Our team is formed by young researchers working in different areas of Nanomedicine, including intracellular sensing and drug delivery. We also have a large number of collaborations to face complex challenges using inter- and multidisciplinary approaches.
Cecília Borrego Mezquita | Bachelor Student
cborreme8@alumnes.ub.edu
Anna di Fiore | MSc
Anna Carbonell | BSc
Saman Bagherpour graduated with a B.Sc. in Applied Chemistry from Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran, and an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tehran, Iran, where his research focused on the synthesis and functionalization of metal-oxide nanoparticles. His PhD research carried out in our group focused on the design and synthesis of fluorescent molecules, particularly the BODIPY scaffold, and the functionalization of nanoparticles and microchips using these synthesized molecules for the detection of intracellular biomolecules. He was also working on the synthesis of amphiphilic fluorescent molecules for bioimaging applications. Currently, he continues with these research topics as a postdoctoral researcher.
Sharanabasava D. Hiremath earned his PhD in Materials Science from BITS Pilani, India, where he focused on carbon nanomaterial-based sensing assemblies for fluorimetric detection of toxic analytes. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, developing co-assemblies of biopolymers and AIE-active supramolecular polymers for efficient light-harvesting applications. He joined our group in October 2025, and his current research focuses on the development of self-assembled organic and hybrid nanostructures, biofunctionalized micro/nanoparticles for intracellular sensing, bioimaging, and pharmaceutical applications.
Kavya Anguluri graduated with a B.Sc. in Microbiology with Nanotechnology from Bharathiar University, India, and an M.Sc in Nanoscience (by research) + M.Tech Nanotechnology (Dual Degree) from Amity University, India, where her research focused on the synthesis, characterization and anti-bacterial activities of metal nanoparticles.
From March to September 2022, she worked as a project technician in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the Universitat de Barcelona.
From October 2022, she has been a PhD candidate in the same faculty.
Her research focuses on the design and synthesis of supramolecular gels and their composites incorporating the photosensitizers, particularly porphyrins, functionalized microchips for photodynamic therapy.
As a part of her PhD thesis, she is also working on the synthesis of amphiphilic molecules for biological applications.
Daniela Dupkalová completed her bachelor’s degree in General Physics and master’s degree in Surface and Plasma Physics at Charles University, Czech Republic. Her research focused on the characterization of cerium oxide nanoparticles functionalized by amino acids. In May 2024, she started her doctoral studies at the University of Barcelona. Her research in the group of Prof. Pérez-García focuses on the synthesis and characterization of supramolecular gels and their use as synthetic pathways for moving molecules and nanomaterials.
Aysha Fasna graduated with dual degree of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (BS-MS) in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram (IISER TVM). During master’s studies, her research focused on topochemical reactions of peptide derived monomers. In September 2024, she started her doctoral studies at University of Barcelona. Her current research focuses on the design and synthesis of electroactive self-assembled monolayers for surface-induced transport.
Ruxin Li graduated from Ningbo University with a master’s degree in materials and chemical engineering in 2023 and worked as a research assistant at Hong Kong Baptist University. She entered the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona in September 2024 to start her doctoral studies. Her research focuses on the synthesis of probes for ATP.
Pascual López Algarra graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry and a MSc in Molecular Biotechnology, both at the University of Barcelona. In his Master’s thesis, he functionalized silicon microchips with varying surface properties and analyzed their effects on cellular internalization and cytotoxicity in live cells. Currently, he continues in this line of research.
Carla Garcia Bahí is currently doing her Bachelor’s studies in Pharmacy at the Universitat de Barcelona. She is carrying out her Bachelor’s thesis within our research group. Her work focuses on the synthesis of small organic molecules intended to serve as linkers that will be conjugated onto nanoparticles. These functionalized nanoparticles are being developed as carriers for drugs in photodynamic therapy.
Juan Carlos Montoro M.Sc. in Chemistry by Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and experienced in the industry working in diferent areas such as fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and analytical devices.
Currently a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the Universitat de Barcelona. His research focuses on the design and synthesis of amphiphilic fluorescent molecules and conjugation with different nanoparticles for photo dynamic therapy (PDT) applications.
Hina Younis is a passionate pharmacist with a cutting-edge approach to pharmaceuticals.
She earned her master’s degree in pharmaceutics from the College of Pharmacy, University of Sargodha, Pakistan, where she pioneered advanced drug delivery systems.
Her notable contributions include developing innovative gelatin scaffolds with controlled-release silica nanoparticles and optimizing superporous hydrogels. Now pursuing a PhD at the University of Barcelona, Spain,
Hina is at the forefront of supramolecular hydrogel research, focusing on revolutionary healthcare solutions and environmental sustainability.
By integrating the latest scientific advancements, she is committed to transforming pharmaceutical science and driving progress in sustainable healthcare practices.
Federica Leone completed her Bachelor degree in Chemistry (2020) at the University of Palermo, Italy, and her Master degree in Chemistry (2022) at the University of Trieste, Italy. She is a PhD student at the University of Palermo since 2022 under the supervision of Prof. S. Riela and Dr. M. Massaro. Her current research is focused on the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterial based on halloysite for potential theranostic application. From January to July 2025, she was a visiting researcher in our group.
Miriam Martínez Samper completed her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry at the Universitat de Barcelona. Her Master’s thesis focused on the development of BODIPY-derived molecules with amphiphilic characteristics, designed to self-assemble into vesicular structures capable of encapsulating chemotherapeutic drugs for targeted delivery.
Anna Garcia got her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the Uninversitat de Barcelona. In her Bachelor thesis carried out within our research group, she focused on the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles for photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications.
