PI-Invest Doctor Altres
Dr. Blandez is an expert in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials. His research career began after completing his degree in Chemistry, being hired by the University of Huelva and joining Prof. Pedro J. Perez’ research group. His research focused on developing cost-effective homogenous catalysts for cross-coupling reactions. This period enhances his skills in the synthesis, purification, and characterization of metal complexes and organic molecules. This research was recorded in his final Master’s project and published in two research articles.
In 2013 Dr Blandez was hired by the RECI-UPV foundation to perform his PhD research under the supervision of Prof. Hermenegildo Garcia at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV). In 2014 he was awarded an FPI fellowship from the UPV to continue and complete his PhD, finalized in 2017 under the title "Graphene and derived materials as pseudohomogeneous catalysts in organic reactions", obtaining Cum Lauder and International mentions. During his PhD, Dr Blandez obtained a mobility grant from the UPV to perform a 3-month short stay at the Tokyo Institute of Technology Materials and Structured Laboratory. The outcomes obtained earned the second accessit in the “IX Valencia Idea Awards” in the section of biotechnology and biomedicine. During his Ph.D., Dr. Blandez published eight research articles in high-ranked journals such as Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. or Nat. Commun.
In 2018, he was granted a UPV postdoctoral grant to join Ramon Martínez Máñez’s group, focusing on developing molecular probes and nanoparticles to detect and delete senescent cells. He joined the mixed unit between the UPV and the Principe Felipe Research Center (CIPF) and the Molecular Recognition and Technological Development Inter-University Research Institute (IDM). In 2020, he received a competitive Sara Borrell grant from the Carlos III Health Institute to continue his research in the field of biotechnology at the Health Research Institute La Fe, Valencia for the development of probes for cancer-related enzyme detection. This research line had been followed by the Dra. Marcia Dominguez, whose PhD, under the supervision of Dr. Blandez, was defended on December 15, 2023 and awarded with the Cum Lauder mention.
In 2022, Dr. Blandez received an APOSTD grant to perform his research at the University of Cambridge, into the research group of Adsorption and Advanced Materials of Prof. David Fairen-Jimenez, focusing on developing surface-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOF) for detecting and ablating of senescent cells. Recently he was awarded the junior leader program by la Caixa fundation, to develop his research line and to empower his leadership skills that will start in 2025