• Since 2023, IMDEA Materials Institute has maintained an extraordinary connection with Spain’s most prestigious engineering distinction: the Leonardo Torres Quevedo National Research Award.
• Following the recognition of Prof. Javier LLorca in 2023 and Prof. Eugenio Oñate in 2024, Prof. Maria Pau Ginebra has now been honoured with the same award in 2025, further strengthening the institute’s tradition of excellence.

IMDEA Materials Institute congratulates Prof. Maria Pau Ginebra from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and member of our Scientific Council, on receiving the 2025 Leonardo Torres Quevedo National Research Award.

Granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, this prestigious award recognises her outstanding career in biomedical engineering and her pioneering contributions to the development of biomaterials for bone regeneration and their clinical application.

“You never think something like this will happen to you, and it was really a very exciting surprise,” said Prof. Ginebra. “I consider it an important recognition and the result of the effort of an entire career.”

“I strongly identify with the approach of doing research that can be applied to real-world problems. At UPC, we have a very engineering-oriented perspective. We carry out highly applied research, promoting transfer and seeking to bring results to the clinic,” she added.

In addition to being a professor at UPC, Prof. Ginebra has been a member of IMDEA Materials’ Scientific Council since 2022, one year after the institute launched its first research group in biomaterials and regenerative medicine, led by Dr Jennifer Patterson.

During a recent interview with IMDEA Materials, Prof. Ginebra highlighted the institute’s evolution in the biomaterials field in recent years.

“I’ve seen the progression in IMDEA Materials’ work on biomaterials, and the institute has made a major effort to provide itself with the right facilities,” she said. “It also already has a young, dynamic research team with great potential.”

“The institute is steadily positioning itself in the field of biomedical materials, which is not easy, as it requires very different equipment and facilities from those focused on traditional materials characterisation,” she added.

In the last four years, the institute’s commitment to biomaterials has expanded to four research groups dedicated to tissue engineering, medical devices, coatings, and bioinspired materials, among others.

In its announcement, the Ministry highlighted “Prof. Ginebra’s extraordinary career in the field of biomedical engineering,” noting that she “has led pioneering research in the development of biomaterials for bone regeneration and their clinical applications.”

For IMDEA Materials, Prof. Ginebra’s recognition marks the third consecutive year in which the institute has maintained a direct link with the Leonardo Torres Quevedo Award, considered Spain’s most important distinction in engineering.

In 2023, Prof. Javier Llorca, the institute’s Scientific Director, was recognised for his leadership in computational materials engineering.

The following year, the award went to Prof. Eugenio Oñate, Chairman of IMDEA Materials’ Board of Trustees, for his outstanding career in computational mechanics and numerical methods in engineering.

This continued recognition highlights not only the individual excellence of the awardees but also the institute’s ability to attract and collaborate with leading figures in engineering and materials science.