Célia Fonseca Guerra
Full Professor, Programme Director Master Chemistry (joint-degree)
Fonseca Guerra’s research focuses on understanding weak chemical interactions in self-assembly of biological and supramolecular systems with Kohn-Sham MO theory and implementing design principles from computational investigations. These analyses of cooperativity, π assistance, and substituent effects in Watson-Crick base pairs, DNA mismatches, and quadruplexes have provided groundbreaking new insights into the nature of the hydrogen bond and supramolecular aggregation. Furthermore, her research encompasses understanding the role of metal ions in self-assembly processes. The development and the implementation of chemical analysis methods to understand the nature of hydrogen bonding and chemical bonding, in general, are also part of her research program.
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Curriculum Vitae
2018: Professor of Supramolecular Quantum Biochemistry at VU Amsterdam
2017 - 2022: Extraordinary Professor of Applied Theoretical Chemistry at Leiden University
2015: Associate Professor at VU Amsterdam
2013: Visiting Professor at Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
2012 - 2015: Tenured Assistant Professor at VU Amsterdam
2011: Senior Research Associate with Scientific Computing & Modelling, The Netherlands
2011: Visiting scientist at the University of Girona, Spain
2010 - 2012: Consultant for Wacker Chemie, München, Germany
2006 - 2010: NRSC-C Senior Research Associate with Prof. Dr. F. M. Bickelhaupt, VU Amsterdam
2000 - 2005: NRSC-C Postdoctoral Associate with Prof. Dr. E. J. Baerends, VU Amsterdam
2000: Visiting scientist at the University of Girona, Spain
1998: Visiting scientist at the University of Girona, Spain
1995: Visiting scientist at the Cornell Theory Center, USA
1993 - 2000 Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemistry at VU Amsterdam
Promotor: Prof. Dr. E. J. Baerends, Prof. Dr. J. G. Snijders
1987 - 1993: Chemistry study (cum laude) VU Amsterdam
Major: Theoretical Chemistry (Chemistry)
Minor 1: Chemical Informatics
Minor 2: Quantum Mechanics (Physics)
Awards and grants
2018: NWO Westerdijk Talent Scheme
2017: Workshop at Lorentz Center Leiden on DNA damage and repair awarded.
2014: NWO ECHO research grant.
2014: Research grant for hosting Dr. Karlijn Keijzer
2013: European Union Scholarship for Visiting Professor at the Warsaw University of Technology
2012: Scholarschip from FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) for Visiting Full Professor at the University of São Paulo (not accepted due to personal circumstances).
2012: NWO Aspasia prize for excellent female scientists
2010: Research grant Wacker Chemie
1995: EU Exchange Fellowship for Cornell Theory Center, Ithaca, New York, USA
Management and Other Academic Activities
2020 Member of Core Team of Dutch Chemistry Council (Raad voor de Scheikunde)
2019 - 2020: Member of the advisory committee Fundamentals & Methods of Chemistry (NWO)
2019: Member of the VENI NWO commission
2018 - present: Director of the joint-degree of the master of Chemistry of the Vrije Universiteit and Universiteit van Amsterdam
2018 - present: Secretary of the Division of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, KNCV (Royal Netherlands Chemical Society)
2018 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Aromaticity2018
2018: Member of the VENI NWO commission
2017 - present: Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institut de Química Computational i Catàlisi (University of Girona)
2017 Editorial Board Member for International Journal of Quantum Chemistry, Wiley
2017 - 2019: Editorial Board Member for Molecules, MDPI
2016 - 2017: Member of the Examination Board of the Faculty of Sciences (FNWI, UvA)
2015 Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports, Nature Publishing Group
2014 - 2015: Member of the Rubicon NWO commission
2014 - 2016: Management committee substitute for COST Action CM1105
2014 - present: Member of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry
2014 - 2015: Member of the curriculum commission of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the VU Amsterdam
2013 - 2017: Member of the Examination Board of the Faculty of Sciences (FEW, VU)
2013 - 2017: Aspasia commission of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
2013 - present: Member of commission of the VUFP scholarships for international students.
2012 - present: Master coordinator of the master Chemistry: track Molecular Simulation and Photonics