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

Ilona Benakli-Grosso

Position: Master student in Chemistry – 2nd-year Research Internship (2024), ICMol, UV. Topic: Optical control of the folding and membrane topology of helical transmembrene proteins.

Master's student in Chemistry (2023-24): National College of Chemical Engineering, Université de Haute-Alsace, France. Topic: Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry.