JESUS
GARCIA ZORRILLA

Currently postdoctoral researcher, I hold a degree in Chemistry, two master's degrees (in Agri-Food and in Science Teaching), and a cum laude PhD with a thesis focused on the synthesis of novel strigolactone analogues and mimics based on eudesmanolides for sustainable management of parasitic weeds. Since 2012, I have been actively involved in the field of Natural Products Chemistry as a member of the Allelopathy Group and the Institute of Biomolecules (INBIO) at the University of Cadiz (UCA), where I have developed a multidisciplinary research profile in the field. My work focuses on the study of organic molecules (both isolated from natural sources and complex matrices, or synthetically obtained) to discover novel agrochemical and pharmaceutical models, and studying their relevance in allelopathic and environmental contexts. For this, I specialize in structural characterization techniques (including NMR, mass spectrometry and optical methods), organic synthesis, chromatography, degradation studies and bioassays. My research has yielded significant findings on sesquiterpene lactones, strigolactones, aromatic structures, peptides, and alkaloids, within the framework of the research lines and projects I have led or contributed to. In 2024, the Phytochemical Society of Europe awarded me the prize for the best contribution to research in Natural Products for young researchers. I have been awarded with research contracts through competitive calls: from the Spanish National Youth Guarantee System (18 months, 2018–2019) and as a NextGenerationEU Margarita Salas Postdoctoral Researcher (3 years, 2022–2024), the latter involving a two-year international postdoctoral stay at the 'Bioactive Natural Products' group of University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), Italy. There, I received advanced training in the isolation, structural elucidation and study of bioactive compounds from a wide variety of sources (mainly plants, fungi, lichens and bacteria). A subsequent visiting period at the 'Synthesis and Mechanisms in Organic Chemistry' group of the University of Turin, Italy, provided training in photochemistry and biocatalysis synthesis techniques. My work at UCA and during my visiting periods enabled me to establish strong collaborations with diverse research groups worldwide. I have also participated in more than twenty international congress, including delivering an invited plenary lecture at a Phytochemical Society of Europe congress (Czech Republic, 2024), served as a reviewer for over twenty manuscripts in various peer-reviewed journals and co-edited two special issues. In addition, I have been invited as a speaker at a wide range of seminars and lectures, including international webinars, PhD programs, summer schools, and public outreach events such as Pint of Science. At both UCA and UNINA, I have taught in multiple courses and supervised bachelor’s and master’s theses.