Marco A. Saraiva – Biophysics – Best Researcher Award

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Marco A. Saraiva – Biophysics – Best Researcher Award

Dr. Marco A. Saraiva distinguished academic and researcher in the field Biophysics. 

🌐 Professional Profile

Educations📚📚📚

He holds a Degree in Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, which he completed in 2000 with a mark of 16/20. In 2008, he earned a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the same institution

Work Experience

He has a diverse and extensive professional experience in the field of chemistry. In 1999/2000, he undertook his final year research project in reaction kinetics and mechanistics at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, under the supervision of Professor Lídia Miguel Pinho Chumbinho de Albuquerque and Professor Maria Luísa Calisto de Jesus Moita, earning a mark of 19/20. During this time, he gained experience in conductimetry and multiparametric analysis. In 2001/2002, he conducted a research project on the reactivity of DNA codified amino acids analogues at the School of Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal, supervised by Professor Hernâni Maia, and gained expertise in reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). From 2003 to 2008, he pursued a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, focusing on mass spectrometry applied to the study of the Maillard reaction at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, under the supervision of Professor Maria Helena Florêncio and co-supervision of Professor Carlos Borges. He developed skills in electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and hyphenated techniques such as LC-MS and GC-MS. In 2008/2009, he conducted post-doctoral studies in Molecular Biophysics at the Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, UK, under the supervision of Dr. Sophie E. Jackson, where he worked with ESI-MS (Q-TOF), absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry, capillary electrophoresis, cell culture, and protein purification systems. From 2011 to 2016, he engaged in post-doctoral studies in photochemistry at the Center for Structural Chemistry, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, focusing on the structural and dynamic characterization of early stages in alpha-synuclein fibrillation in the presence of mannosylglycerate, under the supervision of Professor António L. Maçanita

Awards and Honours

He has received numerous grants and honors throughout his career. In 2000, he was awarded the Curricular grant PRODEP III/Measure 3/Action 3.2 from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal, for a duration of three months. He then received a PhD grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal, under the reference SFRH/BD/3162/2000. Following his PhD, he was granted a post-doctoral fellowship by the FCT under the reference SFRH/BPD/37016/2007. Later, he received another post-doctoral grant from the Mass Spectrometry National Network (RNEM), Portugal, with the reference RNEM/DGH/022125 in 2018. His professional recognition includes an invitation to become a member of the Royal Society of Medicine (United Kingdom) in 2022. In 2023, he was selected for the “International Young Scientist Awards” under the category of “Best Researcher Award” and was also nominated for Full Membership in Sigma Xi (USA).

Research Interests

His research interests are focused on the study of reaction processes in solution, particularly through the identification, characterization, and monitoring of species formed in physiologically relevant reaction mixtures. He primarily investigates the reaction of specific amine targets with α-dicarbonyls, a key aspect of the Maillard reaction. Additionally, he is interested in probing the fundamentals of electrospray ionization (ESI) mechanisms, exploring the fundamental aspects of ESI mass spectrometric techniques. He is also gaining interests in molecular biophysics, particularly in the study of molecular chaperone systems and α-synuclein, utilizing advanced spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques.

📝🔬Publications📝🔬

Rajni Aggarwal -Synthesis of ionic liquids – Women Researcher Award

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Rajni Aggarwal -Synthesis of ionic liquids – Women Researcher Award

Dr. Rajni Aggarwal distinguished academic and researcher in the field Synthesis of ionic liquids. She has accumulated significant teaching experience in the field of chemistry. This includes six months of teaching Organic Chemistry practicals for B.Sc. (HNs) Human Genetics semester I class from July 2011 to November 2012, and another six months teaching the same subject for B.Sc. (HNs) Electronics Technology semester I class from July 2012 to December 2012. Following this, she served for three years as a teacher of Chemistry at BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar, from 2015 to 2017. Furthermore, she contributed her expertise in the Department of Chemistry from 2022 to 2023, teaching Physical Chemistry to both undergraduate and postgraduate classes over a three-year period

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

She holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry (HNs) from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, obtained in 2007, followed by an M.Sc. in Chemistry (HNs) from the same institution in 2009. During her M.Sc., she conducted a project in inorganic chemistry under the guidance of Dr. T. S. Lobana in the Chemistry Department at GNDU, Amritsar. Subsequently, she pursued her Ph.D. from the Department of Chemistry at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Sukhprit Singh. Her doctoral research focused on the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of ionic liquids, as well as physical studies related to ionic liquids. Additionally, she has qualified for the Ph.D. Eligibility Test conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in August 2010, and the Graduate Aptitude Test conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, in March 2013.

🏆🏆Awards🏆🏆

 Recipient of UGC SAP Fellowship in science for meritorious student, India (2009 – 2014).

LABORATORY AND INSTRUMENTATION SKILLS

She possesses extensive knowledge and practical skills in various aspects of chemistry, particularly in the realm of organic and inorganic compounds. Her expertise includes conducting multistep organic reactions and monitoring them using techniques such as TLC, UV, fluorescence, NMR, mass spectrometry, and infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, she is proficient in purifying compounds through methods like liquid column chromatography and crystallization.

Furthermore, she is well-versed in the characterization of both organic and inorganic compounds using a wide range of analytical techniques, including NMR, IR, MS, UV-Visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments.

Moreover, she is adept in instrumentation techniques associated with NMR, IR, UV, fluorescence, as well as utilizing software such as Zetasizer for dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis and XRD analysis. Her proficiency in these areas enables her to contribute effectively to research and teaching endeavors within the field of chemistry.

CONFERENCES ATTENDED

She has actively participated in numerous national symposiums and seminars, showcasing her dedication to advancing knowledge in the field of chemistry. Notable among these are her poster presentations at the National Symposium on Chemistry in 21st Century held at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in December 2011, and the Chemical Constellation Cheminar-2012 at Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, in September 2012.

Additionally, she has presented her research findings at various prestigious events, including the 7th RSC-CRSI Symposium in Chemistry at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, in January 2013, and the 15th CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry at the same venue in February 2013. Furthermore, she participated in the National Symposium on Recent Trends in Chemistry held at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in March 2013.

Her commitment to scholarly discourse is evident through her attendance and contributions at the IVth, Vth, and VIth National Symposia on Advances in Chemical Sciences, all held at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in 2014, 2016, and 2017 respectively. These engagements underscore her active involvement in academic and research activities within the chemistry community.

 

📝🔬Publications📝🔬
  • R. Aggarwal, S. Singh, Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of surface properties of
    cyclohexyloxyoxoethylbipyridinium gemini amphiphiles, and a Comparison with single-tailed
    amphiphiles
  • R. Aggarwal, S. Singh, G. Hundal, Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of surface properties of
    cyclohexanoxycarbonylmethyl pyridinium and cyclohexanoxycarbonyl methyl imidazolium ionic
    liquids.
  • R. Aggarwal, P. Khullar, M. S. Bakshi, D. Mandial, A. Mahal, G. Ahluwalia. Bipyridinium and
    Imidazolium Ionic Liquids for Nanomaterials Synthesis; pH Effect, Phase Transfer Behavior, and
    Protein Extraction. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2017, 5(9), 7859-7870. (DOI:
    10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01368)
  • R. Aggarwal. Comparison of physicochemical studies of single tailed and gemini cyclohexanoxy
    carbonyl pyridinium cationic amphiphiles. Journal of proteomics and bioinformatics. Volume 10 (7)
    178-185 (2017).
  • R. Aggarwal, S. Singh. Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of surface and thermal properties of
    3-cyclohexyloxy-2-hydroxypropyl pyridinium and imidazolium surface active ionic liquids. Journal of
    surfactant and Detergents, 2018, vol. 21, issue 1, (doi.org/10.1002/jsde.12002).
  • R. Aggarwal, S. Singh. Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of surface and thermal properties
    and cytotoxicity of 2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl imidazolium bola-type gemini amphiphiles, Journal of
    surfactant and Detergents, 2018, volume 22 (1), (doi/10.1002/jsde.12203)
  • R. Aggarwal, T. S. Lobana, B. Thakur, R. J. Butcher, M. Zeller, J. P. Jasinki. Synthesis and structure of
    dinuclear palladium complexes with 1, 3-imidazoline-2-thione, Acta Cryst. (2023), E79.
  • R. Aggarwal, S. Singh.Synthesis, self-aggregation, thermal stability and cytotoxicity trends of
    alkyloxypropoxycyclohexane based pyridinium ionic liquids.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2024.124382.