Laia Vilella has a strong academic background in Chemistry, with a focus on molecular modelling and catalyst design. She holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemistry, a Master of Science (MSc) in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, and a PhD degree in Computational Chemistry from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

After completing her PhD, Laia Vilella spent one year as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, where she contributed to the modeling and design of heterogeneous catalysts for thermal oxidations relevant to industry. In 2017, she relocated to Ireland, where she gained valuable experience in customer service, meeting financial monthly targets, and managing and coordinating grants, including the preparation of research budgets and justifications. To complement her scientific expertise, she also pursued a Master in Project Management from ESNECA Business School, which equipped her with essential project management skills.

In 2019, Laia Vilella was recruited by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) in Ireland, where she first worked as an Inspections and Licensing Administrator and later as a Scientific Officer. In these positions, her main responsibilities included developing and enhancing HPRA´s quality management system for the licensing and inspection sections, and providing technical support to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspectors, particularly in relation to applications for new manufacturer and importer authorizations and variations to existing authorizations.

In September 2024, Laia Vilella transitioned to a role in the Business Development area of CIC energiGUNE, where she now works as an R&D Project Coordinator.

• Development of sustainable processes for green chemistry.
• New technologies for energy storage and conversion.
• R&D and technology transfer.

• 09/2005-09/2010. BSc in Chemistry, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
• 09/2010-09/2011. MSc in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (First Class), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
• 09/2011-12/2015. PhD in Chemistry (excellent cum laude), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
• 02/2016-11/2016. Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University, United States.
• 09/2018. Master in Project Management, ESNECA Business School (online).
• 06/2018-01/2019. Spanish Lease Processor at Md7 International, Ireland.
• 02/2019-09/2019. Inspections and Licensing Administrator at the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), Ireland.
• 09/2019-07/2024. Scientific Officer at the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), Ireland.
• 09/2024-present. R&D Project Coordinator at CIC energiGUNE.

• Awarded the Best PhD thesis (2016) from the Department of Chemistry at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.
• Travel grant (2014) from the Spanish Government for a short stay at Stanford University.
• FPU PhD Scholarship (2011), Government of Spain-Ministry of Education.