The Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK) and Banco Santander Foundation hosted the Reception Ceremony of the 2016 SRUK Emerging Talent Award at the Spanish Embassy in London. Prof Eva Hevia, researcher professor at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow), received the award in recognition for her excellent academic career and her commitment to promote science, mentor new researchers and establish international collaborations between the UK and Spain.
Professor Hevia said, “SRUK offers continuous support and inspiration to the increasing number of Spanish scientists working in the UK, thus I feel genuinely honoured and privileged to be the recipient of this award in the inaugural edition. Although I have carried out most of my research activity in the UK, I have always strongly engaged with and indeed treasured my connections with the community of Spanish scientists. This award will allow me not only to significantly strengthen these links, by facilitating new collaborations and scientific exchanges with Spanish research groups, but also to greatly increase the visibility in Spain of my own research in the area of Organometallic Chemistry.”
Hevia obtained her degree and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Oviedo. She became Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde when she was only 38 years old. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles in the most important specialised journals in her field. In 2011, she obtained a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to launch her research group. She also holds other major awards for young scientists in the field of chemistry, such as the Harrison Memorial Medal and Prize (2009) awarded by the British Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the RSEQ-Sigma-Aldrich Prize to Young Researchers (2011) awarded by the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ).
Prof Hevia will allocate part of the prize to reinforce the relations with the Spanish scientific community and give visibility to the Organometallic Chemistry of representative elements, as “the scientific representation of Spain in this field is very limited and yet has great potential benefits for humanity”. A great number of elements from these compounds are essential in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and perfume industry, so improvements to perform the required chemical transformations in a sustainable manner would have a strong impact on society and the environment. In addition, the other part of the award will be used to support two internships in her lab to outstanding Spanish graduate students.
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