Sara finished her BSc in physics awarded by the University of the Basque Country (UPV, Spain) in 2011 and her MSc in biophysics awarded by Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM, Spain) in 2012.  She obtained her PhD in biophysics in 2016 supervised by Prof. Cortajarena developing nanostructured photo- and electro-active materials based on encoded protein self-assembly of engineered proteins. From 2016 to 2022, she performed her postdoctoral studies at international laboratories in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain supported by fellowships like Carl Tryggers Foundation research grant (Sweden) or Programa de Atracción de Talento (Spain). In her postdoctoral research, she focused on studying photoinduced processes in synthetic photosystems and deepen her experience in laser and pump-probe spectroscopy. In 2022, she launched her independent career at IMDEA Nanoscience research institute (Spain) awarded with La Caixa Junior Leader grant and established bio-engineered nanophotonic research group.

Upasana obtained her BSc degree in physics in 2018 at the Physics at Cotton University (India) and her MSc degree in physics in 2021 at the University of Delhi (India). In 2017, she was awarded with the Summer Research Fellowship to work at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (Bangalore) in the spectral analysis optimization for the classification of Carbon Stars. In 2018, she joined the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (New Delhi) awarded with the Indian Academy of Sciences´s fellowship to work on the design of compact blue lasers. She joined our group in February 2023 to do her PhD in spin transition studies on engineered bio-hybrids. She is enthusiastic, and quick learner. She loves travelling and exploring new places and try out the local cuisines.

Gonzalo obtained his BSc degree in Biology in 2022 at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM, Spain). He is currently doing the MSc degree in Biotechnology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM, Spain). He was member of the Zoonosis Service and Biological Aggressive as a student trainee at the Veterinary Health Surveillance Center (VISAVET) and worked as an assistant teacher at Antonio Buero Vallejo school. He joined our group to perform his master thesis on the design of bio-hybrids by using non-natural amino acids.  He is passionate about traveling, learning about new cultures and science. 

Claudia obtained her BSc degree in Biology at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM, Spain) in 2022. She is now studying MSc degree in Biotechnology in the same University. In 2022, she joined the animal reproduction department at the National Institute of agriculture and food research (INIA, CSIC, Spain) as internship trainee to work in the optimization of animal reproduction protocols for mountain goat and capercaillie. She joined our group to perform her master thesis on protein engineering for chromophore emission optimization. She is passionate about painting and cinema. Besides, she likes hiking and uses each opportunity she has to enjoy it.