HARNESSING THE LIGHT AT THE NANOSCALE
Group founded in October 2022
Welcome to the Bio-Engineered Nanophotonics group! We create photoactive biohybrids—synthetic systems that incorporate essential elements of natural photosystems— to pave the way for advancements in bio-inspired nanotechnology and photonics. Our research investigates how protein amino acids influence chromophore relaxation dynamics, elucidating the design rules and functional mechanisms of engineered biohybrids.
Our Mission. We address challenges in photoactive biohybrid development by creating new design strategies to control protein-chromophore interaction networks in engineered biohybrids.
Our Research Approach. We engineer recombinant proteins with tailored pockets to embed chromophores in an environment that can be tuned at the nanoscale. Our designed protein scaffolds enable precise control over the nature and strength of protein-chromophore interactions. By applying time-resolved spectroscopy, we monitor chromophore excited-state decay dynamics and investigate the role of specific amino acids in the biohybrid photoresponse.
Our Vision. Our ultimate goal is to define the fundamental principles of biohybrid design and be able to control their relaxation dynamics to transform biohybrids into powerful technological tools.
INTERVIEW! Scientific Videogame company prepared an interview for Sara as an inspiring scientist for the day of the woman and the girl in science. Thank you for your interest in our science! (February 11, 2025)
PRESENTATION OF OUR OUTREACH PLAN. Asier, in charge of the outreach in the group, presented our outreach strategy for this year. Check more information in news! (February 5, 2025)
PROJECT FUNDED! As part of the R&D program in TECHNOLOGIES from the Madrid community. This project brings together researchers in time-resolved spectroscopy. (1.2 M€)! (October 27, 2024)
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBER: Asier García. After doing his master thesis with us, Asier started as a PhD student in our group. We are excited excited to see you starting this project! (October 1, 2024)
Our group participated in the European researchers´Night. Teresa and Asier prepared a nice talk about the importance of the interdisciplinarity in science at the CaixaForum in Madrid (September 27, 2024)