Ikerbasque Research Professor Luis Liz-Marzán made an Honorary Doctor by the University of Antwerp
The Belgian university recognizes the research work of the CIC biomaGUNE professor as a pioneer and leader in the synthesis and application of plasmonic metal nanoparticles
The possibilities in the biomedical field in relation to early disease detection are highlighted in particular
Donostia-San Sebastian. 30 March, 2023. This morning the University of Antwerp conferred an honorary doctorate on CIC biomaGUNE's Ikerbasque Research Professor Luis Liz-Marzán "in recognition of his expertise in the synthesis, characterization and application of plasmonic metal nanoparticles". According to University of Antwerp professor Sara Bals –Professor Liz-Marzán's nominator–, "Luis has been a pioneer and a leading scientist in his field". The Belgian institution also emphasizes that "Liz-Marzán's research is facilitating the early detection of diseases".
The University of Antwerp set out the reasons for honoring the CIC biomaGUNE professor: He is recognized worldwide as an expert in the application of colloidal nanoparticles for nanoplasmonics. He has been one of the pioneers in colloidal synthesis and characterization of metallic nanoparticles. Liz-Marzán has specialized mainly in the control of the morphology of these nanoparticles, which allows their optical properties to be optimized. In addition, he is well-known for his expertise in nanoparticle self-assembly. Much of his recent work is related to the medical applications of nanoparticles, such as controlled drug delivery and early disease detection. His interdisciplinary research may have a real impact on our society. "What I admire most about Luis is that he has been able to translate basic science into real breakthroughs in many areas," Bals added.
Although Liz-Marzán has received multiple awards and recognitions for his work, this is his first honorary doctorate and "its significance is somewhat different. When I was told that I was going to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Antwerp, I was surprised first of all. It was a great, unexpected honor and it took me a while to realize what it meant," said Liz-Marzán. "This distinction is of particular value because I have a close friendship and great colleagues in Antwerp. In fact, I believe that our fruitful collaboration over the past ten years justifies the nomination and is one of the reasons for awarding me this title," he said.
In these 10 years, CIC biomaGUNE's Ikerbasque Research Professor Liz-Marzán and Professor Bals of the University of Antwerp have published more than 60 joint papers in the best journals in the field (including Science, Nature Materials, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., Nature Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials).
About Luis Liz-Marzán
Luis Liz-Marzán, born in Lugo (Galicia), received his doctorate from the University of Lugo. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral research stay at the Van't Hoff Laboratory of the University of Utrecht. After a long academic career at the University of Vigo, he joined the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials in Donostia-San Sebastian in 2012 as an Ikerbasque research professor and as scientific director (until 2022), where he leads the Bionanoplasmonics group. Since 2015 he has been senior researcher at CIBER-BBN, the Network of Biomedical Research Centers: Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine. Since 2022 he has held a part-time professorship at the University of Vigo. In addition, he has been a visiting professor at several institutions across the world.
He has been on the list of the most cited researchers worldwide (ISI Highly Cited Researcher) without interruption since 2014. He has more than 560 publications in prestigious international journals, for which he has received over 63,000 citations with an H index of 130 (WOS data), and more than 90 publications classified as highly cited articles by Essential Science Indicators.
He is one among a small number of European researchers to have gained access to the prestigious ERC Advanced Grants on two consecutive occasions, both related to the biomedical applications of nanomaterials. These European grants require proposing disruptive breakthroughs that are at the frontier of knowledge. In addition, he is a member of numerous editorial boards (he is the only Spanish member on the Board of Reviewing Editors of Science) and has been editor of several journals of the American Chemical Society. Professor Liz-Marzán is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and of the Optical Society of America (U.S.), a full member of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, a corresponding member of the academies of sciences of Galicia and Granada, as well as of the European Academy of Sciences. The numerous awards he has received include the Humboldt Research Award, the RSEQ Medal, the Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science, the Rey Jaime I Prize, the Rhodia Prize of the European Colloid and Interface Society, the Enrique Moles National Prize in Chemical Science and Technology, the Lilly Foundation Award for Biomedical Research, the French-Spanish "Miguel Catalán-Paul Sabatier" award of the French Chemical Society (SCF), the Portuguese-Spanish Lourenço-Madinaveitia Award of the Portuguese Chemical Society, and the Spanish-Italian Ciamician-Gonzalez Award of the Italian Chemical Society. In October, he will be nominated an international member of the American National Academy of Engineering.
About CIC biomaGUNE
The Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials CIC biomaGUNE, member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), conducts state-of-the-art research at the interface between Chemistry, Biology and Physics, devoting particular attention to studying the properties of biological nanostructures on a molecular scale and their biomedical applications. It was recognized in 2018 as a "María de Maeztu" Unit of Excellence for meeting requirements of excellence, which are characterized by a high impact and level of competitiveness in its field of activity on the global scientific stage.
More information:
www.uantwerpen.be/en/about-uan … nts/honorary-degree/
Provided by CIC biomaGUNE