Prof. Emilio M. Pérez Álvarez
Prof. Emilio M. Pérez is the Director of IMDEA Nanociencia. His scientific trajectory is defined by the development of unconventional chemical tools to modify and understand low-dimensional materials. After obtaining his PhD from the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Prof. David Leigh, and a postdoctoral stay at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid with Prof. Nazario Martín, he joined IMDEA Nanociencia in 2008 as a Ramón y Cajal Researcher, eventually climbing through the ranks to lead the Institute.
Dr. Pérez’s work has been supported by the European Research Council (Starting and Proof of Concept grants) and recognized with numerous distinctions, including the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists, the Miguel Catalán Award, and the 2024 RSEQ Prize for Excellence in Research. He is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University.
Research Lines
Sitting at the vibrant intersection of supramolecular chemistry and materials science, his research program is built on three fundamental pillars:
- Mechanically Interlocked Nanostructures: He pioneered the use of the mechanical bond on carbon nanotubes, creating a new class of materials known as MINTs.
- 2D Materials and Heterostructures: Developing improved methods for the liquid-phase exfoliation of ultrathin materials and their chemical functionalization, for their integration into functioning optoelectronic devices.
- Fundamental Supramolecular Chemistry: Utilizing optical tweezers single-molecule force spectroscopy to measure and understand the non-covalent forces that govern molecular recognition.