Miquel Duran

Blogger, Concerned citizen, Doctor, Idea generator, Parent, Policy maker, Public servant, Scientist

As a professor-researcher I work in three main areas of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry: (1) influence of electric fields on structure and reactivity of molecules, (2) weak bonding, and (3) electron density methodology. Computers, paper and pencil are my simple tools. I belong to the research group on Theoretical Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, within the Institute of Computational Chemistry and Catalysis. My interest has forked towards imaginative use of creativity too. Magic, lateral thinking, the GTD method - everything helps. Blogging, nanoblogging, social media and networks, blended imaginative creator - these may be my keywords. I have served the University of Girona as Vicerector , Comissionate for Program UdG 2.0 and Director, Department of Chemistry. Specialities: Quantum Chemistry, Computational Chemistry. Communication of Science, Public Awareness of Science, University 2.0. --- In short, my tweetCV: University professor. Research in Quantum Chemistry. Digital Science Communication, Magic and Science, MOOCs, TEDx events, Open Knowledge.

Dealing with University affairs, e.g., teaching, research and service, reminds me of 3-ball cascade juggling. I could spend a lot of fun time there. I enjoy riding my Mountain Bike.

I belong to a multinlingual area: Europe. Thus, I believe in the so-called pyramid of languages. In my case Catalan is on top (mother tongue), while Spanish and English are opportunity languages. This Tartaglia-like pyramind has a third row: French, Arabic, Russian, German, Italian and Mandarin Chinese.

Computational Chemistry, Magic and Science, Quantum Chemistry, Science 2.0, Science Communication

I have attented a few TEDx meetings other than ours: TEDxGirona, TEDxMadrid and TEDxBarcelonaScience twice. I really enjoyed them. I looked to organitze one in Girona on new ideas in Higher Education for a nonglobal universtity that does not resign to become gobal, for a University that is willing to extend to younger students and citizens. I am the licensee thus for TEDxUdG (held on May 10th, 2012), and also for TEDxYouth@UdG (held on saturday Nov 17th, 2012). Indeed we expect to have a new TEDxUdG venue in 24 May 2013. I attended TEDActive 2013 in Palm Springs. The TEDxUdG series of TEDx events was enhanced with TEDxUdGChange on April 3, 2013 and TEDxUdG City2.0. On June 12 we showed TEDxUdGLive, simulcast from Edinburgh's TEDGlobal. I am also TEDxGironaWomen's coorganizer (1st edition: 5 Dec 2013, 2nd edition: 29 May 2015). TEDx Organizers Meeting, Geneva. I attended TEDxMED meeting, Barcelona. I paticipated in TEDGlobal>Geneva on 8 Dec 2015. Performed Magic and Science at TEDxBarcelonaEd.

I am also an amateur magician who enjoys practising and conjuring mentalism and mathemagics.