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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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Célia Fonseca Guerra: Our Team

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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

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