Five international researchers join the University with a 'Marie Curie' scholarship

Five researchers who have joined the University and IESE, its business school, this year - from Ecuador, India, Algeria, Canada, Italy and South Korea - have been awarded a Marie Sklodowska-Curie scholarship , one of the most competitive in Europe. Their projects address scientific and social challenges such as improving air quality in vulnerable neighborhoods, energy efficiency in buildings, functional food for people with swallowing difficulties, the creation of sustainable supply chains to reduce the environmental impact of companies, and the development of innovative therapies against neuroblastoma, an aggressive subject childhood cancer.

In this call for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships 2024, promoted by the European Commission to promote the degree program of postdoctoral researchers in centers of international reference letter , the University is among the leading Spanish institutions, at the same level as universities such as the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Santiago de Compostela or the Polytechnic University of Valencia. It is also the first private university in the country in terms of the issue of projects awarded, according to official data from the European Commission. Only the CSIC (42 projects) and a small group of public universities surpass this figure, which reinforces its role as a reference letter institution in attracting scientific talent. In turn, Spain has been the European Union country that has attracted the most projects, with 211 researchers selected and 42.4 million euros awarded, representing 16.3% of the total financed in the EU-27. 

research with impact on health and sustainability

From the BIOMA Institute, Ecuadorian researcher César Augusto Quishpe will develop the OPTIGREENproject , which combines urbanism, public health and digital technologies. His goal is to design integrated strategies to plan and manage green areas that improve air quality and health, especially in vulnerable neighborhoods with high levels of pollution. The project, supervised by Professor Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, of the School of Architectureand co-supervised by Professor Jesús Miguel Santamaría, from the School of Science, will apply different architectural design models, such as green facades, tree canopies and vegetal walls, as well as statistical tools, to evaluate pollutants and their health impact. This project integrates a series of advanced tools and methodologies, such as 3D visualization and its application to urban digital twins. It is being developed in partnership with the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) of Spain and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto (Canada). Quishpe holds a PhD in Physics and Space Sciences from the University of Granada and was previously a postdoctoral researcher in the Environmental Remote Sensing research group at the University of Alcalá.

At the School of Architecture, under the supervision of Professor César Martín-Gómez, the Indian researcher Reshma Krishnan will develop the BITESproject , focused on analyzing thermoelectric systems for cooling and self-heating of buildings. Her goal is to contribute to the design of energetically autonomous buildings, capable of generating heat or cold without traditional systems, improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Krishnan holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Oslo (Norway) and a degree in Polymer Chemistry from St Michaels College, University of Kerala, India. 

In the Nutritionresearch center , Algerian researcher Amirouche Deghima will work under the supervision of Professors Diana Ansorena and Iciar Astiasarán on the development of new protein foods with plant proteins and enriched with antioxidants, adapted to people with dysphagia, a disorder that affects the ability to swallow, common in elderly people or those with neurological diseases. His project, HyPAD, focuses on functional food research and plant therapeutics (identification, extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants), as well as the assessment of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other bioactivities. Deghima holds a PhD in Engineering Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the University of Bejaia in Algeria and since 2015 he is a professor at the Algerian University of Mohamed Khider.

The Italian Greta Avancini, with the CURATIVEproject , will investigate targeted therapies with nanoparticles to treat neuroblastoma, a very aggressive childhood cancer subject . Under the supervision of María Blanco, professor at the School of Pharmacy and Nutrition, the project aims to improve the efficacy and reduce the adverse effects of current treatments. Avancini holds a PhD in Biosciences from the University of Padua (2023) and is a postdoctoral researcher at the laboratory of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. She has experience in developing biomimetic drug delivery systems, chemotherapeutic drugs, formulation of drug delivery systems, small molecule synthesis and in vitro programs of study in cell cultures.

At IESE, South Korean researcher Jieun Shin, supervised by Prof. Fabrizio Ferraro, will develop theGREENCHAIN project , focused on the creation of sustainable supply chains that minimize business environmental impact. The project proposes to develop an interdisciplinary theoretical framework integrating perspectives from Economics, management, finance, operations management and industrial engineering, as well as to establish empirical models with novel data sources and econometric approaches, applied to real contexts in Europe and Japan. Shin is an associate professor of strategic management at IESE. She holds a doctorate in that specialization program from the University of Toronto, a Master's Degree in Technology and Policy from MIT, and an engineering degree in Chemistry from the University of Tokyo. Prior to her academic degree program , she worked in the chemical and financial sectors.