Government of Catalonia awards Narcís Monturiol Medal to UAB Professor Antonio Villaverde
Professor Antonio Villaverde from the Department of Genetics and Microbiology was one of the award winners of the Narcís Monturiol Medal from the Government of Catalonia for scientific and technological merit, along with nine other researchers from the Catalan knowledge system.
These awards, instituted in 1982, distinguish individuals and entities for their outstanding contribution to the development of science and technology in Catalonia, and were named in honour of the famous 19th century Catalan inventor and politician, Narcís Monturiol Estarriol (1819 -1885).
Professor Antonio Villaverde Corrales received his BSc and PhD in Science (Biology) from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and is now professor of Microbiology in the Department of Genetics and Microbiology, as well as head of the Nanobiotechnology group at the UAB Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB) and at the Centre for Biomedical Research Network on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), and of the Innovative Biopharmaceuticals group of the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR). He conducts advanced and translational research in nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine on the design of drugs for oncology and other human pathologies, focused on bringing the first antimetastatic drug to clinics.
Since the first edition of these awards, the Government of Catalonia has awarded 311 Narcís Monturiol Medals (238 to men and 73 to women), while 48 institutions have been awarded the Narcís Monturiol Plaque. The individuals and institutions awarded cover all fields of knowledge, from the life and health sciences to the humanities and social sciences, including architecture, engineering and other sciences. As in previous editions, this year progress continues to be made on the path towards gender balance in the Catalan R&D system, in which women make up more than 42%.