Two BIST Community researchers have been awarded National Research Awards in the field of Chemical Science and Technology from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
Prof. Katherine Villa at ICIQ has been awarded the María Teresa Toral National Young Research Award and Prof. Daniel Maspoch at ICN2 has received the “Enrique Moles” National Research Award.
Prof. Katherine Villa
ICREA Prof. Katherine Villa, Group Leader at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) and ICREA Research Professor, has been awarded the María Teresa Toral National Young Research Award for her research in photocatalysis and sustainable materials, which combines chemistry, nanoscience and functional devices to address some of today’s most pressing energy and environmental challenges.
The award committee recognised Prof. Villa’s contributions to the development of advanced photocatalytic systems capable of harnessing light to transform pollutants into high value-added chemicals and solar fuels. Her research has also opened new avenues in the design of light-powered micro- and nanorobots, with applications in water purification, selective chemical transformations and photodynamic therapy.
Prof. Katherine Villa holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has built a multidisciplinary career across leading research institutions in Spain and Europe. She joined ICIQ in 2021 to establish her own research group and was appointed an ICREA Research Professor in 2025.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous prestigious distinctions, including an ERC Starting Grant, an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, a Consolidación Investigadora Grant, a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation, the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry Young Researcher Award, the EuChemS Lecture Award and, most recently, the National Young Talent in Research Award of Catalonia, among others.
“I feel deeply grateful and honoured to receive this award, which I share with everyone who has been part of my journey and, especially, with my team, with whom I continue every day to explore new ways of using light and chemistry to tackle environmental and energy challenges,” said Prof. Katherine Villa.
Prof. Daniel Maspoch
ICREA Prof. Daniel Maspoch, head of the ICN2 Supramolecular NanoChemistry and Materials Group, has been awarded the prestigious “Enrique Moles” National Research Award in Chemical Sciences and Technologies. The prize recognises his exceptional scientific career with outstanding international impact, combining pioneering research with meaningful societal transfer.
His research has opened new avenues for designing and transforming functional materials with unprecedented precision, including the development of innovative synthetic strategies and advanced porous materials with applications ranging from catalysis to biomedicine. Among his most notable achievements is the development of Clip-off Chemistry, a groundbreaking synthetic approach that enables the creation of new molecules and materials through programmable cleavage of strategically incorporated bonds within molecular structures, a research line that has also been supported by a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant.
This distinction further consolidates Prof. Maspoch’s international scientific career and adds to a series of major recognitions received in recent years, including the Rei Jaume I Award for New Technologies (2023), the Hermanos Elhuyar Award from the German Chemical Society (2024), the Scientific Excellence Award from the Catalan Society of Chemistry (2025), and the Gold Medal of the Royal Spanish Chemical Society (RSEQ).
