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Curriculum Vitae

Prof. José Alemán received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid (UAM, Spain, 1995-2000). Then, he joined the group of Prof. Jose Luis García Ruano at the same university, and obtained his M.Sc. in 2002 with a fellowship from the Spanish Ministery of Education and Science. In 2003, he spent six months in the laboratory of Prof. Albert Padwa at Emory University (Atlanta, USA) working on remotely enantiocontrolled Pummerer reactions. In 2005, he finished his PhD thesis focused on the application of sulfur chemistry in asymmetric synthesis with the highest qualification (“Summa Cum Laude”). Furthermore, he was awarded the Lilly Research Award in 2005 as the best chemistry PhD student in Spain and was also awarded for carrying out the best PhD thesis at the UAM in the academic year 2005-2006.

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Then, he obtained a two-year postdoctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and carried out his post-doctoral stay in the group of Prof. Karl Anker Jørgensen (Denmark) from 2006 to 2008 , working in the area of organocatalysis. In summer 2008, he decided to begin a bioinorganic research project in the group of Prof. Carmen Navarro Ranninger at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the UAM (July-December 2008). He worked in the synthesis of new Pt(II) and Pt(IV) anticancer-complexes and their interactions with DNA and in the study of their catalytic activities. In 2009, he moved to the Department of Organic Chemistry of the UAM with a “Juan de la Cierva” contract (selected number one in Chemistry in 2009).

 

In 2010, he was granted a Ramón y Cajal position (selected number one in Chemistry), the most prestigious research contract for young scientists in Spain. During this period, he was working on some topics of sulfur chemistry and, opened new research lines concerning organocatalysis, mainly related to the development of new reactions, catalysts, and syntheses of sulfur compounds by organocatalytic processes. In 2015 he received a Consolidator Grant awarded by the European Research Council and in 2019 an ERC Proof of Concept. In 2016 he was promoted to Associate Professor in the UAM. In 2022 he was appointed as Scientific Director of the Institute for Advanced Research in Chemical Sciences (IAdChem). In 2023 he was promoted to Full Professor in the UAM. He has published over 210 papers (see Publications page) and has been invited to give multiple lectures in national and international conferences.

Most relevant publications

 

Prof. Alemán is currently author of over 220 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 6 book chapters. Highlights include: 17 Angewandte Chemie (2 highlighted as cover picture in Angewandte Chemie 2007, Vol. 46 and 4 highlighted by Synfacts, 2007, 874; 2008, 206; 2008, 1172, 2014, 978), 5 Journal of American Chemical Society (one highlighted by Synfacts 2008, 1220), 2 Nature Communications, 6 ACS Catalysis, 2 Chemical Science, 17 Chemistry A European Journal (one was highlighted by Synfacts 2011, 218), 18 Organic Letters (one highlighted as cover picture in Organic Letters 2022, Vol. 24, Issue 17), 24 Chemical Communications (one highlighted as hot article and highlighted by Synfacts, 2009, 463, and also in different web pages, and other as cover picture), 4 Green Chemistry, 3 ChemCatChem, 4 Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis, 7 Journal of Organic Chemistry, 3 Dalton Transactions, 6 chapters in books (Wiley and Thieme), among others. Regarding patents, he has two international and one national patents: one for the synthesis of trans-Pt(II) complexes with sulfonamides and the other in collaboration with Sanofi-Aventis for Pt(IV) complexes. Since his first article (2003), Prof. Alemán has published in the best-quality journals (most of them with an impact-index higher than 5.0), has over 7,000 citations and an h-index of 47 (Scopus, November 2024). 

Supervisor and academic experience

 

Prof. Alemán has directed over 20 Master’s theses, 22 postdoctoral researchers (Cuauhtemoc Alvarado, Ricardo Alfaro, José Antonio Fernández Salas, Natalia Larionova, Wioleta Cieślik, Ghazaleh Imani Shakibaei, Rafael Cano, María del Carmen Pérez, María Cabrera, Pablo Domingo Legarda, Andrea Gini, Alicia Moya, José Moreno, Vito Capaccio,  Ignacio Pérez, Leyre Marzo, Sara Cembellín, Mateo Berton, Matías Blanco, Marina Sicignano, Miguel Díaz and Claudia Feberero) and 24 PhD theses at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid: Vanesa Marcos (best PhD thesis UAM 2011 and Lilly Research Award in 2010), Virginia del Solar (Lilly Research Award 2012), Leyre Marzo (Lilly Research Award 2014), Cecilia Rodríguez (2015), Rosaria Schettini (2016), María Frías (2018, best PhD thesis UAM 2018/2019), Francisco Esteban (2018), Javier de Luis (2019), Thomas Rigotti (2020), Antonio Casado (2020), Alberto Garrido (2021), Víctor Laina (2021), Andrea Guerrero (2021), Alicia Jiménez (2021), Daniel González (2022), Ana María Martínez (2022), Jorge Humbrías (2022), Ricardo Rodríguez (2022), Alberto López (2023), Noelia Salaverri (2023), Leonardo Mollari (2023), José Luis Nova (2024), Roberto del Río (2024) and Miguel Ángel Valle (2024).

 

He is currently supervising 10 PhD students. He has also teaching experience in various subjects at the Department of Organic Chemistry at UAM (2000-2005 and 2009-2019) in Bachelor’s and Master’s level classes and is qualified as “Profesor Titular” since 2010 by ANECA and Qualified in Docentia as A. He is also a scientific project evaluator for the Spanish National Agency of Science (ANECA), Czech Science Foundation, “Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT) de Argentina”, and France National Agency of Science (L'Agence Nationale de la Recherche). In addition, he is reviewer for a number of scientific journals (Wiley, RSC, Elsevier…).

International and National Collaborations

 

Prof. Alemán has established national collaborations with Prof. Carmen Navarro Ranninger (UAM), Prof. García López (Hospital 12 de Octubre, Spain), Dr. José M. Padrón (BioLab, La Laguna University, Spain), Dr. Álvaro Somoza (IMDEA Nanociencia), Dr. Rubén Mas (UAM), Dr. Sergio Díaz-Tendero (UAM), Dr. Ana Somer (UAM), Dr. Ana Platero (UAM), Dr. Pedro. J. de Pablo (UAM), Prof. Xavier Monfort (UAB), Prof. Xavier Solans (UAB), Prof. Víctor de la Peña (IMDEA Energía), Prof. José Ángel Martín Gago (ICMM, CSIC) and Dr. Daniel Maspoch (CNR2).

 

Also, he has international collaborations with Prof. Karl Anker Jørgensen (Denmark), Prof. Andrew Smith (University of Saint Andrews, UK), Prof. Eli Zysman-Colman (University of Saint Andrews, UK), Prof. Géraldine Masson (CNRS, France), Prof. Olga García Mancheño (Universität Münster, Germany), Prof. Francisco Yuste (UNAM, Mexico), Prof. Eusebio Juaristi (Mexico), Prof. Alesandra Lattanzi (Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italy) and Prof. G. Della Salla (Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italy).

PRIZES AND HONOURS

  • 2022 José Barluenga Medal from the Organic Chemistry Group (GEQOR) of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ). For more information click here

  • 2019 ERC-Proof of Concept. For more information click here

  • 2015 Lilly Youth Researcher Prize. For more information click here

  • 2015 ERC-Consolidator Grant (1,987,750 €). For more information click here.

  • 2013 Sigma-Aldrich prize for youth researchers from the RSEQ.

  • 2010 Ramón y Cajal Researcher. Selected number one in Chemistry.

  • 2005-2006 Best PhD thesis at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

  • 2005 Lilly Research Award as the best PhD student in Chemistry in Spain.

 

CURRENT PROJECTS OF THE GROUP

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  • January 2025-December 2028. Project title: "Photocatalytic Industrial Applications" (total: 1,590,408 €). Acronym: PIA. Grant Agreement: 101168878. Call: MSCA Doctoral Network 2023. Funding entity: European Union. Project coordinator: J. A. Fernández Salas. 

  • September 2024-August 2027. Project title: "New N-heterocyclic carbenes as organophotocatalysts for acylation reactions" (100,000 €). Ref. PID2023-146050NA-I00. Call: Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2023. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Principal investigator: Leyre Marzo.

  • September 2022-August 2025. Project title: “Organocatálisis y procesos relacionados para el control en la enantioselectividad” (356,950 €). Ref. PID2021-122299NB-I00. Call: Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2021. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Principal investigators: José Alemán and Alberto Fraile.

  • September 2023-August 2025. Project title: "Catalizadores cooperativos para la transformación de CO2 en metanol" (199,200 €). Acronym: CoopCat. Ref. CNS2022-135687. Call: Consolidación Investigadora 2022. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Principal investigator: Alba Collado. 

  • December 2022-July 2025. Project title: “Electrones para procesos organocatalíticos asimétricos sostenibles” (285,200 €). Acronym: EL4ASOS. Ref. TED2021-130470B-I00. Call: Proyectos Estratégicos Orientados a la Transición Ecológica y a la Transición Digital 2021. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • December 2022-May 2025. Project title: “Síntesis de COFs-2D fotoactivos para su aplicación en fotoelectrodos." (180,665 €). Ref. TED2021-129999B-C32. Call: Proyectos Estratégicos Orientados a la Transición Ecológica y a la Transición Digital 2021. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Principal investigators: Silvia Cabrera and Alberto Fraile.

  • July 2021-December 2024. Project title: "Síntesis fotoquímica en superficies" (total: 716,100 €; Alemán's group: 268,170 €). Acronym: FOTOSURF-CM. Ref. Y2020/NMT-6469. Proyecto Sinérgico de I+D. Funding entity: Community of Madrid. Principal investigator: José Alemán. Coordinator: José Ángel Martín-Gago (ICMM, CSIC).

FORMER PROJECTS OF THE GROUP

  • September 2022-June 2024. Project title: "Desarrollo de catalizadores cooperativos para la funcionalización de CO2" (44,460 €). Ref. SI3/PJI/2021-00520. Call: Ayudas a la realización de proyectos de I+D para jóvenes doctores UAM 2021. Funding entity: Community of Madrid. Principal investigator: Alba Collado. 

  • January 2019-April 2023. Project title: "Nueva generación de materiales multifuncionales para fotosíntesis artificial” (total: 1,083,374 €; Alemán group: 141,090 €). Acronym: FOTOART-CM. Ref. S2018/NMT-4367. Funding entity: Community of Madrid. Principal investigator: José Alemán. Coordinator: Víctor de la Peña (IMDEA Energy).

  • February 2020-February 2023. Project title: "Desarrollo de fotocartuchos y microrreactores con silica nanoestructurada" (90,000 €). Ref. IND2019/AMB-17142. Call: Ayuda para la realización de Doctorados Industriales 2019. Funding entity: Community of Madrid. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • February 2022-December 2022. Project title: "Explorando la interacción entre partículas víricas y materiales: fundamentos y aplicaciones profilácticas" (total: 1,235,000 €; Alemán's group: 137,261.17). Acronym: VIRMAT. Funding entities: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - REACT EU, Community of Madrid and UAM. Principal investigator: José Alemán. Coordinator: Pedro José de Pablo (UAM).

  • 2021-2022. Project title: "Solicitud de un proyecto ITN-European Industrial Doctorate (ITN-EID) en Fotocatálisis" (25,000 €). Ref. EIN2019-102894. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • Marzo 2020-May 2022. Project title: "Nueva reacción de De Mayo fotocatalítica enantioselectiva" (49,300 €). Ref. SI1/PJI/2019-00237. Call: Ayudas a la realización de proyectos de I+D para jóvenes doctores UAM 2019Funding entity: Community of Madrid. Principal investigator: Leyre Marzo. 

  • January 2019-September 2022. Project title: "Controlando procesos organocatalíticos y fotocatalíticos asimétricos para la síntesis de moleculas orgánicas" (302,500 €). Ref. RTI2018-095038-B-100. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Principal investigators: José Alemán and Silvia Cabrera.

  • 2019 - 2021. Project title: "Phocatalytic materials in flow chemistry" (150,000 €). Acronym: PhotMatFlow. Funding entity: ERC-Proof of Concept. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • 2015 - 2016. Project title: "Asymmetric Organocatalysis network" (115,000 €). Funding: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México. Principal investigator: José Alemán. Coordinator: Cuauthemoc Alvarado (Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Mexico).

  • 2015 - 2021. Project title: “Unconventional bifunctional catalysts” (1,987,750 €). Acronym: UNBICAT. Ref. 647550. Call: ERC Consolidator Grant 2014. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • 2014-2016. “Compatible Metal Bond-Activation – Asymmetric Organocatalytic Tandem Processes” (15,000 €), Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Convocatoria Acciones Conjuntas Hispano Alemanas-DAAD). Principal investigator: José Alemán. German Co-Partner: Olga García Macheño (University of Münster).

  • January 2016-December 2018. Project title: “Nuevas aproximaciones órgano- y foto-catalíticas a las síntesis de productos enantioméricamente enriquecidos” (200,800 €). Ref. CTQ2015-64561-R. Call: Retos Investigación I+D+i 2015. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Principal investigator: José Alemán.

  • January 2011-December 2015. Project title: “Design of new catalysts and their applications in organocatalysis”. Funding entity: Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. Project associated to the Ramón y Cajal position. Ref. RYC‐2010‐05799 (15,000 €). Principal investigator: José Alemán.

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  • April 2023-present: Full Professor (Department of Organic Chemistry, UAM).

  • 2016-April 2023: Associate Professor (Department of Organic Chemistry, UAM).

  • December 2009-December 2015: Ramón y Cajal Researcher (Department of Organic Chemistry, UAM).

  • July 2008-November 2008: Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry (UAM) under the supervision of Prof. Carmen Navarro Ranninger.

  • May 2006-May 2008: Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Catalysis at Aarhus University (Denmark) under the supervision of the Prof. Karl Anker Jørgensen.

  • July 2001-February 2006: PhD at the Department of Organic Chemistry, UAM. Dissertation: “Orto-sulfinylcarbanions as asymmetric benzylation reagents”. Advisor: Prof. José Luis García Ruano. Maximum Qualification with Honours (“Sobresaliente Cum Laude”).

  • September 2002: Master of Science in Organic Chemistry, UAM. Dissertation: “Oxidative addition to C-S bonds: Heck reaction of arylvinyl and aryl-ethynyl sulfones”. Advisor: Prof. José Luis García Ruano and Dr. Cristina García Paredes. Academic marks: 4.0/4.0.

  • June 2000: Bachelor in Chemistry, UAM. Academic marks: 3.0/4.0.

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