Dr. JD Badia is Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering (DIQ) of the University of València (UV). He holds M.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering (Extraord. Award), Mechanical Engineering and Materials, and Erasmus Mundus Materials and Sensor Systems for Environmental Technologies, as well as a PhD in Engineering and Industrial Production (Extraord. Award).

RESEARCH/ His work has been devoted towards (i) the Design and Functionalisation of polymer-based dispositives for application sectors such as energy, biomedicine, packaging and environmental technologies, and (ii) Valorisation of polymer-based materials, through mechanical, chemical, thermal and biological means. His work has been placed at the RDT groups of Functionalisation, Recycling and Degradation of Polymer Materials (UPV, Spain) and at the Materials Technology and Sustainability (UV, Spain). He has perfomed 5 research stays (33,5 months) in Dept of Fibre and Polymer Technology (KTH, Sweden) and Dept of Analytical and Organic Chemistry (URV, Spain). He shows recognition of 2 research periods (2007-2018, Valencian Agency). He shows 55 publications in JCR (85% Q1), >1400 citations and h-index of 24, 3 research chapters, > 100 communications in conferences (>60% international, >10 oral communic), and 5 divulgative papers focusing on companies. He has participated in 30 research projects (8 National and 2 International: LIFE and Chilean Government). He is currently leading 2 research projects from the Spanish Ministry and 2 from the Valentian region. Collaborations with other research groups is shown in 32 co-authored papers (20 at int. level, with researchers of Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan -Sweden-, Università degli Studi di Genova - Italy-, or University of Aberdeen - UK-.). Since late 2019, he is leader of the RDT Group of Materials Technology and Sustainability of the DIQ-UV.

TRANSFERENCE / Concerning work with industry, he has participated in 26 contracts / technical assistances for companies, technological centers and/or administrations, leading 12 of them. Co-author of 1 patent. Concerning work with society, 10 projects (3 international, Interreg, Erasmus+), on public procurement of innovation for municipalities, and involvement of women in the STEM careers. He has organised 7 transfer workshops, and offered 10 speeches in seminars and summer schools.

TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT/ He has co-directed 1 PhD Thesis, with international mention, 10 (7 Q1) JCR-indexed papers and 1 research award. He's currently (co)directing 2 doctoral theses with industrial mention. He has also directed >60 B.Sc/M.Sc final degree theses. Since 2018, he is international expert for the assessment of European Projects of Erasmus+ call [Spanish Service of Internationalisation of Education-SEPIE], Research and Innovation Actions of H2020 [for BBI-JU/consortium and EASME] and recently for Horizon Europe, CBE consortium, M-Eranet, Spanish Agency of Research, Andalusian Spanish RDT Agency, and the  Chilean Government.

OTHER RELEVANT ACTIONS / Since 2018, he co-leads the Innovation Teaching Group in Chemical Engineering and Environment of the DIQ-UV. 24 innovation teaching projects (3 coordinated), being 5 of them Erasmus+ (2 as PI) focusing on primary/adult learners. 4 JCR-indexed papers and more than 40 communications. Co-director of 2 University Expert Degrees related to (bio)circular economy: Bioplastics and Biocomposites, and Recycling of Plastics, in liason with the Institute of Plastics AIMPLAS. He was RTD manager of the Institute of Technology of Materials of the UPV for 2,5 years. Teaching staff of the School of Doctorate (UV) for transversal courses, and of the Service of Teaching (UV) for the training of early-stage lecturers, in charge of the Research section. Since 2022, Chief of Initiatives in Sustainable Waste Management at the Vicerectorate of Sustainability of the University of Valencia.

Updated: 30/10/2023

Luis Javier Barriga Cuartero graduated in Biology from the University of Alicante (2014-2018), major in Biotechnology and Biosanitary. During the 2018-2019 academic year, he transferred to the University of Valencia where he joined the Master's Degree in Research in Molecular, Cellular and Genetic Biology. Subsequently, he was contracted as a non-doctoral researcher in the PAFZP research group in various research projects related to the identification of pathogens in aquaculture and in the assessment of biofilm formation of marine bacteria and diatoms. Currently, he is enrolled  in the Doctoral Program in Biomedicine and Biotechnology of the UV with a pre-doctoral contract (AGE-FORDOC. FPI) to carry out his doctoral thesis entitled: Emergent vibriosis in Aquaculture related to climate change.

Alberto Bouzas Blanco (PhD). Associate Professor at the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Valencia (Spain). After completing his Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Valencia (1999) he carried out his PhD on Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (2003). From that moment he has been working in several research activities dealing with wastewater and biokinetic characterization for optimization of energy consumption in WWTPs; anaerobic sludge digestion, nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater; monitoring of priority pollutants in WWTP effluents and coastal waters; and anaerobic MBRs for urban wastewater treatment. All this research experience has been developed within the CALAGUA research group. The development of the scientific activities listed above has resulted in several scientific publications in indexed journals, in national and international conferences and in the participation in numerous projects and research contracts with both public agencies and private companies.

[Biography, english version]

Mária Džunková got her first experience with the high throughput DNA sequencing at the Czech Academy of Sciences at the time when she  studied at the University of Life Sciences in Prague (2005-2010). Then she moved to Spain for her PhD studies at the University of Valencia (2010-2016) which included a research stay at the Harvard University (2014). After defending her PhD thesis entitled ”Metagenomics of the Human Gut Microbiome Directed by the Flow Cytometry” she got a postdoc position at the Australian Centre for Ecogenomics at the University of Queensland (2016-2019), where she developed “single-cell viral tagging” method for exploring the phage host range without the need for microbial culturing and applied it to the human gut microbiome. She was invited to a second postdoc (2016-2021) at the DOE Joint Genome Institute (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) to continue with her microbial single-cell genomics techniques. In California she studied the relationships between the phages and bacteria in environmental samples and explored new targeted single-cell genomics techniques for discovering symbiotic microbes of the marine soft-bodied animals capable of producing bioactive molecules. She joined the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio) in December 2021 to set up her Microbial Single-Cell Genomics research group.

Jorge Escorihuela received his degree in Chemistry in 2003 and his Ph.D. in 2009 (Excellent Cum Laude) from Universitat Jaume I in Castellón. In 2010, he joined the group of Prof. Maquieira at Universitat Politècnica de Valencia for four years as a postdoctoral researcher, where he worked on photoclick chemistry reactions for surface modification and preparation of microarrays of biomolecules. In 2014, he started a two-year postdoctoral stay with Prof. Han Zuilhof at Wageningen University and Research in The Netherlands, working on surface modification and strain-promoted click chemistry reactions. In 2017, he returned to Universitat Politècnica de Valencia at the group pf Prof. Compañ, where we worked on the preparation of novel polymeric membranes for fuel cell applications. In 2019, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Organic Chemistry Department of the University of Valencia.

[Biography, english version]

[Biography, english version]

My connection with the University of Valencia began with my studies in the Biotechnology Degree. During these years I discovered my interest in research, especially in the food and industrial sector. As a result, I started the Master's Degree in R&D in Biotechnology and Biomedicine (UV) to continue my training and enter the world of research. During this period of time I developed my Master's Final Project at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), focused on the study of the redox regulation of metabolism in wine yeasts. Upon completion, I started my PhD studies at I2SysBio, specifically in the Industrial Yeast Biotechnology group, thanks to the initial award of a predoctoral contract (ACIF20) from the Generalitat Valenciana and the subsequent award of a predoctoral contract Atracció de Talents 2020 from the University of Valencia. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to study the regulation of different redox proteins in wine yeasts, analysing what impact they have on the metabolism of these microorganisms in the different stages of their industrial use. This could lead to the selection and improvement of both oenological yeasts and their growth conditions, enabling their transfer to industry.

Training

• Graduate in Biotechnology by the UV (2014-2018)
• Master in Research and Development in Biotechnology and Biomedicine by the UV (2018-2019).
• PhD student in Biomedicine and Biotechnology at the UV (2020-present).

PhD in Pharmacy from the Universitat de València (1991), I did a postdoctoral stay of more than 3 years at the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics (University of Utah, USA). After 15 years dedicated to the study of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae from almost any point of view (study of the cell wall, model system for the study of human tumor suppressor genes, analysis of stress and contamination in brewing yeast or global gene expression in wine yeasts), I joined the field of bacterial genomic evolution, in which I have been working since 2001 as a member of the Evolutionary Genetics group of the Universitat de València, where I am currently Full Professor of Genetics.

I do my research at the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint collaborative center Universitat de València - CSIC. Since 2001, my work has been mainly devoted to the study of the genome of endosymbiotic bacteria, which live inside specialized cells of insect with restricted diets (such as aphids, weevils or mealybugs), to understand the relationship between these bacteria and their hosts, the bacterial genome reduction in these conditions, and its consequences for the inferred metabolic network. As a complement to these studies, I have also been involved in studies on the definition of the minimal genome, essential for the maintenance of a living cell, and its implications in the field of Synthetic Biology.

In recent years, our consolidated model system to study symbiotic interactions is the German cockroach Blattella germanica. Cockroaches are specially interesting because two symbiotic systems coexist in each individual, an obligate endosymbiont and a complex gut microbiota. We have developed strategies to better understand the implication of each sytem in the host welfare, and their putative crosstalk. More recently, we are focusing on the host mechanisms to control the symbionts, with special interest in antimicrobial peptides and microRNAs.

Current research projects

- Host-symbiont communication and its utility in biological pest and pathogen control (SYMB-CONTROL, PID2021-128201NB-I00; co-financed MICIN-UEFEDER-AEI, EU and Spain)
- Temperature and antibiotics stress: effects on phage bacteria interactions in the gut microbiota of Blatella germanica (CIPROM/2021/042; Generalitat Valenciana, Spain).
- RNA communication across kingdoms: new mechanisms and strategies in pathogen control (exRNA-PATH, CA20110; COST action, EU)

Recent and selected publications

Cazzaniga, M., R. Domínguez-Santos, J. Marín-Miret, R. Gil, A. Latorre, C. García-Ferris (2023). Exploring gut microbial dynamics and symbiotic interaction in Blattella germanica using rifampicin. Biology 12:955. doi: 10.3390/biology12070955

Latorre, A., R. Domínguez-Santos, C. García-Ferris, R. Gil (2022). Of cockroaches and symbionts: recent advances in the characterization of the relationship between Blattella germanica and its dual symbiotic system. Live 12: 290. doi: 10.3390/life12020290

Garzón, M.J., M. Reyes-Prieto, R Gil (2022). The minimal translation machinery: what we can learn from naturally and experimentally reduced genomes. Front. Microbiol. 13:858983. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.858983

Solana, J., E. Garrote-Sánchez, R. Gil (2021). DELEAT: gene essentiality prediction and deletion design for bacterial genome reduction. BMC Bioinformatics 22:444. doi: 10.1186/s12859-021-04348-5

Domínguez-Santos R, A.E. Pérez-Cobas, P. Cuti, V. Pérez-Brocal, C. García-Ferris, A. Moya, A. Latorre, R. Gil (2021). Interkingdom gut microbiome and resistome of the cockroach Blattella germanica. mSystems 6:e01213-20. doi: 10.1128/mSystems.01213-20

Reyes-Prieto, M., R. Gil, M. Llabrés, P. Palmer-Rodríguez, A. Moya (2021). The metabolic building blocks of a minimal cell. Biology, 10:5. doi: 10.3390/biology10010005

Gil, R., A. Latorre (2019). Unity makes strength: a review on mutualistic symbiosis in representative insect clades. Life 9: 21; doi:10.3390/life9010021.

Gil, R., C. Vargas-Chavez, S. López-Madrigal, D. Santos-García, A. Latorre, A. Moya (2018). Tremblaya phenacola PPER: An evolutionary beta-gammaproteobacterium collage. ISME J. 12:124-135. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2017.144

López-Madrigal, S., R. Gil (2017). Et tu, Brute? Not even intracellular mutualistic symbionts escape horizontal gene transfer. Genes 8:247. doi: 10.3390/genes8100247

Lloréns-Rico, V., J. Cano, T. Kamminga, R. Gil, A. Latorre, W. H. Chen, P. Bork, J. I. Glass, L. Serrano, M. Lluch-Senar (2016). Bacterial antisense RNAs are mainly the product of transcriptional noise. Sci. Adv. 2:e1501363. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1501363

Klein, A., L. Schrader, R. Gil, A. Manzano-Marín, L. Flórez, D. Wheeler, J. H. Werren, A. Latorre, J. Heinze, M. Kaltenpoth, A. Moya, J. Oettler (2016). A novel intracellular mutualistic bacterium in the invasive ant Cardiocondyla obscurior. ISME J. 10:376-388. doi: 10.1038/ismej.2015.119

Gil, R., J. Peretó (2015). Small genomes and the difficulty to define minimal translation and metabolic machineries. Front. Ecol. Evol. 3:123. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00123

López-Madrigal, S., A. Latorre, A. Moya, R. Gil (2015). The link between independent acquisition of intracellular gamma-endosymbionts and concerted evolution in Tremblaya princeps. Front. Microbiol. 6:642. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00642

Gil, R. (2014). The minimal gene-set machinery. In Encyclopedia of Molecular Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine: Synthetic Biology, 2nd edition. Meyers RA (ed.). Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. pp. 1-36. doi: 10.1002/3527600906.mcb.20130079

López-Madrigal, S., A. Beltrà, S. Resurrección, A. Soto, A. Latorre, A. Moya, R. Gil (2014). Molecular evidence for ongoing complementarity and horizontal gene transfer in endosymbiotic systems of mealybugs. Front. Microbiol. 5:449. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00449

Oakeson, K. F.*, R. Gil*, A. L. Clayton, D. M. Dunn, A. C. von Niederhausern, C. Hamil, A. Aoyagi, B. Duval, A. Baca, F.J. Silva, A. Vallier, D. G. Jackson, A. Latorre, R. B. Weiss, A. Heddi, A. Moya, C. Dale (2014). Genome degeneration and adaptation in a nascent stage of symbiosis. Genome Biol. Evol. 6:76-93. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evt210 *Equal contribution.

López-Madrigal, S., A. Latorre, M. Porcar, A. Moya, R. Gil (2013). Mealybugs nested endosymbiosis: going into the ‘matryoshka’system in Planococcus citri in depth. BMC Microbiol. 13:74. doi: 10.1186/1471-2180-13-74

Moya, A., R. Gil, A. Latorre., J. Peretó, M.P. Garcillán-Barcia, F. de la Cruz (2009). Towards minimal bacterial cells: evolution versus design. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 33:225-235. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2008.00151.x

Moya, A., J. Peretó, R. Gil, A. Latorre (2008). Learning how to live together: genomic insights into prokaryote-animal symbioses. Nature Rev. Genet. 9:218-229. doi:10.1038/nrg2319 

Tamames, J.*, R. Gil*, A. Latorre, J. Peretó, F.J. Silva, A. Moya (2006). The frontier between cell and organelle: genome analysis of Candidatus Carsonella ruddii. BMC Ecol. Evol. 7:181. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-181 *Equal contribution.

T. Gabaldón, J. Peretó, F. Montero, R. Gil, A. Latorre, A. Moya (2007). Structural analyses of a hypothetical minimal metabolism. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B. Biol. Sci. 362:1751-1762. doi:  10.1098/rstb.2007.2067

Pérez-Brocal, V., R. Gil, S. Ramos, A. Lamelas, M. Postigo, J. M. Michelena, F. J. Silva, A. Moya, A. Latorre (2006). A small microbial genome: the end of a long symbiotic relationship? Science 314:312-313. doi: 10.1126/science.1130441

Gil, R., F. J. Silva, J. Peretó, A. Moya (2004). Determination of the core of the minimal bacterial gene set. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 68: 518-537. doi: 10.1128/MMBR.68.3.518-537.2004

Gil, R., B. Sabater-Muñoz, A. Latorre, F. J. Silva, A. Moya (2002). Extreme genome reduction in Buchnera spp.: towards the minimal genome needed for symbiotic life. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 4454-4458. doi: 10.1073/pnas.062067299

[Biography, english version]

Emilia Matallana Redondo is full Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the University of Valencia and member of the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I²SysBio), a joint collaborative research institute involving Universitat de València and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). She has broad experience in yeast molecular biology and her research during the last 20 years has been oriented to wine yeast biotechnology, area where she has published more than 40 JCR papers in international journals. Furthermore, she has leaded several research projects aimed to yeast biotechnological improvement, mainly for the food industry but also for other purposes, as bioethanol production in collaboration with industrial partners. She has participated in different research evaluation agencies (ANEP, CIEMAT, ERA-IB), as expert in food biotechnology. In parallel to her research in biotechnology, she has developed broad teaching and scientific communication activity in that field, and more specifically on genetically manipulated organisms (GMOs), their scientific fundamentals, benefits, and potential risks. She has given numerous lectures for general public, prepared an introductory course on Biotechnology for more-than-55 years-old people, and also audiovisual materials for the Universitat de València.

Ferran Palero holds a PhD in Biology (University of Barcelona, 2008) and an MSc in Mathematical Research (UPV, 2009). He has completed postdoctoral research in Austria (Institute of Science and Technology, 2009-2011), France (National Institute of Agronomic Research, 2012-2014), Blanes (Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes, 2014-2016) and Poland (University of Lodz, 2017-2019). He is currently developing his BIOPACKS research project as a "CIDEGENT" Researcher at the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (ICBIBE, University of Valencia). The BIOPACKS project (BIOdiversity Patterns of Crustacea from Karstic Systems) focuses on the study of groundwater aquatic fauna incorporating new molecular methods in order to discover molecular adaptations and new enzymes with potential biotechnological application.

[Biography, english version]

Pau San Valero Tornero graduated in Chemical Engineering at the University of Valencia in 2009 (Best Final Project Award 2009-2010). In 2011 she obtained a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Valencia and the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

RESEARCH CAREER: Her research activity began in 2010 with the incorporation of the Research Group in Environmental Engineering of the University of Valencia (GI²AM), where she currently develops her research activity. From the beginning of her scientific career her work was mainly focused on the research on biotreatment of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the atmosphere, which was funded through regional, state, and European projects. In 2011 she began her doctoral thesis funded with competitive Vali+d (ACIF/2011/067) and FPU (AP2010-2191) grants. During her doctoral thesis she developed a mathematical tool to simulate and predict the transient response of trickling biofilters that treat air contaminated with VOCs. In 2016 she defended the PhD thesis obtaining the maximum qualification "Cum Laude" and the "International Mention" in the doctoral program "Chemical, Environmental and Process Engineering" of the UVEG, which has "Mention of Excellence". In addition, she obtained the "Extraordinary Doctorate Award" in the 2016/2017 academic year. Within the framework of the Marie Curie project "NextAirBiotreat" (GA No. 284949) for the transfer of knowledge between academia and industry, Marie Curie carried out a 3-month research stay in the R+D department of one of the industrial partners, PAS Solutions BV (Netherlands).

In October 2017 she obtained a postdoctoral contract in competitive competition from the Generalitat Valenciana (APOSTD/2017/121). Within the framework of the grant, she carried out a 10-month research stay in Dr. Kennes' research group (BioEngin Group, University of A Coruña).

Since November 2018 she is a professor and researcher attached to the Department of Chemical Engineering of the UVEG, where she actively carries out research and teaching tasks. Since then, her research career has focused on the production of biofuels and other value-added products from lignocellulosic and other wastes.

Dr. Jose J. Sempere Monerris earned a degree in Economics with honors at the University of Valencia, a Master in Industrial Economics with distinction at the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) and a Ph. D. in Quantitative Economics (1995) under the European Doctoral Programme at CORE-UCL. He is Full Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Research Fellow at the ERI-CEs (University of Valencia) and Research Associate at CORE- UCL. He was a Visiting Associate Professor in the Strategy and Business Economics Division of the Sauder School of Business at the University British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada) from August 2010 to August 2011. During his PhD he got different scholarships from the Generalitat Valenciana, the College of Spain in Paris-Fundación Banco Exterior de España, and the Human Capital and Mobility Programme of the European Union (Currently Marie Curie Fellowships). His main research areas of interest include industrial economics, economics of innovation, transportation economics, networks and competition policy. He is co-author of more than thirty papers in specialist journals such as Applied Economics, Canadian Journal of Economics, Economics Letters, Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Journal of Economics , Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Southern Economic Journal, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Transport Policy among others. He has supervised 4 PhD dissertations and 17 Master Thesis. He has participated in more than ninety international and Spanish conferences. He has been a member in more than fifteen competitive research grants financed by EU or National institutions or financed by Private institutions.

Academic IDs:

ORCID: 0000-0001-6759-2117
Researcher ID: E-6234-2016
Scopus Author ID: 6507343777

Selected publications:

1. Óscar Álvarez-SanJaime; Pedro Cantos-Sánchez; Rafael Moner-Coloques, Jose J. Sempere-Monerris (2021) The effect of cooperative infrastructure fees on high-speed rail and airline competition. Transport Policy, 112, pp. 125 - 141 . ISSN: 0967-070X

2. Pedro Mendi; Rafael Moner-Colonques; José J. Sempere-Monerris (2020) Cooperation for Innovation and Technology Licensing: Empirical Evidence from Spain. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 154(119976), pp. 1 - 7 . ISSN: 0040-1625

3. Álvarez-San Jaime, Óscar, Pedro Cantos Sánchez, Rafael Moner-Colonques and Jose J. Sempere-Monerris (2016) “Rail Access charges and internal competition in high speed trains”, Transport Policy, vol. 49, pp: 184-195.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2016.04.006

4. Óscar Álvarez San Jaime; Pedro Cantos; Rafael Moner Colonques; Jose J. Sempere-Monerris. (2015) The impact on port competition of the integration of port and inland transport services. Transportation Research Part B-Methodological, 71(80), pp. 291 - 302 . ISSN: 0191-2615

5. Óscar Álvarez San Jaime; Pedro Cantos Sanchez; Rafael Moner Colonques; José J. Sempere Monerris (2013) Competition and horizontal integration in maritime freight transport. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review, 51(5), pp. 67 - 81 . ISSN: 1366-5545 

6. Óscar Álvarez San Jaime; Pedro Cantos Sanchez; Rafael Moner Colonques; José J. Sempere Monerris (2013) Vertical integration and exclusivities in maritime freight transport. Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review, 51(5), pp. 50 - 61 . ISSN: 1366-5545

7. Mauleon, Ana, Jose J. Sempere-Monerris and Vincent J. Vannetelbosch. (2011) “Networks of Manufacturers and Retailers“, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, vol. 77, pp. 351-367. DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2010.11.007
8. Moner-Colonques, Rafael, Jose J. Sempere-Monerris and Amparo Urbano. (2004) “Strategic Delegation with Multi-Product Firms”, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy vol. 13 (3) pp. 405-427 Fall (2004).