Dr. Maria Majellaro obtained her PhD as “Doctor Europeus” in the Department of Pharmacy in the University of Bari (Italy) in 2018. During her PhD, she spent about one year as predoctoral visiting student in CIQUS research center-Campus of International Excellence in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), where she returned in 2018 to work as Post-doctoral research associate, in the group of Prof. Eddy Sotelo. Since Celtarys constitution (2021), as Chief Scientific Officer of the company, she leads the generation of Celtarys fluorescent ligands and custom development projects, also managing all the scientific collaborations of Celtarys inside and outside Europe.

Her scientific expertise is focused on organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry, especially in the field of GPCR modulators. She has strongly contributed to the development and validation of the Celtarys proprietary synthetic technology being one of author of the patent and co-founder of the company.

Prof. Joaquín Calixto García Martínez began his research career in 1998 and has since developed a trajectory in fluorescent organic molecules, particularly in functional materials for biological application of Aggregation‑Induced Emission (AIE) and Anti-Kasha materials. He is author of 88 scientific publications with 77 JCR articles (67 in Q1), 18 teaching papers, 7 books/book chapters, 5 patents, and has an H‑index of 25. He has participated in around 20 research projects and has supervised six PhD theses (three more ongoing).

He carried out research stays in Texas A&M University (USA) and Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands), experiences that strengthened his scientific profile and opened long-term international collaborations. In 2005 he joined UCLM as a Ramón y Cajal researcher, soon becoming Associate Professor before completing his fourth year. In 2010, he founded the Organic Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research Group at the Faculty of Pharmacy, from which he consolidated pioneering research lines in AIE phenomena, developing new molecular systems, sensors, gels and micelles with advanced photophysical properties. In 2023, he became Full Professor. He also spent six months as Visiting Professor at the University of Texas in 2016, reinforcing ongoing joint research lines. Prof. García Martínez maintains active collaborations with Spanish and international groups (USA, Argentina, Korea, UK). He has attended 60+ conferences, is reviewer for Q1 journals, Editorial Board Member of Polymers, and evaluator for Argentina’s Science Ministry and the Dutch Research Council (NWO). In academia, he has held key management roles, including Academic Secretary of the Faculty of Pharmacy for over seven years, and has led teaching innovation projects and outreach activities. He received the “Luisa Sigea de Velasco” Young Researcher Award (2009) and is an active member of ACS, RSEQ, and SEQT, where he currently serves as Treasurer (since 2023).