Gonzalo Abellán is a Group Leader and Distinguished Researcher at the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) of the University of Valencia (UVEG) where he leads the research line on 2D elemental materials beyond graphene.

He received the PhD in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from the UVEG under the supervision of Prof. Eugenio Coronado (September 2014). His PhD was focused on the design of hybrid materials based on magnetic layered double hydroxides obtaining the "Best Thesis in Chemistry Award" by the UVEG. Moreover, he was distinguished with the "European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) Graduate Student Award 2012" for his outstanding contributions to the field of hybrid materials, or the "Valencia Idea 2014 Award" (1stprize in Energy and Environmental) to outstanding young researchers, among others.

In 2014 he gained a self-driven Marie Curie Fellowship and joined Prof. Andreas Hirsch's group at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) to explore the organic chemical functionalization of graphene. His postdoctoral accomplishments were recognized being selected to attend the competitive 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.

Since 2016 he started to develop his own research line in the chemistry of elemental 2D-materials beyond graphene.

In 2017 he was appointed as Junior Group Leader at FAU, consolidating his independence by creating his own group supported by the Emerging Talents Initiative (ETI-FAU) project as well as a European FLAG-ERA Graphene-Basic Research project (funded by the DFG).

In 2018 he returned to Spain after getting the competitive Junior Leader La Caixa Incoming Fellowship, the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship, the excellence projects SEJI & GenT-CIDEGENT (Generalitat Valenciana), and last but not least, the ERC Starting Grant. Gonzalo has also obtained national projects through the Spanish MICINN (Generación de Conocimiento 2020, Europa Investigación 2019), as well as numerous projects with national and international private companies.

As a result of his career, Gonzalo has been honored as an "Emerging Young Researcher" by both the Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers (RSC) and Chemistry A European Journal (Wiley), he received the XII City of Algemesí Scientific and Technical Award in 2017, and the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry Award to Young Researchers (< 40 years old), among others.