Seville, December 17, 2017. Researchers Hernán Míguez and Gabriel Lozano, attached to cicCartuja, attended yesterday the ceremony to present the Physics Awards granted by the Royal Spanish Society of Physics (RSEF) and the BBVA Foundation.
The event was held at the Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation and was attended by authorities and personalities from the world of science and politics: Carmen Vela, Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation; the president of the Royal Spanish Society of Physics, José Adolfo de Azcárraga; and the president of the BBVA Foundation, Francisco González.
From left to right: Francisco González, president of the BBVA Foundation; the award winner, Hernán Míguez; the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela; and the president of the RSEF, José Adolfo de Azcárraga. |Photo: BBVA Foundation
Hernán Míguez received the award in the Physics, Innovation and Technology category, for combining high-quality basic science with technology transfer. A research professor at the ICMS, Míguez builds materials whose color – the way they reflect light – depends on their nanoscopic structure, just like the wings of butterflies.
Míguez is the inventor of 18 patents, several of which have been transferred to industry. Two of them have led to the creation of two companies, in Canada and Sweden, that develop devices with applications as varied as detecting counterfeit bills and protecting the skin from UV radiation. He currently also collaborates with companies in Spain.
From left to right: Francisco González, president of the BBVA Foundation; Carmen Vela, Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation; the award winner, Gabriel Lozano Barbero; and José Adolfo de Azcárraga, president of the RSEF. |Photo: BBVA Foundation
The winner in the category of New Researcher in Experimental Physics was Gabriel Lozano, a postdoctoral researcher at the ICMS. His work in optoelectronics has led to commercially relevant applications in artificial lighting and seven of his eight patents are being exploited by Philips.
The RSEF and the BBVA Foundation have jointly awarded the Physics Prizes since 2007, which aim to recognize the creativity, effort and achievement of those who contribute significantly to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and innovation in Physics, especially young researchers.
