This past June, the town of Brixen, Italy hosted the 7th edition of the Photobiology School, which is held every other year by the European Society for Photobiology (ESP). The school is mainly aimed at young researchers who work in various photobiology disciplines: physical and chemical photobiology, environmental photobiology, photobiological sensors, plant photobiology, human photobiology, photomedicine, and photodynamic therapy. Senior industrial researchers who have joined these fields of expertise and need to be trained were also involved in the school.
The Photobiology School is sponsored by IQS – Ramon Llull University and the University of Padova. Since 2022, the director of the ESP Photobiology School has been Dr Santi Nonell, professor at the IQS School of Engineering, coordinator of the university’s AppLightChem research group, and former ESP president. This group specializes in biomedical applications of light, photodynamic therapies, photoprotection, and various chemical aspects of the photonic sciences.
This year’s edition of the school welcomed 34 students from 13 different countries who, during the course of a week, enjoyed the teaching and experiences presented by the 17 expert professors in the various areas of photobiology. Through their participation, they taught and shared their knowledge and experience to help students better understand the effects of climate changes, the influence of light on biological systems, the applications of light in medicine, and many other related areas.
Dr Santi Nonell and four young researchers from the AppLightChem group participated on behalf of IQS and presented different posters on their work in different disciplines related to photodynamic therapy:
Enrique Ortega-Forte – “Independent generation of hydroxyl radical oxygen for photodynamic therapy” Karina Dueñas – “Emitting materials to initiate the development of photosensitizers” Imma Passaret – “Differential dynamic microscopy for photodynamic therapy” Alberto Núñez – “Innovative pesticides fed with natural light for more sustainable crops”
“Attending the ESP Photobiology School has provided young researchers with a unique opportunity to obtain advanced training in photobiology and establish a valuable network of contacts for their professional future,” stated Dr Santi Nonell, the School’s director. He added: “In addition, the level of participant satisfaction and the comments we received confirm the recognition of IQS as a leading school in photobiology and biological photochemistry.”
“The level of participant satisfaction confirms the recognition of IQS as a leading school in photobiology and biological photochemistry”
From a teaching perspective, Dr Nonell added “It’s truly a pleasure to share this experience with future professionals. For a week, professors and students live together in the same residence hall, which fosters very close and stimulating relationships both inside and outside the classroom. Participants in the school come from a wide range of scientific disciplines: physicists, chemists, biologists, doctors, engineers, and more. Almost 90% of students passed the optional final exam, which allows them to obtain credit for their doctoral programmes. It’s challenging to design a suitable training program for this wide range of backgrounds, but the level of satisfaction that students show at the end of the course indicates that the programme holds great interest.”
The next edition of the ESP Photobiology School will take place from 5 to 21 June 2026. For more information, please visit https://www.photobiology.eu/photobiology-schooly-school
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