Iván Lavandera García (1976–2025): Advancing Biocatalysis with Passion

Iván Lavandera García, professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oviedo, Spain, passed away after a long battle with cancer on February 13, 2025, at the age of only 48. Iván was a fantastic friend, colleague, and a dedicated mentor to many students, who profited from his innovative, forward-thinking, and team-oriented spirit which pushed the boundaries of biocatalysis and bioorganic chemistry. He will be remembered as one of the most cheerful and passionate chemists, a fantastic colleague, and, most of all, a dear friend. Iván Lavandera García was born in Barcelona (Spain) on July 21, 1976. After studying chemistry at the University of Oviedo from 1994 to 1998, he remained in Oviedo and started his Ph.D. thesis in the field of chemoenzymatic synthesis of amino nucleosides (2003) under the guidance of Prof. Vicente Gotor and Prof. Miguel Ferrero, with a short-term placement at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) in the group of Prof. Romas Kazlauskas. After 2 years as a researcher in Oviedo, he moved to the University of Graz (Austria) for a postdoctoral stay (2005–2008) in the field of biocatalysis with Prof. Wolfgang Kroutil. During that time, Iván developed with immense virtuosity, curiosity, and enthusiasm, a variety of enzymatic systems, such as for the asymmetric reduction of ketones, the thermodynamically driven (enantioselective) oxidation of alcohols, biocatalytic racemization reactions, cascades and the asymmetric amination of ketones. He returned to Oviedo in 2008 to join the Bioorganic Research Group, first as a Clarín Research Fellow (2008–2009), and then as a Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow (2010–2014). This is also when Iván introduced the tradition of journal club and beer club meetings within the Bioorganic Chemistry Research group, thereby reinforcing collegiality and cohesion within the group. He progressed in his academic career, first becoming assistant professor in 2015, and then being promoted to associate professor in 2017. In 2012, in close collaboration with Prof. Vicente Gotor-Fernández, he overtook the responsibility of the Bioorganic Chemistry Research Group. Together, they successfully secured funding from a series of European, national, and industrial project calls. Iván's work ethic was exceptional. As a great team player, he inspired colleagues and students alike with his outstanding ideas and truly enjoyed collaborative projects. This is best reflected by the number of theses that acknowledge his contribution and support, regardless of his actual role or mentorship. Throughout his career, rather than seeking the spotlight, he preferred to coordinate research and organize important events by remaining in the shadows, as he did in his leading role as co-chair of the II Spanish Conference on Biocatalysis (Oviedo, 2018) and the VI Brazilian Workshop on Organic Chemistry (Oviedo, 2018). Iván's vision was to develop original and unconventional chemistry and to push the use of enzymes and organocatalysts to new frontiers. Throughout his outstanding and fruitful career, and in collaboration with many national and international research groups, he studied a wide range of enzyme-catalyzed processes, exploiting wild type and engineered enzymes in innovative cascades toward biologically active compounds. He also demonstrated curiosity for non-conventional reaction media, such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic mixtures, convinced that these methods could contribute to improved enzyme performance and lead to more environmentally friendly processes. Iván had a particularly vivid interest for redox enzymes and transaminases. More recently, he contributed to pioneering work in the combination of enzymes with photochemistry and gold-chemistry, sparking interest in multi-step stereoselective cascade processes. To date, he has published more than 120 research articles, bibliographic reviews and book chapters and has been co-inventor of two patents. He also edited a book entitled “Biocatalysis for Practitioners: Techniques, Reactions and Applications” with Prof. Gonzalo de Gonzalo (2021). In addition to numerous invited lectures at national and international congresses, Iván held multiple seminars at universities around the world. Throughout his career, he co-supervised ten Ph.D. students, two Master theses, seven Master research projects and 18 final undergraduate projects. His role as a dedicated mentor reflects his vast scientific knowledge, which was further complemented by his unwavering patience and support, attention to detail, and active listening. When needed, he also made best use of humor as nothing was too serious to become dramatic. Iván was an excellent teacher across a variety of subjects in the Biotechnology, Chemistry and Engineering Study programs, always motivating, guiding and encouraging students to develop their ideas. He was always available to assist undergraduate students, even outside office hours, showing great patience and comprehension. Beyond chemistry, Iván loved spending time with his parents, José Armando and María Teresa, who are wonderful people like him, as well as his sister Lorena, who, with her nursing education, took care of Iván during his final days. His friends will deeply miss him, especially the joy and laughter he brought with his unconditional support to FC Barcelona and the neighboring football team Real Sporting de Gijón, the rival of Real Oviedo from the city where he lived for many years. We will miss his messages after major sporting events, teasing friends all over the world about the success of the Spanish national teams in football or basketball, a game he also loved, and in which, true to his character, he was a great assist. And what about his lab mates? We will miss his morning arrivals with delicious homemade cakes for shared coffee breaks, and more importantly, we will find it very hard to continue our scientific journey without him. Iván's passion for sharing the flavors of his beloved Asturias truly enriched our daily life in the lab. He would lovingly prepare dishes like Fabada (with the support of Gonzalo), or tasty hot chocolate (which was pure melted chocolate), and churros. Watching him pour Sidra—Asturian cider—while spilling most of it on the ground, brought laughter to our gatherings. While in Graz, whenever he returned from visiting Spain, he would always surprise us with Turrón, a delightful treat that reminded us of his home. Iván was not only one of the most humble and honorable persons we knew, he was also highly optimistic and joyful, and loved to prank his friends. Iván passed away in Oviedo in the midst of his scientific career. The community has lost an open-minded, forward-thinking, and innovative chemist, as well as a genuinely kind and cheerful person. His colleagues, research group, friends, and family, will forever cherish these memories and the impact he had on all of us. He will be greatly missed.

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