Being part of the Academy will allow me to collaborate with a group of top-level researchers from all over Spain and in very diverse fields. I'm sure it will be a very enriching experience
CREAF researcher Marcos Fernández, selected to join the Young Academy of Spain
One of the 10 scientists selected by an international committee from 120 candidates to join the Young Academy of Spain is CREAF researcher Marcos Fernández-Martínez. The Academy aims at promoting science among young researchers, foster innovation, and serve as a forum for knowledge exchange and influence on scientific policies, among other things. Each year, 10 new researchers join the network, who remain part of it for five years and participate in various activities. Marcos Fernández-Martínez holds a European Research Council Starting Grant, which allows him to promote the STOIKOS project focused on investigating the elementome —the combination of chemical elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, essential for organisms— in the context of global change. Another scientific project in which he is involved is ECOFONTS, focused on studying the unique ecosystem of the Mediterranean springs.
“The Academy's goals are to promote science and foster scientific careers, and I feel like any effort is insufficient to achieve these goals! Personally, I'm deeply concerned about the future of science in our country; for example, we see how science classes in high school are being cut. Furthermore, internationally, science isn't going through its best moment either; we have the recent cases of Argentina and the United States. So I decided to run because I want to do my part and act as a counterweight”, emphasizes Marcos Fernández-Martínez.
The new candidates are five female scientists, five male scientists, with an average age of 39. In total, they have authored more than 800 articles, developed 10 patents, and received seven European Research Council grants (ERC Starting and Consolidator Grants). Their profiles cover diverse areas of knowledge, such as musicology, the social impact of artificial intelligence, epidemiology, metabolic diseases, bioengineering, ecology, and seismology.
“Being part of the Academy will allow me to collaborate with a group of top-level researchers from all over Spain and in very diverse fields. I'm sure it will be a very enriching experience”, continues Fernández-Martínez.
Evaluating the biodiversity of a source in Catalonia. Author: Galdric Mossoll.
An initiative to advance science
An initiative to advance science
The Spanish Young Academy brings together high-level young scientists of Spanish nationality with the aim of promoting scientific careers, participating in the design of science-based policies, and fostering research and innovation. It was created in 2019 by seven researchers linked to the Global Young Academy.
It currently has 50 researchers from disciplines as diverse as artificial intelligence, archaeology, neuroscience, dance, and ecology. Its members include national and international award-winners, holders of more than 100 patents, and recipients of prestigious European grants such as the European Research Council or Marie Solodovovska Curie Action. The Academy also acts as a link between research talent within and outside Spain, consolidating its position as a leading platform for highlighting young and excellent science.
The new academics for 2025 are: Marcos Fernández-Martínez, Cintia Folgueira Cobos, Jaime Ibáñez Pereda, Rodrigo Ledesma Amaro, Ana Llorens Martín, Alberto López García-Basteiro, Patricia Martínez Garzón, Marta Martínez Sanz, Manuel Souto Salom and Ana Valdivia García.
