Jesús Campos Manzano, a researcher at the Institute of Chemical Research, has received the María Teresa Toral Award in Chemical Science and Technology at the Premios Naciones de Investigaciones. The award recognizes his innovative approach to cooperative organometallic chemistry, as well as his development of new strategies for the functionalization of low-reactivity molecules through non-conventional mechanisms.
How did your interest in chemistry begin?
To be honest, regarding chemistry specifically, I’m not entirely sure. I know my interest in science in general started early. It wasn’t because I had scientists in the family, but I always loved science fiction movies as a kid, and I have memories of wanting to get into labs and do “cool stuff.”
What were the fundamental pillars that brought you to where you are today?
Everything is always built upon family—both the one you are born into and the one you choose later. Those are the fundamental pillars of a life. But clearly, in the field of science, I would say my mentor here was Ernesto Carmona. He was actually one of the founders of the center where I work and my thesis advisor; he has been my great teacher, the fundamental pillar I’ve built upon. Then there are the other mentors I had in England and the United States, and, of course, the colleagues, collaborators, and the students and postdoctoral researchers who have worked with me over the years. That collective effort is what’s necessary to reach this point.
What do you consider to be your greatest contribution to the field so far?
Starting from the most recent impact, my greatest contribution is the students who have come out of my research group. Each of them is forging extraordinary careers in very diverse places around the world—some here in Spain, some even in Seville, but others scattered across the globe. That is, without a doubt, my greatest contribution.
What was it like finding out you had received the award? What were you doing at that moment?
At that moment, I was returning from a trip. I had just walked into my office and was waiting for a call from my doctor. As it turned out, it wasn’t the doctor; it was the Minister’s secretary. She said, “I’m calling from Diana Morant’s office,” and I thought, “That’s not my doctor’s name!” Of course, it was the Minister herself. She got on the line and, well, it was a total surprise. I wasn’t expecting it at all.
What does this award mean for your future?
For my future? I don’t know, because what I’m going to do is keep working just as I have until now—very intensely. So, in my day-to-day life, it doesn’t change much. If anything, it gives me even more motivation to keep working because when your peers value your work, you think, “Okay, we’re on the right track.”
Your research focuses on the functionalization of unreactive molecules. What practical applications could result from these advances?
Many. However, we are a fundamental science group; what we are doing is laying the first brick on a very long road. When we talk about small, unreactive molecules, we’re talking about carbon dioxide (the main pollutant of the 20th and 21st centuries), nitrogen oxide (which could be an excellent starting material for chemical synthesis), or ammonia, which we produce by the millions of tons every year but can barely use for more complex chemical synthesis. It’s everything; it is the heart of industrial chemistry in the near future. As I said, what we do is very basic science.
Could you explain your innovative approach and how it differs from conventional strategies?
Well, let’s see—if you aren’t innovative, you aren’t really doing science. So, all the colleagues working here are ultimately innovators. Why is what we do innovative? Since I finished my postdoctoral research, what we’ve done is mix things that hadn’t been mixed before. For example, in England, I worked on a concept called “Frustrated Lewis Pairs,” which involves main-group elements. But I had previously worked with transition metals. The innovation came from saying: “Hey, can we mix transition metal chemistry with ‘frustrated’ chemistry?” We tried it, and we found surprises along the way. Or mixing transition metal chemistry with elements like germanium or tin in special configurations that hadn’t been explored yet. That’s the innovative character: taking pieces from different places—puzzle pieces that hadn’t been put together before—and seeing what happens.
You have secured competitive international funding for your group. What keys do you consider essential for leading such a successful research team?
The main key is that the students and postdoctoral researchers in the group must be excellent, and so far, I’ve been very lucky. That is the key: the people, without a doubt. Ideas are fine and important, and the fields you enter are important, but the most important thing is the people who make up the team.
How do you balance project management with your scientific work in the lab?
Well, by doing a lot of managing and zero “hands-on” research inside the lab. I really miss getting into the fume hood and doing the experiments with my own hands. I was good at experiments, but for years now—with European projects and a growing team—it has become physically impossible for me to do them. Now, my scientific role focuses on analyzing the data generated in the lab and setting the guidelines for the research lines. That’s how it’s managed: one part is group management and the other is managing the results produced in the lab—results I don’t produce myself anymore, much to my regret, because I miss it a lot.
Do you think chemistry remains largely unknown to the public? How could we bring it closer to society?
It is deeply unknown, and on top of that, we still carry the stigma of “chemophobia”—as if chemistry were something bad. People say, “this product has chemicals” or “this contains chemistry.” Well, of course it does! It’s not going to contain metaphysics! So, how do we bridge that gap? Through more outreach activities. I think more and more is being done here at the institute, and the younger researchers never stop doing things. But clearly, more needs to be done in dissemination at all levels. Both public and private media could push a bit harder on a large scale. I know it’s a slightly more “complex dish to eat” than the simple ones we are used to, but we all have to push in that direction because it is fundamental.
Is there anything you would like to say to students—especially in high school and university—to encourage them?
Pursuing a research career is fascinating. I think there are very few jobs that allow you to take a piece of paper, draw what you want to express, and then go try to create it in the lab. It allows you to travel, meet people from so many different countries and cultures, collaborate, and have friends who are colleagues all over the world doing such diverse things. I don’t know what I’ll be doing in three, two, or five years, because the research line or a sudden desire to try something new will dictate that. Almost no other job gives you that kind of freedom. I encourage them to try it; I believe it’s a great time to do so.