(From left to right): Mónica Giménez and Àngela Vidal.

The work presented by Mónica Giménez, researcher at the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) of the University of Valencia, has won first prize in the 14th edition of the Algemesí Scientific-Technical Research Award, worth €5,000. In addition, the new prize for young researchers under 26 years of age, worth €1,500, has gone to Àngela Vidal, researcher at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), a joint center of the University and the CSIC.

The work of Mónica Giménez Marqués (also recently awarded the Young Talent Award of the Valencian Community) studies Graftfast surface engineering for the improvement of stealth in MOF nanoparticles. Àngela Vidal Verdú's research is on the bioprospecting of Mediterranean waste, the characterization of microbial communities and the search for plastic-degrading activities. The awards will be presented on March 1 at the Algemesí Town Hall, in an event where the winners will explain their work.

"I feel very grateful for having received the Ciutat d'Algemesí award. This recognition for young researchers is a strong stimulus that encourages me to continue doing science with more enthusiasm," said Mónica Giménez, chemist and doctor in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from the University of Valencia. She is currently in the Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación program at the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) and is a collaborator in the Inorganic Chemistry department. He studies stimulus-responsive smart porous hybrid materials as well as bistable nanostructured systems. Their contributions have implications in diverse fields such as energy, the environment and health.

For her part, Àngela Vidal highlights that the award “is a great boost to continue a research career, which for the majority of young people sometimes seems like an uncertain, diffuse and, above all, unstable path.” She found out she was the winner on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on February 11, “a fact that made me even more excited,” when she had just arrived in Copenhagen for a stay at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability. Àngela Vidal is studying the Master in Research and Development in Biotechnology and Biomedicine, and the award-winning research was carried out in the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology Group of the I2SysBio.

The vice-rector for Research at the University of Valencia, Carlos Hermenegildo, member of the jury, highlighted “the excellent level of the works presented” and his satisfaction “because two of them are from young researchers from our institution”. "The quality of the work presented by Àngela Vidal is very remarkable. Furthermore, the work and scientific career of the winner, Mónica Giménez, are truly impressive." The vice-rector has also thanked the Algemesí City Council, on behalf of the University of Valencia, for this initiative that is in its fourteenth edition and which this year has incorporated a new modality for research personnel under 26 years of age.

The jury has been formed, in addition to Carlos Hermenegildo, by José Pío, institutional coordinator of the CSIC; José Gabriel Torres, vice dean of the ETSE-Universitat de València; Salud Botella, professor of Biotechnology; Rosa Cebrián, professor of Physiology; José Vicente Castell, director of the Hepatology Research Unit at Hospital La Fe; Francisco Javier Sáiz, professor of Electronic Engineering; Mª Antonia Ferrús, professor of Microbiology; councilor Palma Egido and councilor Pere Blanco; and the mayor of Algemesí, Marta Trenzano. Computer Science professor Jaume Segura has been the secretary of the jury.

Twenty-four works

The award for the best work for young researchers from the Ribera, endowed with €1,500, has gone to Óscar Gil Castell for his work on PCL/Ge nanofibers with customized characteristics for biomedical applications in the field of engineering. fabrics.

In this edition, 24 works have been presented, eight of them from cities in the Ribera. Four second prizes have been awarded to Adrián Cárdenas Castell, Juan Ernesto Solanes Galbis, José Gabriel García Pardó and Inés Pulido Endrino. Also two honorable mentions for Máximo Cobos Serrano and Adrián del Río Vega.