Researchers Martín Fañanás and Moisés Gulías have been recognized with 2 of the 66 Thieme Chemistry Awards 2015, a prize given by the editorial boards of scientific journals Synlett, Synthesis, and Synfacts which rewards individuals who are loosely defined as promising young professors at the beginning of their career, who are selected every year to receive free print and electronic subscriptions of all three journals as a gesture of encouragement.
The CiQUS meets them to find out their impressions.
How did you get the news? Did you expect something like this?
Martín Fañanás: I received the news by email. I did not expect it, but it was a very nice surprise.
Moisés Gulías: I did not expect it, because the awardees are chose freely by the editorial boards of SYNTHESIS, SYNLETT and SYNFACT.
You find this award more a prize or a challenge for the next future? What does it mean for your current research activity?
M.F.: Both of them, as recognition to the scientific work developed until now, and also as encouragement to keep on working in the same line knowing that there is support from the scientific community.
M.G: I understand this award more as a responsibility; it means there is an expectation about the research we are doing now. So, it is a motivation to continue with this work and the moment we face new challenges.
Which is your main field of work, and what are your scientific goals in the near future?
M.F.: My research line is focused on the development of new catalytic highly atom-efficient processes in the field of sustainable chemistry. One of the main goals is the development of the methods for the conversion of raw materials, such as hydrocarbons, into highly valuable products or biologically active compounds.
M.G: My work is focused in the development of new synthetic methods for the functionalization of carbon-hydrogen bonds through metal catalysis. In practice, it means we intend to develop a more direct, economic, simple and more environmentally friendly access to drugs and biologically active compounds. This is still our aim towards the future.
What are for you both the singular differences of working at CiQUS and Campus Vida?
M.F.: CiQUS provides high level facilities, which clearly helps the development of the scientific activity. Furthermore, there is working atmosphere in which you can find scientists from many different fields, something that offers the possibility of carrying out highly relevant multidisciplinar research.
M.G: Working at CiQUS is a great opportunity. It has excellent infrastructures and also facilitates a competitive environment and multidisciplinary networks, in which collaborations and more ambitious research works can be easily established.