The Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation, and President of Ikerbasque, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, presided this morning over the presentation of recognitions to three women conducting research in the Basque Country: Carmen González Murua, Amaia Cipitria Sagardia and Amaia Arranz Otaegui. The event also featured the participation of Fernando Cossío, Scientific Director of Ikerbasque, along with representatives from universities and research centers in Euskadi.
The goal of this recognition is to highlight the contributions of women researchers in Euskadi and their work, serving as examples and inspiration for future generations of scientists. For this reason, and exceptionally this year, five additional researchers have also received a special mention for their contributions to science in the Basque Country: Ana Beloqui Elizazu (Polymat - UPV/EHU), Amaia Arranz Mendiguren (Achucarro), Jone Mitxelena Sánchez (UPV/EHU), Marina Kalashnikova (BCBL) e Itziar Oyarzabal Epelde (BCMaterials).
The selection of the honored researchers was carried out by an Evaluation Committee, which unanimously decided which researchers would receive this recognition in 2024 across three different stages of their scientific careers: advanced, consolidator, and starting. The recognized researchers are as follows:
- Advanced, a recognition to a lifetime research career:
- Carmen González Murua, Professor Emerita of Plant Physiology at UPV/EHU.
- Her scientific career began with research on nitrogen metabolism in plants and their responses to water and salinity stress. In recent years, her focus has shifted to the molecular bases involved in reactive nitrogen processes in the soil/plant/atmosphere system, the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, and the physiological mechanisms of ammonium tolerance.
- The Committee highlighted her excellent scientific career, leadership skills, and commitment to science in the Basque Country.
- Consolidator, a recognition to a leader researcher in their field:
- Amaia Cipitria Sagardia, Ikerbasque Research Professor at Biogipuzkoa.
- She leads the Bioengineering for Regeneration and Cancer group at Biogipuzkoa.
- The Committee recognized her scientific leadership in her research field and the multidisciplinary nature of her work, reinforced by her recent achievement of an ERC Consolidator Grant. This €2.35 million grant will fund the DORMATRIX project, aimed at modeling breast cancer dormancy as a collective emergent phenomenon using biomaterials and microfluidic systems.
- Starting, a recognition for an outstanding contribution by a young researcher:
- Amaia Arranz Otaegui, Ikerbasque Research Associate at UPV/EHU.
- Her research focuses on prehistoric plant-based diets, the use of wild plants, and their eventual domestication.
- The Committee commended her singular contributions to her field, including the discovery of the world’s oldest piece of bread, as well as her recent achievements as a young investigator in a novel research area. She was awarded an ERC Starting Grant, valued at €1.5 million, to study the factors that motivated hunter-gatherer populations to cultivate and intensify the use of plant resources.
To select the recognized researchers, Ikerbasque conducted a bibliometric analysis of scientific output and highlighted recent notable contributions by researchers in Euskadi. The Delegated Committee of the Ikerbasque Board of Trustees debated a final selection of 20 researchers across the three levels. They emphasized the high scientific caliber of the researchers in each category, noting a growing level of excellence with each edition, reflecting the remarkable potential of science conducted in Euskadi by women researchers.
Annual Recognitions
This initiative is part of Ikerbasque’s Strategic Plan, which includes advancing in gender equality as one of its 12 key challenges for recruitment in the research community. In line with this goal, the Ikerbasque Board of Trustees approved a Gender Equality Plan, which includes an action to annually award recognitions to women researchers, serving as role models for future generations.
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