hypertension in the Buea municipality..

Alberto Santiago Sabater Talens

Position: Undergraduate student - Final Degree Project in Chemistry (2022), ICMol, UV. Topic: Study of the correlation of physicochemical properties of lipid bilayers with the unsaturation degree using molecular photoswitches.

Chemistry Degree Student (2017-2022): UV, Spain.

Internship (2021-2022): Research in Technology and Sustainable Materials, School od Engineering - UV, Spain.