Valeria Belén López Cervantes

Valeria studied chemistry at the Facultad de Química (UNAM), in Mexico City, and completed a master’s degree in materials science and engineering. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales (UNAM) under the supervision of Prof. Ilich A. Ibarra. Her research focuses on porous materials, particularly MOFs, for the capture and fluorescent detection of toxic gases, with an emphasis on understanding host-guest interactions and photophysical mechanisms. Valeria is particularly interested in the design of functional materials for sensing of environmental contaminants, as well as their integration into optoelectronic technologies with real-world impact.