Members

Research Leader

Jesús Campos
Curriculum

Postdoctoral Researchers

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. In the group at sunny Sevilla since 2018, where I study transition metal / main group element cooperativity, from late 2021 I will be working in the group of Guy Bertrand at the University of California San Diego as a Marie Curie fellow.

Miquel Navarro

I studied Chemistry at the Universitat de Barcelona where I obtained my MSc in Inorganic Chemistry in 2013 under Dr. Arnald Grabulosa’s supervision. Then I moved to Switzerland for graduate studies under the supervision of Prof. Martin Albrecht at Universität Bern. I completed my PhD thesis in 2017 on the development of new Electronically Flexible Ligands for Transition Metal Catalysis. The thesis was later awarded the best PhD thesis price for the Universität Bern. In 2018 I joined Dr. Didier Bourissou group at Laboratoire Hétérochemie Fondamentale et Appliquée in Toulouse as postdoctoral fellow thanks to an Early Postdoc Mobility fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation, working on ligand design for Au(I)/Au(III) chemistry. In 2020, I joined Dr. Jesus Campos group as a Juan de la Cierva fellow to work on Frustrated Lewis Pairs based on Transition Metals for the activation of small molecules. Since 2021 I am Personal Investigador Doctor (Junta de Andalucía) in the group.

 

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).

Antonio Iglesias Nicasio

I studied chemistry at the University of Seville. Then I moved to Zaragoza and joined the group of Miguel A. Esteruelas to obtain my PhD, studying iridium and rhodium catalysts for the dehydrogenation of liquid organic hydrogen carriers. After that, I returned to Seville in 2022 to join Dr. Jesús Campos group as a postdoc researcher.

 

Miguel Ángel Gaona Fernández

I obtained my PhD in the group of Prof. Antonio Otero at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, working with Aluminium and zinc organometallic compounds to synthesize cyclic carbonates and polyethers. In 2021, I worked in Eurotex and later in Eurofins Villapharma. In 2022, I joined the group of Prof. Miguel Ángel Esteruelas at the University of Zaragoza to work with LED compounds. Finally, in 2023 I joined Campos group as a Postdoc Researcher with a Margarita Salas scholarship. Namarië!

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.

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.

 

Visiting students

Alessandro De Maso

I’ve been studying on my B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry at the University of IMC Krems, Austria, since 2021. I’m currently doing a semester abroad in the Campos Group, approaching myself to the Organometallic field, in Seville.

 
 

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

  • Macarena González Alférez – PhD student 2019-2023, currently a postdoc in the group of T. Brent Gunnoe at the University of Virginia
  • Jefferson Guzmán – Postdoc 2022 – currently a MSCA postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. R. J. Gilliard at MIT
  • 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, currently a postdoc in the group of Petra Vasko at the University of Helsinki
  • Marina Pérez Jiménez – PhD student 2017-2021, currently a postdoc in the group of Mark Crimmin at Imperial College London
  • Nereida Hidalgo Reinoso – PhD student 2017-2021, currently a postdoc in the group of Didier Bourissou at Toulouse
  • Rosemarie Somerville – Postdoc 2020-2021, currently a postdoc in the group of Paul Dyson at EPFL Lausanne