CINTECX researcher and Professor of Applied Physics at the University of Vigo, Juan Pou Saracho, along with Professor of Private International Law and Dean of the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Vigo, Laura Carballo Piñeiro, will receive the Research Medals awarded by the Royal Galician Academy of Sciences (RAGC) in recognition of their distinguished and consolidated research careers developed in Galicia, as well as their efforts to promote Galician science and technology.
Carballo and Pou will each receive their distinction, alongside fellow award-winning researchers from the University of A Coruña (UDC): Nieves Rodríguez Brisaboa, Francisco J. Blanco García, and María Carmen Veiga Barbazán, in a ceremony to be held on October 8 in Santiago de Compostela, on the occasion of Galicia’s Science Day.
“A recognition of research into laser applications in Galicia”
Juan María Pou Saracho (A Guarda, 1963), Professor of Applied Physics at UVigo, will receive the Isidro Parga Pondal Medal from the RAGC’s Technical Sciences section on October 8. Described by the Academy as an “international reference in the field of laser applications,” Pou’s research focuses on industry, health, and sustainability, with nearly eight million euros secured in projects and contracts and 34 patents.
“This award is a recognition of all the people who, since the 1980s, have dedicated themselves—and continue to do so—to researching laser applications in Galicia, and in particular, to our group at the University of Vigo. I’m grateful to my colleagues at CINTECX for creating a magnificent working environment that allows us to carry out our research,” said Pou. The RAGC highlights his work on the valorization of products and waste generated in marine-related production chains, such as the use of fish bones and spines to obtain calcium phosphates. Other notable research lines include improving the efficiency of mechanical systems used in fishing techniques and in products and services across the automotive, shipbuilding, aerospace, textile, and natural stone sectors to achieve a smart and sustainable industry; developing new products for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries; and creating prostheses and implants with enhanced mechanical properties.
The RAGC also highlights Pou’s participation in a European project focused on using laser technology to recycle glass that is typically not recycled, such as that used in pharmaceutical products or electronic devices like mobile phones and computer screens.