Prof. Anton Vidal

Research in the field of Chemistry has always been the professional activity that I have most enjoyed, and in which I have been active since graduating in 1987 in Chemical Engineering from the Institut Químic de Sarrià.

I completed my PhD at the same institution in 1992 and my Doctoral research not only fulfilled all my expectations, but more importantly reaffirmed and enhanced my interest in the field of organic chemical research.

Throughout the two post-doctoral appointments that followed (at the University of Cambridge, 1993-1994, and the University of Barcelona, 1995-1999) I had the opportunity to develop a strong understanding in topical and diverse areas of chemistry research such as Molecular Recognition, Supramolecular Chemistry and Enantioselective Catalysis.

I have had the opportunity to complement my academic background with the industrial experience gained during my tenure in a number of research departments at Bayer-AG (Leverkusen 1999-2003) which have led me to identify and appreciate the problems faced by industry and how to best solve them.

Following the appointment as a Research Professor from ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies), I started the research activities as a Group Leader at the ICIQ in September 2003.

The ultimate aim of the research activities going on in my research group is the design and development of efficient and sustainable catalytic tools in asymmetric synthesis. The strategy to achieve these goals combines a modular design of the catalytic systems, the study of the molecular recognition processes that govern the catalytic event and the use of computational methods.

In October 2019, he moved as Research Professor to the Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona.