The group in February 2026
The group in July 2024
There are currently 9 members of the group: Manuel, 1 postdoc, 6 PhD students and 1 Master student:
Francisco Jose Aguilar Troyano (Postdoc)
Fran was born in Bedmar y Garcíez, Jaén, Spain, in 1993. He graduated in Chemistry in 2016 at the Universidad de Jaén. He obtained his MSc in Investigation, Development, Control and Innovation of Drugs in 2017 at the Universidad de Granada, and shortly after joined the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson in Toledo, where he worked as a Junior Research Scientist on R&D in Neuroscience from 2017 to 2018. In 2019 he moved to Germany to pursue his PhD at the Bergische Universität Wuppertal under the supervision of Dr. Adrián Gómez-Suárez, developing radical-based methodologies for the deoxyfunctionalization of alcohols and the synthesis of unnatural amino acids. After completing his doctorate in 2022, he crossed the Atlantic to join the group of Prof. Stephen Newman at the University of Ottawa (Canada), where from 2023 to 2025 he worked on High-Throughput Experimentation (HTE) and C–H metalation chemistry. In June 2026 he joined the Nappi Research Group as a postdoctoral researcher. Outside of work, he loves playing the saxophone, reading and drawing.
Sai Rohini Narayanan Kolusu (5th year PhD student)
Sai was born in 1998 at Guntur, Andhrapradesh, India. In 2019, he completed an Integrated Master degree in Science (chemistry) at the University of Hyderabad (UOH). In July 2021, he obtained a Master degree in Synthesis, Catalysis and Molecular design, jointly organized by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Spain. He joined the Nappi Research Group as PhD candidate in October 2021. Outside of work, he likes playing Badminton, Cricket, hanging out with friends and watching movies.
Carla Aira Rodríguez (4th year PhD student, Xunta de Galicia predoctoral fellow)
Carla was born in Monforte de Lemos, Galicia, Spain, in 1998. She graduated in Chemistry in 2020 at the University of Vigo, after spending 10 months at the University of Cagliari (Italy) working in organocatalysis as a part of the Erasmus+ project. She obtained the Master’s Degree in Chemical Research and Industrial Chemistry in 2021 at the University of Vigo and the same year, she moved to Barcelona to work in photoswitchable molecules with therapeutic applications, at the Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis Group of the Advanced Chemistry Institute of Catalonia (IQAC) thanks to a JAE Intro fellowship. In 2022 she worked in the same field at the Neurodrugs Group at Medicinal Chemistry Institute (IQM) of Madrid. In january 2023 she joined the Nappi Research Group as a PhD student. Outside of work, she loves playing the piano and the sax, fantastic literature, dancing and painting.
Laura Lago Lorenzo (3rd year PhD student, coll. with Prof. Jesús A. Varela Carrete)
Laura was born in Ponteareas, Galicia, Spain, in 1999. She graduated in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela in 2022. In July 2023, she obtained the Master degree in Organic Chemistry at the same institution, doing the master thesis with Carlos Saá and Jesús Varela. In October 2023, she joined the Nappi Research Group as a Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Manuel Nappi and Jesús Varela Carrete. Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys activities such as running, playing tennis, hanging out with friends, and watching TV series.
Manuel Rodríguez Martínez (2nd year PhD student, Xunta de Galicia predoctoral fellow)
Manuel was born in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Galicia, Spain, in 2001. He graduated in Chemistry from the University of Santiago de Compostela in 2023. In July 2024, he obtained the Master degree in Organic Chemistry at the same institution. In October 2024 he joined the Nappi Research Group as a PhD student. Outside of his academic pursuits, he likes watching movies, hanging out with friends and practice different sports.
Elena Sbrana (1st year PhD student, FPI predoctoral fellow)
Elena was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1999. She graduated in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Pisa in 2025, completing her master’s thesis within the Erasmus+ program at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) under the supervision of Prof. Adriaan Minnaard and with the support of Prof. Michael Lerch, where she focused on the synthesis and characterization of photoswitchable spiropyrans. After graduation, she worked as a pharmacist. In February 2026 she joined the Nappi Research Group as a Ph.D. candidate. Outside of work, she loves cooking, practicing sports, reading, and watching TV series.
Corinne Amaddio (Visiting PhD student, University of Milan, Italy)
Corinne was born in Syracuse, Italy, in 2000. She completed her Master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Como in 2024 and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Milan under the supervision of Prof. Maurizio Benaglia. Recently, she has joined the Nappi Research Group as a visiting Ph.D. student. Outside of her research pursuits, she enjoys gym, travel, and cherishing moments with dear friends.
Gabriel Brenlla Carballo (Master student, USC, Spain)
Gabriel was born in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, in 2003. He graduated in Chemistry in 2025 from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Now, he is studying the Master in Organic Chemistry at the same University. In 2026, he joined the Nappi Research Group for his master thesis. Outside his academic pursuits, he likes playing basketball, watching movies and travelling.
FORMER GROUP MEMBERS
Nora Deil (Visiting Master student, 2026)
Davide Catena (Visiting Master student, 2026)
Matteo Caldari (Visiting Master student, 2025)
Irene Sánchez Sordo (Postdoctoral researcher, 2024)
Emanuele Azzi (Postdoctoral researcher, 2023-2024)
Jacopo Scarfiello (Visiting PhD student, 2024)