Biography

Miquel A. Pericàs was born in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) in 1951.

He studied Chemical Engineering at the Institut Químic de Sarrià and Chemistry at the University of Barcelona, and obtained his PhD degree in 1979 for his work on acetylene diethers and synthesis of oxocarbons under the guidance of the late Prof. Fèlix Serratosa at the University of Barcelona.

After postdoctoral studies at the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) with Prof. Francesc Camps, he joined the Department of Organic Chemistry of the University of Barcelona in 1980 as an Associate Professor. Since 1991 he has been a Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at that institution.

The research of Miquel A. Pericàs in the 1985-2000 period was characterized by the use of a combined theoretical-experimental approach for the study of chemical problems in the fields of organic and organometallic chemistry. From 2000 on, his research has been focused on catalysis for sustainability, and more specifically on different aspects of enantioselective catalysis with species immobilized on polymers and magnetic nanoparticles, with the goal of developing flow processes for the continuous production of enantiomerically pure compounds.

In June 2000, he was commisioned by Generalitat de Catalunya for the creation of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) and in 2004 he was appointed as founding Director of the Institute. In September 2020 he stepped down as ICIQ Director, and continued working at this institution as Group Leader till March 2022.

Along his career he has also mainteined entrepreneurial activity, being a co-founder of Enantia, S. L. (spin-off of Universitat de Barcelona, 2003), Treellum Technologies (spin-off of ICIQ, 2020) and A&A Sustainability Consulting (2022)

Miquel A. Pericàs has authored or co-authored some 330 scientific publications and 27 patents. In 2000, he was a recipient of the Distinció de la Generalitat de Catalunya per a la Promoció de la Recerca Universitària award, in 2001 he received the Janssen-Cylag award of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry for research in organic chemistry and, in 2005, the Narcís Monturiol Medal of Generalitat de Catalunya for Scientific and Technological Merits. In 2019 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry, and in 2021 he was elected as a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona and of Academia Europaea.

He is a member of the Real Sociedad Española de Química (Vice-president in 2006-2011), Societat Catalana de Química (Chair in 1986-1987), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (since 2014).