Double award ceremony for the RSEF- BBVA Foundation 2020 and 2021
ICFO Prof Pelayo Garcia de Arquer accepts 2021 Young Investigator Award for Experimental Physics
The RSEF-BBVA Foundation Physics Awards recognize the excellence of the best Spanish scientists in this field, with special attention to young researchers. The awards were established by the RSEF in 1958, and since 2007 they have been awarded jointly with the BBVA Foundation. The award ceremony annually brings together many of the best physicists in Spain, although last year the Covid-19 pandemic forced it to be postponed, and for this reason the gala held Tuesday, 14 December at the Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation honored the 21 awardees in both 2020 and 2021.
In the category of Young Researcher in Experimental Physics, the awarded was given to ICFO Professor Pelayo García de Arquer (2021) and María José Martínez-Pérez (2020), ARAID researcher at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA). Pelayo leads the CO2 Mitigation Accelerated by Photons research group at ICFO, working on the development of nanomaterials that can be used, for example, for the development of clean energies, as well as to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and transform it into fuels and other products.
“In my group we work on capturing greenhouse gases, such as CO2, and transforming them into things we need: materials for industries, or fuels for transportation, made from pollution and renewable energy,”, comments Garcia de Arque. “Today we live better than 100 years ago ... our current challenge is that in 100 years we will have a planet where we can continue to live. Science is crucial for this”.
Congratulations Pelayo on this distinguished honor.
** all photos credit Fundación BBVA