Pablo Leivar Rico

Pablo Leivar Rico is an Associate Professor at the IQS School of Engineering, Ramon Llull University, and serves in the Dean’s Office while affiliated with the Department of Bioengineering. He earned a B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Universitat de Barcelona (1998, 2003) and completed postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley (2004-2009). His academic career at IQS includes roles as Assistant Professor (2014-2020), Associate Professor (2020-present), Coordinator of the Biotechnology Undergraduate Program (2017-2023), and Vice Dean of Academic Organization (2023-present).

His research focuses on Synthetic Biology and Molecular Biotechnology of Photosynthetic Microalgae, with an emphasis on genetic/metabolic engineering for sustainable high-value bioproducts. Key projects include chloroplast engineering in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, optogenetic gene expression control, and phytochrome-interacting transcription factors. He leads the Biological and Biotechnological Chemistry Group (GQBB), targeting protein/enzyme analysis, therapeutic targets, and biocatalysis.

Notable research outputs include

• 2025: Modular cloning toolkit for chloroplast engineering
• 2024: Extracellular vesicle tracking for cancer therapy
• 2023: Glycoenzyme engineering for biocatalysis

Collaborations span institutions like AGAUR and industrial partners such as Provital. His work integrates biochemistry, biotechnology, and synthetic biology to advance microalgal and plant systems.