Dr. Alexandr Shafir is a Tenured Scientist at the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC), where he co-leads the BISi Bonds laboratory. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Stephen Buchwald. Before joining CSIC, he held positions as a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and as a group leader at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ).

His research focuses on synthetic methodology, C–H functionalization, hypervalent iodine chemistry, and boron–nitrogen (BN) isosterism in π-conjugated and functional molecular systems, as well as broader aspects of main group element reactivity. His group has developed iodane-guided strategies for selective bond formation and has contributed to elucidating the mechanisms underlying iodine(III)-mediated transformations.

Dr. Shafir has led various national and collaborative projects, including academia-industry collaborations in sustainable chemistry and circular materials. He has supervised multiple doctoral theses and regularly participates in scientific evaluation activities at both national and European levels. He is currently the Vice President of the Catalan Section of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ), aiming to contribute to a more connected and collaborative scientific community.