The Council of Ministers has today named the researcher Rosa Menéndez (Cudillero, Asturias, 1956) as the new president of the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Chemist and expert in carbon materials, she replaces also CSIC researcher Emilio Lora-Tamayo, who had been in charge since January 2012.
Menéndez joined the organization in 1979 and has held the positions of vice-president, Asturias institutional delegate and director of the Instituto Nacional del Carbón, located in Oviedo. The new CSIC president also has experience in managing R&D programs, plans and actions. She has been an evaluator and coordinator of various R&D programs in the European Union, manager of the National Materials Plan and the National Energy Plan and has coordinated an Energy call for proposals for the Community of Madrid.
In recent years, Menéndez has started 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 at 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 major projects in the coming years ”.
Research and patents
This Asturian researcher, with a 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 the production of graphene for different uses.
The CSIC president, who throughout her career has spent 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, the electricity sector and mining, among others.
In recognition of her scientific work, the new CSIC President has received the Shunk Carbon Award (1996) for her contribution to the development of carbon materials, the Álvarez Buylla Vital Prize, awarded by UNESCO-Mieres City Council (2007) , for its contribution to the development and dissemination of Science. Likewise, in 2009 he received the DuPont Science Award for his work on the study and development of new carbon materials and in 2016 he received the award from the Spanish Materials Association for his scientific career.
