José Luis Mascareñas, CiQUS researcher and former Scientific Director, served as Scientific President of the 2025 Bürgenstock Conference —becoming only the third Spanish scientist to hold this position in the six-decade history of the event. His role is particularly significant given the unique and highly selective character of the conference, which gathers each year around 140 participants in a secluded setting to discuss cutting-edge and often unpublished research across the molecular sciences. Among the invited plenary lecturers, in addition to the opening by Nobel Laureate David MacMillan; Erick Carreira, editor-in-chief of JACS; Andreas Pfaltz, pioneer in asymmetric catalysis and former Bürgenstock President; and Hagan Bayley, one of the inventors of DNA sequencing.
The 2025 programme, designed by Mascareñas, was marked by scientific excellence and multidisciplinary scope. “I had planned a panel of top-level, highly diverse speakers, and it did not disappoint,” he commented. Among the invited plenary lecturers were Todd Hyster (Princeton), ShuLi You (Shanghai), Claudia Höbartner (Würzburg), and Eva Hevia (Bern), as well as a strong cohort of promising early-career researchers. “Both the senior and junior presentations were of an exceptional standard, and the depth of the scientific discussion was particularly satisfying,” Mascareñas added. The event also stood out for its welcoming and collegial atmosphere, which several participants attributed to the active presence of Spanish chemists—including more than ten professors currently working at institutions abroad.
Founded in 1965, the Bürgenstock Conference on Stereochemistry is widely regarded as one of the most exclusive and intellectually demanding events in the field of chemistry. Its singular format sets it apart from other international congresses: the scientific programme remains confidential until the opening session, all participants commit to attending the full week, and each lecture is followed by extended, in-depth discussions. The event is strictly limited in size, with no students admitted, encouraging high-level, cross-disciplinary scientific exchange in an informal setting.
CiQUS was represented by three researchers at this year’s meeting. In addition to Mascareñas’s role as President, Diego Peña (Scientific Director of CiQUS) delivered a talk on nanographenes and on-surface chemistry, while Manuel Nappi took part as a Junior Scientist Fellow through the competitive JSP programme, which this year supported 20 young researchers from across the globe—an initiative seen as a key engine for the future of the discipline.
The CiQUS holds the CIGUS recognition by the Xunta de Galicia, that accredits the quality and impact of its research, and receives financial support from the European Union through the Galicia FEDER Program 2021-2027. Participation in the Bürgenstock Conference reflects a strong recognition of scientific excellence. The center is honoured by the involvement of three of its researchers in such a prestigious forum, underscoring the centre’s growing international visibility and its continued contribution to the advancement of molecular sciences.
