MSCA-IF: Joint application at the University of Sevilla. Chemistry Department

Professor Salvador Conejero Iglesias, Chemistry Department at the University of Sevilla, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF) in 2020 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule. 

Brief description of the institution: 

The Universidad de Sevilla (USE) was established in 1505 and, with more than 70000 students and 6800 staff, is the third largest university in Spain. US embraces academia, industry, engineering and science and, with a relevant educational and technological infrastructure, is an intellectual reference in the South of Europe. 

More than 10000 students are following postgraduate courses, enrolled into 86 master programs and 152 doctoral programs. And the university holds academic partnerships with 850 institutions throughout the world. 

US is also devoted to research and innovation; therefore, in addition to its 4300 academic staff, there are 1600 researchers and over 470 scientific groups associated to the university. Research is carried out within academic departments, in 8 research centers and 9 university research institutes. 

Research facilities offer highly advanced research services at the Center for Research, Technology and Innovation (CITIUS) that provides the most advanced and state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and techniques to research groups, public research institutes and industries This is complemented by important national research centers such as the Institute in Mathematic Research (IMUS), the Biomedicine Research Institute (IBIS), the National Research Center for Accelerators (CNA) and the Institute of Microelectronics (IMSE-CNM). 

The researchers with Marie Curie contracts at US will be considered for tenure track at the end of their contract. 

Brief description of the Centre/Research Group: The primary aim of our research team is to synthesize organometallic molecules with specific electronic and steric properties enabling the activation and functionalization of different types of bonds. We are interested in developing new efficient catalysts, with a important effort in the understanding of the mechanisms by which the metal complexes operate. Also, we focuse on fundamental aspects elucidating the detailed electronic structure and reactivity patterns of the organometallic molecules. As such, our research program spans the areas of organic synthesis, catalysis, and organometallic chemistry. Currently, we are dealing with group 10 transition metals (mainly nickel and platinum) stabilized by pincer bis(phosphino)boryl and N-heterocyclic carbene ligands and exploring their potential in carbon dioxide transformation and dehydrocoupling processes leading to B-N, Si-N, C-Si and C-B bonds.

Project description: The applicant will be involved in a research line focused of the reactivity of metal-silicon and metal boron bonds leading to the formation of X-E bonds (where E is silicon or boron), with particular emphasis on the formation of C-E bonds. Our approach would be based on two distinct routes using platinum or nickel complexes. The first strategy would consist of enhancing the electrophilicity of silicon and boron atoms in silanes, silyls, boranes and boryls through their coordination to a metal centre (electrophilic activation). Previous results from our group clearly indicate that the silicon atom in the unexplored platinum sigma-SiH complexes undergoes an increase in its electrophilicity, and this effect is expected to occur as well in sigma-BH derivatives. On the other hand, silyl and boryl complexes of platinum in high oxidation states are expected to behave as electrophiles. The second approach has been conceived on the basis of electron rich nickel compounds able to generate silyl and boryl complexes. These systems will be used as platforms for the functionalization of organic molecules. Additionally, we intend to explore  the ability of these species in the stoichiometric and catalytic activation/functionalization of small molecules (CO2, NH3,…) analyzing the possible cooperative effects of the ligands around the metal centre in the activation of these stable molecules, as found in previous systems developed in our group. 

Research Area: Chemistry (CHE)

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to Professor Salvador Conejero Iglesias (sconejero@iiq.csic.es)

• CV
• Recommendation letter
• Motivation letter