The Council of Ministers today appointed the researcher Rosa Menéndez (Cudillero, Asturias, 1956), new president of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Chemistry and carbon materials expert, replaces CSIC researcher Emilio Lora-Tamayo, who had been in the position since January 2012.
Menéndez joined the organization in 1979 and has held the positions of vice president, institutional delegate Asturias and director of the National Coal Institute, located in Oviedo. The new president of the CSIC also has experience in the management of R&D programs, plans and actions. She has been an evaluator and coordinator of several R&D programs of the European Union, manager of the National Materials Plan and the National Energy Plan and has coordinated a call for Energy of the Community of Madrid.
Menéndez has initiated in recent years a line of research on graphene for applications that include biomedicine and energy storage. The CSIC researcher talks about her new appointment: “I am very proud to hold this position in the institution where I have worked for the last 40 years. It's a big challenge; let's not forget that the CSIC is the largest Spanish scientific institution, so the work will be constant and we will tackle large projects in the coming years. ”
Research and patents
This Asturian researcher, PhD in Chemistry from the University of Oviedo in 1986, has participated in more than 30 research projects, being responsible for 23, including nine Europeans. Most of the national projects in which it has been involved have had business participation. These projects address issues such as the use of catalysts for chemical processes for the production of clean energy, energy storage systems with graphene for electric vehicles and graphene production for different uses.
The president of the CSIC, who throughout her career has made stays in the United States and the United Kingdom, has published more than 200 articles in high-impact international journals, is the author of 10 patents and has directed 18 doctoral theses. Menéndez has participated in more than 50 research contracts, in which he has advised on scientific topics related to aeronautics, electrical sector and mining, among others.
In recognition of her scientific work, the new president of the CSIC has received the Shunk Carbon Award (1996) for her contribution to the development of carbon materials, the Álvarez Buylla Vital Award, awarded by UNESCO-Mieres City Hall (2007) , for his contribution to the development and dissemination of Science. Also, in 2009 he received the DuPont Prize for Science for his work on the study and development of new carbon materials and in 2016 he received the award of the Spanish Materials Association for his scientific career.
