**About the Special Issue Editors**

**Gabriel Morales** (Ph.D., Associate Professor) was born in Madrid (Spain) in 1977, and completed his MEng in Chemical Engineering at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2000. He completed his Ph.D. in 2005 (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos), for which he worked on the synthesis and characterization of sulfonic acid-functionalized mesostructured materials. He has held several teaching positions in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, gaining a permanent position in 2008. He was a visiting researcher at the Department of Chemical Engineering in the University of California at Santa Barbara (USA) in 2004 and 2006, under the supervision of Prof. Brad F. Chmelka; and at the Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, UK), under the supervision of Prof. Peter Cormack. During his research career, his main research has been focused on the synthesis, characterization and catalytic application of organically-functionalized mesostructured materials; the immobilization of enzymes on silica mesoporous supports for different applications; the valorization of glycerol to obtain oxygenated additives for fuel blends; the production of biodiesel over heterogeneous acid catalysts; and more recently, the catalytic up-grading of cellulosic biomass. His current research interests focus on the application of catalysis to achieve a more sustainable and bio-based economy, through the biorefinery concept.

**Jose Iglesias** (Ph.D., Associate Professor) was born in Benavente (Spain) in 1976. He completed his MEng at Universidad Complutense, Madrid (1999, UCM), and his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (2005, URJC), working on the development of new heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation. He has undertaken several research positions: in the group of Professor Brian F.G. Johnson at the University of Cambridge (2003), working on the synthesis of new heterogeneous catalysts for green technology, in the group of Professor S. David Jackson at the University of Glasgow (2006), working on the heterogenization of BINAPO-Ir catalytic systems, and in the CDFA group at IRCELYON (2017), working on the development of new cascade synthesis strategies for biomass valorization. Currently, he is an associate professor of Chemical Engineering at the Department of Chemical, Energy and Mechanics Technology, URJC. His main research interests are focused on the rational design of heterogeneous catalytic systems for green and fine chemistry, lately applied to the chemical valorization of biomass.

**Juan A. Melero** (Ph.D., Full Professor) was born in Madrid (Spain) in 1970. He studied Chemistry at Universidad Complutense, Madrid (1988–1993), and completed his Ph.D. in 1998, for which he worked on the synthesis and applications of zeolitic materials for redox and acid-catalyzed reactions. He undertook postdoctoral research in the group of Prof. G. Stucky and B. F Chmelka at California University in Santa Barbara for one year, working on the synthesis and applications of organically modified mesostructured materials. Currently, he is a full-time professor of chemical engineering at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid). His research is focused on the synthesis and characterization of porous solids with enhanced properties, and their catalytic application in fine chemistry, environmental catalysis and biomass valorization, towards bio-products and biofuels, being a leader-researcher of several active projects related to these topics.
