Members

Research Leader

Jesús Campos
Curriculum

Associate Professors

Sonia Bajo

I studied Chemistry at the University of Valladolid. Then I moved to the University of Zaragoza and  joined the group of Prof. Miguel Angel Esteruelas to work on the preparation and characterisation of organometallic and inorganic compounds and on the study of their reactivity toward organic molecules obtaining a PhD Distinction. After that, I moved to the UK as a postdoctoral researcher joining the group of Dr. David Nelson at the University of Strathclyde. My research there focused on the study of fundamental processes in cross-coupling nickel catalysis using organometallic chemistry and spectroscopic methods. Back to Spain I joined the group of  Prof. Miguel Angel Esteruelas again to work on the synthesis of iridium complexes and their application as OLEDs. I have been part of the group in sunny Seville since 2018, where I study the cooperativity between transition metals and main group elements. From late 2021, I worked as a Marie Curie fellow in the group of Guy Bertrand at the University of California, San Diego, for one year, before returning to the University of Seville in 2022 where I am currently working as a Inorganic Chemistry Lecturer.

 

Postdoctoral Researchers

Juan José Moreno Díaz

I obtained my PhD in the group of Prof. Ernesto Carmona at the University of Seville, studying unusual organometallic reactivity by means of a combined experimental and computational approach. Then I joined the group of Prof. Charles Machan at the University of Virginia as a Research Associate, where I worked for two years on the development of earth-abundant CO2 reduction electrocatalysts. In 2021, I joined the Campos group as Personal Investigador Doctor (Junta de Andalucía). In 2022 I moved to the Mazzanti group at the EPFL (Switzerland) as a Marie Curie fellow, coming back to the University of Sevilla in 2024.

 

Félix León García

I started my scientific journey in the sunny city of Seville, where I pursued my PhD at the Institute of Chemical Research (University of Seville – CSIC) under the guidance of Dr. Antonio Pizzano. There I explored the world of asymmetric hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds.

I then jumped over to Singapore where I worked in two projects, the first one, supervised by Prof. Felipe Garcia, explored the mysteries of main group chemistry and novel supramolecular P-N based moieties. The second project, under the supervision of Prof. Soo Han Sen, involved creating photoactive Cu complexes for emissive and photocatalytic applications.

I then set sail to join the ranks of Dr. Didier Bourissou’s group in France. Here, I dove into the fundamental studies concerning (photo)redox Au complexes.

Next on my scientific world tour was the University of Zaragoza, where I teamed up with Dr. Miguel Angel Esteruelas to uncover the secrets of reactivity hidden within furane-like cyclometalated Ir complexes.

But no journey is truly complete without returning to one’s roots. I found my way back to the picturesque Seville, the birthplace of Cruzcampo beer, and coincidentally, my own. I joined forces with the Campos group with a Marie Curie fellowship. Together, we ventured into the exciting realm of exploring the photo redox properties of novel main group and transition metal Frustrated Lewis Pairs.

Nadir Jori

After studying chemistry in the University of La Plata in Argentina, I spent one year working for my master project on spectroscopic studies of antihypertensive drugs, reactivity, and synthesis of coordination compounds. Then I joined the Group of Coordination Chemistry, under the supervision of Prof. Marinella Mazzanti at EPFL. My thesis was centered on the activation of small molecules, in particular CO2 and N2, by polymetallic uranium and lanthanide compounds. Since January 2024, I have joined the group of Prof. Campos as a Postdoctoral researcher with a Juan de la Cierva fellowship.

 

Jefferson Guzmán

Jefferson was born in Cali, Colombia. He completed his PhD in Chemistry in 2022 at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) under the supervision of Prof. Francisco J. Fernández-Álvarez. There, he studied the catalytic activity of iridium and rhodium complexes in the reduction of CO2 with silanes. After this, he moved to the Institute of Chemical Research (IIQ) in Seville, where he was a postdoctoral researcher working on Pt-Au bimetallic complexes under the supervision of Dr. Jesús Campos. In 2023, he joined the group of Prof. Robert J. Gilliard at MIT as a MSCA-Postdoctoral Fellow to study low-valent alkaline earth complexes. Continuing with this fellowship, he joined once again the Campos group in June 2024

Martina Landrini

After finishing my PhD on heterobimetallic bridging hydrides with the supervision of Dr. Luca Rocchigiani and Prof. Alceo Macchioni at the University of Perugia, Italy, I joined the Campos group as a postdoc in 2024.

 

Graduate students

Emmanuel Serrano Díez 

I am working on my PhD thesis in the project Cooperative Catalysts Transition Metals – Main Group Element: To a New Catalysis Paradigm (CoopMix). I carried out my Masters project in the Organic Chemistry group of the University of Cadiz working on the synthesis of bioactive hybrid molecules using novel ruthenium catalysts.

Marta Fernández Buenestado 

I am a Chemistry graduate from the University of Zaragoza, where I also obtained my Master’s degree in Molecular Chemistry and Homogeneous Catalysis. Currently, I am working on my PhD thesis both experimentally and computationally with cooperative organometallic complexes based on transition metals and main group elements.

 

Enrique Soto Santiago 

I studied my B.Sc. and M.Sc. at the Humboldt University of Berlin. After completing my Master’s thesis in the group of Prof. Christian Limberg on nickel siloxide complexes as molecular models for solid catalysts, I joined the Campos group in August 2021 to study the cooperative reactivity of transition metal/main group element systems.

Alejandra Pita Milleiro

In 2021, I graduated in Chemistry and Materials Engineering from the University of Seville, from which I also obtained a Master’s in Chemistry in 2022. My research interests include organometallic synthesis, computational chemistry and electrochemistry, and I am currently pursuing my PhD as a La Caixa Doctoral INPhINIT Retaining fellow.

 

Helena Corona

I graduated in chemistry in 2021 at the Universidad de Sevilla where I also got my master’s degree in 2022. Currently I´m doing my PhD in the Campos group where I study the functionalization of small molecules using bimetallic compounds.

Pilar Cuevas

I graduated from Chemistry and Materials Engineering at the University of Seville in 2020. I got a master in Teacher Training from the Valencian International University and now I’m taking my first steps in the research field.

 
Christian Camilo Sánchez

I am a chemist with a Master’s degree in Chemical Sciences from the National University of Colombia, where I focused on the synthesis of heterocycles and their applications as chemosensors. In 2022, I had the opportunity to conduct a research stay at the University of Delaware under the supervision of Professors Emil Hernandez and Mary Watson. In 2024, I joined Dr Jesús Campos’ research group to pursue my doctoral thesis on bimetallic complexes for C-H bond activation

 

 

Project Manager

Marta Roselló

I have a PhD in Organometallic Chemistry and an MSc in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. I have worked as a postdoc in Edinburgh and York (UK) and now I am trying my hand at Project Management.

 

Former members

  • Antonio Iglesias – Postdoc 2022 – 2024.
  • Miguel Ángel Gaona – Postdoc 2023 – 2024, currently a MSCA Fellow in the group of David Balcells at the University of Oslo.
  • Miquel Navarro – Postdoc 2020 – 2023, currently a Ramón y Cajal Fellow at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
  • Macarena González Alférez – PhD student 2019-2023, currently a postdoc in the group of T. Brent Gunnoe at the University of Virginia.
  • Cyril Theulier –  Postdoc 2021 – 2022, currently a postdoc in the group of Thiebault Cantat at CEA Saclay. 
  • Felipe de la Cruz Martínez – Postdoc 2021 – 2022, currently Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Castilla – La Mancha.
  • Juan Miranda Pizarro – PhD student 2017-2022, postdoc in the group of Petra Vasko at the University of Helsinki, currently a postdoc at the Moilanen group at the University of Jyväskylä.
  • Marina Pérez Jiménez – PhD student 2017-2021, postdoc in the group of Mark Crimmin at Imperial College London, currently a postdoc in the group of Paul Chirik at Princeton University.
  • Nereida Hidalgo Reinoso – PhD student 2017-2021, postdoc in the group of Didier Bourissou at Toulouse, currently a postdoc with Patrick Holland at Yale University.
  • Rosemarie Somerville – Postdoc 2020-2021, currently a postdoc in the group of Paul Dyson at EPFL Lausanne.