SupervisoryTeam
Diego Sampedro
Supervisor Details
Email: diego.sampedro@unirioja.es
Organization Type: University
Organization Name: Universidad de La Rioja
Short Biography: I got my Ph. D. degree in 2001 with a project which involved the synthesis and reactivity of organometallic species to yield five and three-membered heterocycles. This work combined synthesis, mechanistic and photochemical studies among other techniques including some theoretical calculations. Then, I spent 24 months in Siena, Italy, in probably the most active group in computational organic photochemistry. I was able to learn the theoretical background and the use of required computational tools and techniques. Since then, we have explored the practical uses of photoswitches in biological systems and energy applications. I have been recently interested in the conversion and exploitation of solar energy. In this topic, we aim to prepare efficient devices to transform light energy into chemical energy that could be stored and transported. We maintain an extensive network of national and international collaborations in both the academia and the industrial sectors.
Fabrice Gallou
Co-Supervisor Details
Email: fabrice.gallou@novartis.com
Organization Type: Non-academic institution
Organization Name: Novartis Basel
Short Biography: Senior manager with experience in various leadership roles. Via a global Core-Team, main duties are to ensure the development and implementation of efficient syntheses and processes for all APIs of the portfolio (small molecules and mixed modalities), and to provide technical support to project teams as well as guidance on Intellectual Property aspects. Adjunct professor at University of Louisville, KY, USA. For the Chemical and Analytical Development for example, 2-5 intern graduate students personally supervised in Basel every year, several PhD and post-docs co-supervised via academic collaborations. Fields of research: design of synthesis, process development topics, catalysis, green chemistry, alternative solvents, micellar catalysis. H-index: 46. ORCID: 0000-0001-8996-6079; Awards: the 2019 Yves Chauvin Awards from the French Chemical Society, and Swiss Chemical Society Senior Industrial Science Award.
Added Value: Dr. Gallou has a large experience in applied chemical research, with a strong scientific engagement and a track record of more than 200 patents and peer-reviewed publications. He has participated in many EU projects, including specific PhD training programs, like CHAIR “C-H Activation for Industrial Renewal”– H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019 860762. He can bring to the program a large expertise in strategic vision and technology transfer possibilities along the PhD student research.
Helen Hölzel
Other Co-Supervisor
Email: Helen.Hoelzel@org.chemie.uni-giessen.de
Organization Type: University
Organization Name: Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany
Short Biography: Helen Hölzel obtained her doctoral degree in chemistry (FAU Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany), during which she supervised several bachelor and master students for internships and bachelor theses. She joined the group of Prof. Moth-Poulsen as postdoctoral researcher for around two years (Chalmers University, Sweden), and deepened her supervision and mentoring skills with the PhD and masters students in the group. After that, she continued in the group as a research project director (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain) in the molecular solar thermal energy storage systems (MOST) Solar European Horizon 2020 project (https://mostsolarproject.eu/), where she gained experience in mentoring and guidance of PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the group. Recently, she joined another project (FORMOST), funded by the German Research Council, as principal investigator and habilitation candidate, employed by the JLU Giessen, Germany. Currently, she has been sent as a visiting PDI to UPC to continue the research and start building her own group. After her stay in Spain, she will continue her habilitation at the JLU and work as PI with her group.
Added Value: The student will get the chance for a short stay with Helen Hölzel, learn new techniques and approaches relevant to the thesis, and have a complementary vision of the thesis objectives and tasks. Helen Hölzel has a broad scientific international network, conducting research in various fields and participating in collaborative projects in several countries, staying in contact with her collaborators throughout. Being part of likely the two largest projects in the MOST field in the EU, she has many contacts and collaborators within the European MOST community, providing the best chance for the PhD student to network and collaborate, potentially with international exchange and mobility (internships, training abroad). The student will further naturally participate in related yet different projects. Overall, the student will come in contact and communicate with other scientists, develop soft skills, thus improving employability.
ResearchGroup
Description: The research group is currently composed by two permanent members, one post-doc and 8 PhD students. The group maintains a strong network of academic (Chalmers, UPC, RWTH Aachen, Shanghai Jiao Tong…) and non-academic partners (BASF, Fraunhofer ISE, CAE Bayern, Novartis…) through a series of funded projects. We combine organic synthesis, photochemistry and computational studies in an active and international working environment. The main research lines involve solar energy storage, photoprotection and photoredox catalysis. https://investigacion.unirioja.es/grupos/12395/detalle
ResearchLine
Description: Sustainable applications of solar energy storage. Sunlight is an alternative energy source cheap and abundant. It has become a primary target as a replacement for fossil fuels considering the environmental problems that their use provoke. However, the use of sunlight is restricted by its temporality and seasonality. It is very relevant to design systems capable of not only capturing the solar energy but also of storing it to use it later. The MOST (MOlecular Solar Thermal) technology allows absorbing sunlight and storing it as chemical energy after a photochemical reaction takes place. In this reaction, a parent molecule is transformed into a metastable, high-energy isomer. This isomer may be stored or transported to release the energy as heat in an adequate place and time. This technology has already proven potential in prototypes activated by solar light. However, there are still some practical limitations that difficult its use in real applications. Probably one of the most relevant problems is the use of organic solvents in the MOST fluid. The upscaling and use in real environments of flammable or toxic solvents could certainly hamper the application of this technology. Accordingly, in this project, we will explore different, alternative ways to try to solve this issue. Through an approach combining chemical synthesis, photochemistry, computations and catalysis, we will study several modifications to provide a more sustainable and safer version of this technology.
CareerDevelopment
Objectives
- Future postdoc employment at the University
- Increased employability in the non-academic sector
- International mobility
- Building collaborative networks
- Trainings to enhance career opportunities
- Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
- Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
- Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring
Expected Outputs
- PhD defense
- Publication of articles
- Patenting
- Attendance to international conferences
Training Skills
- Project Management
- Time Management
- Grant Writing
- Communication to the civil society and public engagement
- Open Science
- Gender and diversity dimension of research
- Ethics and Research Integrity
- Teaching
- Intellectual Property
- Research Valorization
- Business skills, negotiation, marketing
- Leadership
- Training for job interviews, CV writing
- Spanish
ProposedSecondment
Name of Institution: Novartis
Type of Organisation
- Large Enterprise
Other Comments:
Co-supervision in the Non-Academic Institution
Complementary supervision of the researcher by the PhD co-supervisor before and after the secondment. Direct supervision of the researcher during the stay. Additional training by senior lab members at the time of the stay.
Duration of the Secondment
Duration: 3 months
Objectives
- Learning on the job
- Technology transfer
- Intellectual property rights (IPR) management
- Professional development opportunities (employability)
- Building partnerships
Added Value
The researcher will learn complementary skills by working a large pharma industry for several months. Differences between the academic sector and the industry will be apparent. The researcher will improve communication skills and learn different approaches from a different lab, sector and country.