Curriculum Vitae C. Fonseca Guerra

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Curriculum Vitae Personal details Title and name: Dr. C. (Célia) Fonseca Guerra Nationality: Portuguese and Dutch Homepage: http://www.few.vu.nl/~guerra/ Work experience since graduating 2015 Associate Professor with Theoretical Chemistry, VU Amsterdam 2012-2015: Tenured Assistant Professor with Theoretical Chemistry, VU Amsterdam 2011 Senior Research Associate with: Scientific Computing and Modelling, The Netherlands 2010 - 2012: Consultant for Wacker Chemie, München, Germany 2005 - 2010: NRSC-C Senior Research Associate with Prof. Dr. F. M.Bickelhaupt, VU Amsterdam 2000 - 2005: NRSC-C Postdoctoral position with Prof. Dr. E. J. Baerends, VU Amsterdam Research Profile Weak chemical interactions are of utmost importance in chemistry. They are the driving force for self-assembly in biological and supramolecular systems and assist chemical reactions by inducing favorable conformations. The research in my group focusses on understanding these weak chemical interactions with Kohn-Sham MO theory. The analyses of cooperativity, π assistance, and substituent effects in Watson-Crick base pairs, DNA mismatches and quadruplexes have provided groundbreaking new insights in the nature of the hydrogen bond and supramolecular aggregation. Furthermore, my group is committed to understanding the role of metal ions in self-assembly processes. The development and the implementation of chemical analysis methods to understand the nature of hydrogen bonding and chemical bonding in general are also part of my research program. Besides my research achievements, I have a strong connection with teaching. I have successfully integrated ADF computer labs for computational chemistry in the undergraduate and graduate studies of Chemistry at VU University and UvA and I have developed and taught at workshops with the ADF program for experimentalists.

Selected Publications L. Guillaumes, S. Simon, C. Fonseca Guerra, Covalency responsible for enhancement in Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bonding of DNA base pair AT and mimics. ChemistryOpen 2015, 4, 318–327 L.Wolters, N. W. G. Smits, C. Fonseca Guerra, Covalency in Resonance-Assisted Halogen Bonds Demonstrated with Cooperativity in N-Halo-Guanine Quartets. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 1585-1592 C. Fonseca Guerra, H. Zijlstra, G. Paragi, F.M. Bickelhaupt, Telomere Structure and Stability: Covalency in Hydrogen Bonds, Not Resonance Assistance, Causes Cooperativity in Guanine Quartets. Chem. Eur. J., 2011, 17, 12612.