In this article from El·lipse, we review some of the latest awards and recognitions received by researchers at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB). These honors highlight the excellence and diversity of the research conducted by the Park’s centers, as well as the work of everyone who contributes to it.
Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at Pompeu Fabra University (MELIS-UPF)
The Banc Sabadell Foundation awards the Biomedical Research Prize to recognize young researchers with a significant track record in the field of biomedical research and health sciences who stand out in their specialty for their capacity for innovation. In the 21st edition, Marc Güell, a professor and ICREA researcher at MELIS-UPF, was awarded €50,000 for his pioneering contributions to synthetic biology and the development of new genetic engineering technologies.
Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo, a professor and researcher at MELIS-UPF, has been awarded the 2026 Manuel Rico-Bruker Spain Prize for his exceptional career in biophysics. Specifically, for the development of integrative approaches in functional and systems biophysics to unravel the mechanisms and implications of dynamic phenomena in living systems. The award, sponsored by the Spanish Society of Biophysics, recognizes scientific careers in this field.
Garcia-Ojalvo has also been elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), along with MELIS-UPF professor and CRG researcher Roderic Guigó. “It is an honor to belong to an international organization like EMBO, which reflects the collective nature of science a field that advances through cooperation among people of all nationalities, with the common goal of better understanding the world in which we live,” explains Garcia-Ojalvo.
In 2022, the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities added the Margarita Salas Award to the National Research Awards, which grants €50,000 in recognition of research in biology conducted by researchers under the age of 40. In the 2026 edition, the award went to Mireia Vallès-Colomer, a researcher and professor at MELIS-UPF, for her studies linking the gut microbiome to mental health.
Last June, Forbes magazine published its list of “The 50 Most Influential Women in Catalonia 2026.” This list highlights women with emerging or established careers across all sectors of influence in the region. Among them are Gema Revuelta, a professor and researcher at MELIS-UPF, and Núria López-Bigas, a professor in the same department at UPF.
Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
The 2026 Rei Jaume I Award for biomedical research went to Ben Lehner, a senior group leader at the CRG. In his research, he has combined his work on model organisms and human genetics with techniques such as mutagenesis and artificial intelligence, leading to the discovery of new principles that guide how genetic variation shapes biological systems and how this influences human health. It is these original approaches to addressing fundamental biological questions that the organization sought to recognize by awarding Lehner €100,000.
But Lehner has not been the only CRG researcher recognized for his scientific career. Luis Serrano has received the 2025 National Research Award, presented by the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació (FCRI). And CRG group leader Arnau Sebé-Pedrós has received the 2025 City of Barcelona Award in the Life Sciences and Medicine category, an award that recognizes his pioneering work on the origin and evolution of cell types in the animal kingdom.
Neuroscientist Mara Dierssen, director of the Cellular and Systems Neurobiology group at the CRG, has also been recognized by ELLE magazine as one of the 40 women promoting science and technology in Spain. The distinction is part of the ELLE 40×40 Female Talent project, an initiative created to mark the magazine’s 40th anniversary and to highlight outstanding women in various fields. In Dierssen’s case, the recognition highlights a career focused on the study of the brain, the neurobiology of Down syndrome, and science communication.
Hospital del Mar Research Institute
The IAM-CAT project, led by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Hospital del Mar, has received the Bronze Award at the National Health System (SNS) Best Practices Conference. The initiative aims to create a comprehensive and sustainable population-based registry covering all cases of acute myocardial infarction in Catalonia. It is based on the IAM Code, the protocol that is activated upon detection of an acute myocardial infarction to provide specialized and improved care.
Researcher Sara Mederos has received €15,000 through the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science” awards for her research project. Her work seeks to understand how the brain decides between staying in a safe environment and exploring a new, potentially threatening one.
With the goal of recognizing the social impact of science and reducing the gender gap in this field while also raising the profile of women in leadership roles, the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera and La Vanguardia have been presenting the Vanguardia Science Award for the past 15 years. In this year’s edition, a total of 112 women were nominated, of whom eight were selected as finalists. Among them were researchers Mafalda Dias, from the CRG, and Aura Muntasell, from the HMRIB, who ultimately received the award for her research on a new immunotherapy to treat cancer.
The Spanish Association for Metastatic Breast Cancer has awarded Toni Celià-Terrassa, a researcher at HMRIB, the M. Chiara Giorgetti Prize for research on metastatic cancer, which comes with a prize of 80,000 €. The award-winning project will study the role of the TIM-3 protein in the development of resistance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and how residual disease can serve as a predictor of metastasis.
Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF)
Last June, IBE principal investigator Rosa Fernández was elected to the Governing Council of the Spanish Youth Academy. This institution aims to raise the profile of and provide representation for young researchers, promote science as a career path, foster scientific training, and contribute to the debate on science policy.
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
The scientific career of ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas has focused on the effects of circadian disruption on health, with a commitment to translating scientific evidence into public health policies. This work has led him to author more than 850 scientific publications and has earned him numerous accolades. Specifically, he was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by Democritus University of Thrace and received the EPICOH Lifetime Award for his career in occupational epidemiology, spanning more than three decades of scientific leadership.
Also at ISGlobal, researcher Michelle Turner has been recognized for her contributions to environmental epidemiology through scientific excellence, leadership, and mentorship. Specifically, she has received the 2026 Tony McMichael Mid-Term Career Award from the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE).
Congratulations to all those recognized. Your work contributes to the advancement of science and highlights the talent and dedication of the PRBB community.
