Ana Beloqui Elizazu

Dr. Ana Beloqui leads the PolyZymes Lab at POLYMAT, where she investigates the chemistry at the interface of biomolecules and synthetic materials. Her career traces a path from classical biocatalysis to the design of advanced polymer–protein hybrids, building a research program that bridges chemistry, materials science, and biotechnology. She trained as a chemist at the University of Navarra and completed her PhD at the Institute of Catalysis (ICP-CSIC/Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), focusing on the discovery and engineering of industrially relevant enzymes. Postdoctoral work took her across Europe: first to CICbiomaGUNE, to study interactions between biomacromolecules and (in)organic systems, then to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where she developed methods to encapsulate single proteins within polymer networks. Returning to the Basque Country in 2016 through a Gipuzkoa Talent Attraction fellowship, she established her first independent research line at CICnanoGUNE. In 2020, she joined POLYMAT and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) as an Ikerbasque Fellow with a Ramón y Cajal contract, and now holds an Associate Professor position leading her own group. Her research centers on stabilizing and enhancing functional proteins through polymer-based technologies. A defining contribution is the methodology she pioneered for encapsulating single enzymes in polymer nanogels (Small, 2016), since extended to antibodies and other sensitive biomolecules. Current interests include chemo-enzymatic nanoreactors built from polymer-protein hybrids, stimuli-responsive materials for catalysis and sensing, and nanogel platforms for gene delivery. Her contributions have been recognized internationally, including the RSEQ "Young Group Leader Researcher" award, a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation, and coordination of the European doctoral network TheraTools-DN. She has secured substantial competitive national and international funding, authored publications in journals such as Nature, Angewandte Chemie, and PNAS, and holds several patent applications, reflecting a sustained commitment to translating fundamental research into real-world impact.