Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano

Mónica H. Pérez-Temprano is a Senior Group Leader at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), where she leads a research group focused on mechanism-driven reaction design and development. Her work lies at the intersection of organometallic chemistry, catalysis, and sustainable synthesis, with a strong emphasis on understanding and leveraging reaction mechanisms to innovate in synthetic methodologies.

She earned her BSc and MSc in Chemistry at the University of Valladolid and completed her PhD there in 2011 under Prof. Pablo Espinet and Juan Casares, focusing on palladium-catalyzed reaction mechanisms. She then conducted postdoctoral research with Prof. Melanie Sanford at the University of Michigan, exploring high-valent palladium chemistry. Since 2015, she has led her independent research group at ICIQ, advancing the mechanistic understanding of transition metal catalysis, particularly using earth-abundant metals like cobalt.

Her research interests include cobalt-catalyzed C–H functionalization, bimetallic systems, hydrogen isotope exchange, and sustainable catalytic transformations. She employs mechanistic studies—such as trapping reactive intermediates and kinetic analysis—as foundational tools to design and improve catalytic processes.

Her recent publications highlight work on Cp*Co-catalyzed reactions, spin crossover materials, and solvent-assisted heterocycle synthesis, demonstrating a trend toward innovative, mechanism-guided synthetic strategies with applications in materials science and green chemistry.

• 2021 Young Investigator Award – EuChemS Division of Organic Chemistry
• 2020 Young Investigator Group Leader Award – Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ)
• 2019 Thieme Journal Award
• 2018 C&EN Talented 12

She has supervised numerous PhD, master’s, and postdoctoral researchers, contributing to training the next generation of scientists. Her group is also active in science outreach, promoting STEM education and women in science. She serves on the International Advisory Boards of Organometallics, Chem Catalysis, and Chem. Eur. J.

The Pérez-Temprano group operates within the ICIQ, a leading research center in sustainable chemistry, leveraging state-of-the-art facilities in spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and catalysis to advance their work.