On November 24th, as part of the closing of the Advanced Materials program of Complementary Plans, this new scientific facility was inaugurated. InCAEM will be crucial to positioning Catalonia and Spain as key players in the development of materials and technologies that promote green energy and a sustainable economy.

Neus Sunyer, a PhD student who is under Prof. JR Galán-Mascaros and Prof. Katherine Villa supervision has successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled “Enantioselective Carbyne Transfer via Chiral Rh-Carbynoids” publicly on Friday, November 21.

The members of the evaluation committee were Dr. Sara Goberna Ferrón (Universitat Politècnica de València), Dr. Vanesa Lillo (ICIQ) and Dr. Jesús González Cobos (University of Lyon, France).

La entrada Moltes felicitats, Dra. Sunyer! se publicó primero en ICIQ.

Josep Esteve, a PhD student who is under Prof. Marcos Garcia Suero supervision has successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “Enantioselective Carbyne Transfer via Chiral Rh-Carbynoids” publicly on Friday, November 21.

The members of the evaluation committee were Prof. Miquel Costas Salgueiro (Universitat de Girona), Prof. Rubén Martín Romo (ICIQ) and Prof. Berit OIofsson (Stockholm University, Sweden)

Josep Esteve is from Parets del Vallès, near Barcelona. He studied chemistry at UAB and completed his MSc in Chemistry in Uppsala, Sweden, before joining ICIQ. In his free time, he enjoys playing the saxophone, especially ska-jazz music.

What is your thesis about?

In my thesis I describe the development of two new reactions involving Rh-carbynoids, as a part of a carbyne transfer platform methodology program. In one of them we do an enantioselective single-carbon insertion into alkenes (the first enantioselective skeletal-editing modification of this kind!), and in the other one, we generate for the first time alkyl–I(III) Rh-carbynoids and explore its reactivity. With these methodologies we seek to help medicinal chemists to tackle complex drug molecules faster, and this is why there is a complete mechanistic study in both projects.

What triggered your interest for the subject of your thesis?

I always liked reactive carbon species as intermediates in chemical reactions, and the beauty on controlling them to make precise changes in molecules. For this reason, carbynes have a great potential. I liked the fact that not a lot of research was conducted about them, and that we could change this with my thesis.

What applications can your thesis have in the future?

I hope it can be used one day in the pharmaceutical industry, to access complex biologically active molecules that hopefully can treat a disease. And who knows, maybe it will be used in a ton-scale factory one day to make a new drug!

The thing that I like most about my thesis is…. 

The mechanistic discussion of the reactions. All the experiments devoted to elucidate how the reaction is taking place, in each individual step.

From the lessons learnt (or skills developed) at ICIQ, which one do you value the most?

The value you put in your work. Here in ICIQ I realized how you need to defend your results, give them the importance they deserve, and use them to step forward your research.

What advice do you have for someone who’s starting their PhD now?

Try all the experiments you are curious about, the PhD is not just about doing the work you need to get done, but also about exploring new things and be excited about science.

Who/What has been your biggest influence/motivation?

I think my main motivation comes from the colleagues that started with me the PhD. Seeing them pushing forward their projects and getting interesting results makes you want to be at the same level.

What is your favourite molecule? 

Rh₂(S-NTTL)₄. Its crystal structure is a beautiful bowl shape, and it has been very useful in my projects.

If you were a piece of lab equipment, what would you be?

The SFC (supercritical fluid chromatography). It has been the instrument in the lab I spent more time with, and is extremely helpful for separating different enantiomers of a molecule.

Tell us something about you that people might not know… 

I know how to play diabolo and ride a unicycle.

La entrada Moltes felicitats, Dr. Esteve! se publicó primero en ICIQ.

CSIC and Fundación Mediterráneo share the positive energy of science in a show for the whole family

• On 27 December at 5:30 p.m., the Foundation’s Aula de Cultura will become a large laboratory where audiences can experience science, art, and a wide range of emotions through the CSIC X+ initiative.
• The event is free of charge, with prior registration required from 20 November at csicxmas.com
• The website also hosts videos with experiments, tips, and games to keep scientific curiosity active throughout the year.

Dr. X+, played by CSIC astrophysicist Daniel Guirado, is one of the main characters of the fifth edition of CSIC X+. Source: CSIC

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has presented this week the fifth edition of its Christmas programme CSIC X+. Under the title ‘The X+ Good Energy’, the initiative invites family audiences to enjoy a travelling show that blends science and art through emotions, and launches a new website (csicxmas.com) featuring experiments, tips, and science-based games to learn while having fun 365 days a year.

Alicante, the X+ stage

The X+ show will visit Alicante on Saturday, 27 December. At 5:30 p.m., the Fundación Mediterráneo’s Aula de Cultura will be transformed into a unique laboratory where families can experience science live.

There, a group of daring characters led by the charismatic Dr. X+, played by Daniel Guirado, musician and astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), will take the audience on a thrilling journey through a wide range of phenomena studied at the CSIC, including the polar regions, the oceans, sound waves, the human brain, and eclipses.

The session will feature guest appearances by Susana Rodríguez, Director of the Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia (IBV-CSIC), and neuroscientist Juan Antonio Sánchez Alcañiz from the Institute of Neurosciences (IN), a joint center of the CSIC and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). Admission is free, with prior registration required via the website csicxmas.com, starting on November 20.

“It is a great satisfaction for me to take part in an initiative like CSIC X+, which achieves something essential: bringing science into the realm of emotion and curiosity,” says Sánchez Alcañiz, who leads the Neurogenetic Bases of Behavior laboratory at the IN. “At our centre, we work every day to understand how the brain functions, from the most basic neuronal circuits to the processes that enable us to think, learn, and remember. Being able to share these advances with families, in such a playful and accessible setting, is an extraordinary opportunity to bring research closer to society and to inspire new scientific vocations.”

“Since its first edition, CSIC X+ has been a space where science is experienced as something shared,” explains Pura Fernández, Deputy Vice President for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science at the CSIC. “In its fifth anniversary year, the project expands its reach with a hybrid programme and a new approach: bringing this festive celebration of science to more places and more moments throughout the year,” she adds.

A whole year of X+ content

After its premiere in Mérida (December 6) and stops in Fuengirola (December 14), Madrid (December 23), and Alicante (December 27), the show will conclude its tour in Santiago de Compostela on January 2.

In addition to enjoying science beyond the classroom and the Christmas season, the project has launched a dynamic website (csicxmas.com) where families, teachers, and curious people of all ages can access videos in which Dr. X+ shares experiments and tips, as well as stories and challenges created by the X+ team. All these resources fall under the umbrella of The X+ Method, which invites audiences to observe, ask questions, experiment, and share science.

Five years of science and Christmas

The CSIC X+ initiative began in 2021 as a Christmas science and technology camp for children at the CSIC’s headquarters in Madrid. The format was repeated in 2022, incorporating a large immersive brain in which visitors could discover Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s major contributions to the development of neuroscience. In 2023, the camp was complemented by three sound-based encounters with musical artists such as Anni B Sweet, Niño de Elche, and Tulsa, commemorating the centenary of radio in Spain. A year later, the children’s activities moved to the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), and the sound encounters travelled beyond Madrid to Gijón, Zaragoza, and Granada. The content of that edition focused on polar expeditions.

In 2025, The X+ Good Energy will revisit some of the themes explored in previous editions—both on stage and online—and will also highlight solar eclipses, an astronomical phenomenon that will be visible from Spain on three occasions between 2026 and 2028.

The purpose of this fifth edition is summed up in the following manifesto:

The X+ Good Energy
is not stored,
is not exhausted,
it is shared.
It lights up,
it spreads,
and it is celebrated.
It is the spark that brings together science and emotion,
arts and discoveries,
childhood, family, and futures.

Source: CSIC Cultura Científica

La entrada CSIC X+, 27 Dec 2025 se publicó primero en Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante.