Xavier Rovira Algans obtained his PhD degree from the Neurosciences Institute of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). He was awarded several competitive grants (Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, FEBS Longterm and Beatriu de Pinós) that allowed him to carry out two predoctoral stays at Cornell University (New York) and Université Paris Descartes (Paris), and a postdoctoral stay of around 4,5 years at the Institute de Génomique Fonctionnelle (Montpellier). These experiences allowed him to specialize in mathematical and molecular modeling of biological systems, cellular and molecular biology, bioinformatics and molecular pharmacology. Recently, in February 2020, he joined the Medicinal Chemistry and Synthesis (MCS) laboratory of the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), where he was awarded a Ramón y Cajal tenure track grant. In 2022, he became permanent researcher of the Spanish national research council (CSIC). His primary research interest has been the activation mechanisms of biological receptors. In particular, his studies helped to shed light on the activation dynamics of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), to understand the cooperativity between the different binding sites of the GPCRs and to develop molecules with innovative and optimized properties to control their activity. Importantly, during these years he has been able to establish a multidisciplinary international network of collaborators, which has played an essential role in the development of the emerging field named Photopharmacology. This emerging research area is based on the development and use of light-controlled drugs to regulate proteins with high temporal and spatial precision in their native environment. https://www.iqac.csic.es/mcs/ || https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9764-9927

Rob Leurs is Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam within the Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS). His research focuses on G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), enzyme inhibitors, and the development of chemical tools to dissect receptor signaling. Over the past three decades, he has made significant contributions to antihistamine pharmacology, GPCR allosteric modulation, and more recently, photopharmacology – the use of light-activated ligands to achieve spatiotemporal control of drug action. Professor Leurs has co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and is internationally recognized for bridging medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. His laboratory has pioneered photoswitchable ligands for histamine, chemokine and adrenergic receptors, as well as light-sensitive enzyme inhibitors, advancing both basic receptor biology and potential therapeutic applications.His work has been honored with several awards, reflecting his impact on drug discovery and translational pharmacology.

Olalla Vazquez graduated in Chemistry from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela in 2004 (with honors). In 2005 she received the FPU fellowship granted by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science for PhD students. During her PhD, she worked on the design and synthesis of new specific binders and fluorescent probes for DNA recognition under the supervision of Prof. José Luis Mascareñas and Prof. Eugenio Vázquez. In the course of her predoctoral studies, she made two stays as visiting PhD student: one at Harvard University, in the group of Prof. Gregory L. Verdine in 2006 and another at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, in the group of Prof. Oliver Seitz in 2008. In 2010 she defended her PhD dissertation, obtaining Summa cum laude and joined the group of Professor Oliver Seitz as postdoctoral researcher. In 2011 she received the Marie Curie postdoctoral research fellowship for exploring the possibilities of using RNA template-directed reactions to synthesize cytotoxic peptides in the context of cancer therapy. In summer 2014 she was appointed to a newly established tenure-track Assistant Professorship (W1) at Philipps-Universität Marburg, where she was entrusted with the mission of managing the new division of Chemical Biology together with Prof. Eric Meggers. In April 2020 Olalla successfully passed her tenured evaluation, and consequently, she was promoted to Associate Professor of Chemical Biology (W2) in January 2021. In 2022 Olalla was offered a Full Professorship for Organic Chemistry for Protein Research at Paris Lodron University Salzburg, which was declined for a Full Professorship at Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany). Since 2023 Olalla is officially Full Professor of Chemical Biology (W3). During her whole career path Olalla Vazquez has published papers in high-impact journals as well as received national and international awards, including the VII Lilly Research Awards (2009), European Young Chemist Award (2012), Fulbright-Cottrell Award (2016), SPP1926 Young Research Award (2017), MarBiNa Research Award (2018), Best European Young Researcher in Chemical Biology (2020) Ars Lengindi Fakultätenpreis (2021) and EFMC Prize for a Young Chemical Biologist in Academia (2022).

Dr Cyril Goudet is a Research Director affiliated with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). He currently works at the Institute of Functional Genomics in Montpellier, France, where he leads the ‘Molecular and Structural Mechanisms of Neuromodulation’ team. He received his PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Burgundy, France. He then held postdoctoral positions at the Universities of Leuven and Montpellier before being recruited as a researcher at the CNRS. He is a neuropharmacologist and expert in the neuromodulation of biological functions by G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), notably metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors. His research is dedicated to developing and understanding the mode of action of innovative pharmacological and photopharmacological tools, and their use in exploring the pathophysiological function and therapeutic potential of mGlu receptors in brain disorders with a particular focus on chronic pain. He has published 57 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 18 reviews and editorials, 6 book chapters, two granted patents and one provisional patent. Cyril Goudet is a member of the French Society of Neuroscience and of the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SFPT), where he was an elected member of the Administrative and Scientific Council (2014-2018). Since 2015, he is the president of the NC-IUPHAR committee on mGlu receptors.