Dr. Núria López-Bigas, Head of the Biomedical Genomics lab at IRB Barcelona, ICREA Research Professor, and member of the BIST Scientific Community, has been awarded the prestigious Rei Jaume I Award in the category of Medical Research. This award, one of the most important scientific honours in Spain, recognises the outstanding career of researchers whose contributions have had a significant international impact in their field.
The jury, which includes 20 Nobel Laureates, highlighted Dr. López-Bigas’s “innovative research on the origin and evolution of cancer mutations and the development of tools to study them.” At IRB Barcelona, her research focuses on identifying cancer-driving mutations and understanding the mutational processes that lead to the accumulation of genetic alterations in tumour cells. Her work is key to understanding how tumours develop and evolve, paving the way for more precise and personalised approaches in oncology.
“Receiving the Rei Jaume I Prize for Medical Research is a great honour and a tremendous joy. It is also a recognition of the effort and dedication of my entire team over the years — without their talent and commitment, we would not have advanced so much in understanding the mechanisms underlying cancer”, stated Dr. López-Bigas.
Other 2025 Rei Jaume I Award winners
Alongside Dr. López-Bigas, six other renowned individuals have received the 2025 Rei Jaume I Awards across various disciplines. José Luis Mascareñas Cid received the award in Basic Research, Jan Eeckhout in Economics, Silvia de Sanjosé Llongueras in Clinical Research and Public Health, and Victoria Reyes García in Environmental Protection. The prize in New Technologies went to Mª Jesús Vicent Docón, while Damià Tormo Carulla was awarded the prize for Entrepreneurial Revelation. The awards celebrate the diversity and impact of scientific research and talent in Spain.
A distinguished career
This recognition adds to a series of accolades received by Dr. López-Bigas in recent years, including the Lilly Foundation Award for Preclinical Biomedical Research (2023) and her election as a full member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences—the first expert in bioinformatics to join this institution.
The award ceremony will take place in November at the historic Llotja de la Seda in Valencia and will be presided over by His Majesty the King.
Previous awardees in the BIST Scientific Community
The Rei Jaume I Prizes have previously been awarded to other prominent scientists in the BIST Community, including ICFO’s Antonio Acín (Fundamental Science, 2024), Xavier Trepat from IBEC (Biomedical Research, 2024), CRG’s Luis Serrano (New Technologies, 2024), Daniel Maspoch from ICN2 (New Technologies, 2023), Antonio M. Echavarren from ICIQ (Basic Research, 2023), Eduard Batlle at IRB Barcelona (Medical Research, 2021), ICN2’s Laura Lechuga (New Technologies, 2020), and Miguel Beato from CRG (Medical Research, 2020).
