Dr Carlos Moya Alvarez

I am a Serra Húnter Lecturer at the University of Barcelona (UB), affiliated with the NanoBIC and the GMN research groups from the Faculties of Chemistry and Physics, respectively. My work focuses on the design, fundamental understanding, and application of stimuli-responsive magnetic nanoparticles (NPs), particularly for health and environmental technologies. I earned my B.Sc. in Chemistry (2008), M.Sc. in Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (2010), and Ph.D. in Nanotechnology (2015) at UB, working in the Faculty of Physics under the supervision of Prof. Amílcar Labarta.
My first postdoctoral research was at Carnegie Mellon University (USA, 2016–2017), where I joined Prof. Sara Majetich’s group to work on controlled 2D and 3D assemblies of monodisperse ferrite NPs. This fundamental work aimed to understand the role of dipolar interactions in complex nanoparticle systems. Later, at ICMAB-CSIC (2018–2019), I began shifting toward more applied research, developing magnetic albumin nanocages for MRI within the ALBUS project together Prof. Anna Roig. Back at UB in 2019, I focused on the design of iron oxide NPs with controlled morphology and composition, as well as on semiconductor Bi₂S₃ NPs with different morphologies, aiming to correlate their shape with band gap and optical properties for theranostic applications, including photothermal therapy and pollutant degradation. In 2020, I joined the EMNS lab at Université Libre de Bruxelles, where I worked on robust iron oxide NPs for metal recovery and biomolecular purification as part of the SUBLIMUS project. This experience encouraged me to explore ways to bridge fundamental synthesis with practical applications in industrial and environmental settings.
I returned to UB in 2022 through the international María Zambrano programme, joining the GMN group to investigate anisotropic and multicore iron oxide NPs, with a particular focus on their magnetic behaviour and potential for light-triggered applications. In 2023, I was awarded a Beatriu de Pinós fellowship at UB, which enabled me to further develop this line of research at NanoBIC group, expanding it towards iron oxide nanorods for photothermal treatment strategies. In January 2025, my transition into a fully independent researcher was strengthened by my appointment as a tenure-track Serra Húnter Lecturer through an internationally competitive call, consolidating my position within the UB.

Nanomaterials | Surface functionalization | Magnetic characterization