María Godoy, recipient of the María Godoy, recipient of the L'Oréal-UNESCO 'For women in science' 2024 prizeL'Oréal-UNESCO 'For women in science' 2024

María Godoy Gallardo has been awarded by the  L'Oréal-UNESCO ‘For women in science’ programme in the 18th edition of its ‘Research Awards’ in Spain, for her project "BioSmart : Intelligent biomaterials sensitive to external stimuli to enhance tissue integration and antibacterial properties". The award-winning project focuses on the synthesis of antibacterial systems sensitive to external stimuli to enhance tissue integration and combines the creation of intelligent biomaterials and the use of antibacterial peptides to ensure that no implant becomes infected, thus finding a solution to the resistance that pathogenic bacteria have developed to antibiotics and that can make the treatment of infections difficult.

María, a graduate in Chemistry and an engineer in Materials Engineering, currently holds a position as a senior researcher in our research group and is about to launch her own line of research, thanks to obtaining a Ramón y Cajal scholarship, funded by Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI). She explains that "in the future, I intend to continue focusing on the development of smart materials (...) with antibacterial properties (...) and improving their bone regeneration properties through the use of biomolecules. I also plan to design personalized 2D and 3D implants."

The 18th edition of the L'Oréal-UNESCO 'For Women in Science' Research Awards in Spain annually recognizes the cutting-edge research of five young women scientists. The award, worth 15,000 euros, aims to recognize female leadership and, specifically, young talent in their scientific field in our country. María Godoy emphasises that "a research award like this, with such a significant financial endowment, represents a significant boost, especially for researchers who are starting their own line of research, as is my case. The prestige and resources that this award provides me are, without a doubt, a decisive step towards achieving my goal of obtaining a position as an established independent researcher at the UPC."

The researchers who accompanied María Godoy this year, selected by an experienced jury chaired by María A. Blasco, Director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre  (CNIO), are Vanesa Guerrero (UC3M),  Adriana Isabel Figueroa (UB), Paula Mayorga Burrezo (ICMAB) and María Moreno Llácer (IFIC).