Looking for MSCA PF 2026 candidates: Universidad de Sevilla (Spain) - Department of Organic Chemistry/Faculty of Chemistry

Professor Valentín Hornillos, from Department of Organic Chemistry/Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Seville, welcomes postdoctoral candidates interested in applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) in 2026 at this University. Please note that applicants must comply with the Mobility Rule. 

 Brief description of the Centre/Research Group 

The Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Seville provides an excellent host environment for an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship. Based in the Faculty of Chemistry, it offers a dynamic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary research setting, closely connected to undergraduate, Master’s, and doctoral training. The Department brings together experienced academic staff, technical support personnel, and a vibrant community of predoctoral, postdoctoral, and visiting researchers.  Research in the Department spans leading areas of Organic Chemistry, including synthetic methodology, catalysis, asymmetric synthesis, biocatalysis, green chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. This multidisciplinary environment provides excellent opportunities for advanced scientific training, knowledge exchange, and the development of complementary skills, in line with the objectives of the MSCA programme.  Prof. Valentín Hornillos (ORCID: 0000-0002-6181-9146) offers expertise in asymmetric transition-metal catalysis and biocatalysis, with particular emphasis on atroposelective chemistry. His research focuses on innovative methods for the synthesis of structurally complex molecules with high synthetic and biological relevance. He also has extensive experience in the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of fluorescent dyes, broadening opportunities at the interface of organic synthesis, catalysis, and functional molecular design.

 Project description

Chiral organoboron compounds in which stereochemical information is encoded exclusively at boron represent an emerging frontier in molecular design, owing to their distinctive structural, electronic, and photophysical properties. Yet, despite their exceptional potential, access to these architectures in enantioenriched form remains extremely limited. Their intrinsic configurational lability, together with their tendency to undergo dissociation or stereoinversion, has made the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of B-stereogenic compounds one of the most demanding unresolved challenges in contemporary synthetic chemistry. This project will tackle this challenge by developing innovative catalytic platforms for the synthesis of B-stereogenic compounds, with particular emphasis on BODIPY and other boron-containing fluorophores. By combining transition-metal catalysis, photocatalysis, and biocatalysis, the project aims to create fundamentally new asymmetric strategies for the selective functionalization of boron-centered chiral scaffolds. Beyond expanding the frontiers of stereoselective synthesis, this work will unlock access to an unprecedented family of configurationally defined fluorophores with enhanced chiroptical properties. In doing so, it will establish a new conceptual framework at the interface of asymmetric catalysis, main-group stereochemistry, and functional molecular materials, with promising implications for biological imaging, sensing, and photonic technologies.

 Evaluation panel:

 Chemistry (CHE)

 IMPORTANT: Applicants should check their elegibility to apply to the MSCA PF 2026 Call: 

• Any nationality (European Fellowship) / European national or long-term resident of a Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (Global Fellowship)

• Be in a possession of a doctoral degree (PhD)

• Have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research, measured from the date of award of the doctoral degree

• Comply with the mobility rule: not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or in the country of the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

For a correct evaluation of your candidature, please send the documents below to  Professor Valentín Hornillos (vhornillos@us.es)

• CV

• Two recommendation letter

• Motivation letter

If you are ultimately selected to submit your application alongside Professor Valentín Hornillos, you will be able to benefit from the Coaching and Advising Programme offered by the International Projects Office at USE, providing additional resources and a proposal review service to the MSCA PF 2026 candidates.