Professor Katherine Villa Gómez, ICREA researcher and group leader at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), has been awarded the 2025 National Research Award for Young Talent. This prestigious award, granted by the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), recognises the scientific excellence and career of young researchers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of science.
The professor expressed her deep gratitude for the recognition received: “I want to express my gratitude to the minister and the Foundation for this award. Catalonia is my second home, and receiving this recognition here is especially exciting for me.” He also highlighted that his scientific career – focused on physical chemistry, nanomaterials and energy – has been able to grow and consolidate thanks to the country’s research ecosystem.
He also underlined the relevance of his line of research, based on photocatalytic materials and photoactive micromotors: “We are working to develop light-driven micromotors that are capable of cleaning, detecting and transforming pollutants in a sustainable way. Our goal is for these advances to come out of the laboratory and become real solutions to face environmental and energy challenges.” He also called for support for emerging talent: “Betting on young researchers is betting on the future of the scientific system”, he said.
In this edition, the prize has been awarded ex aequo to Prof. Villa together with the researcher Nadejda Blagorodnova Mujortova, from the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB). The National Research Awards promote the social recognition of science and activity in research, patronage, entrepreneurship and communication, as well as the work of entities that promote knowledge transfer and the creation of science-based companies.
Research in sustainability
Katherine Villa’s career stands out for her leadership in the research of nanostructured photocatalytic systems based on multicomponent heterojunctions designed to convert pollutants into valuable chemicals and fuels. Her group also develops light-driven micro- and nanorobots that display autonomous motion, environmental sensing, and tuneable chemical activity, enabling applications in water purification, selective chemical transformations, and photodynamic therapy. Altogether, her research advances EU priorities in clean energy, water decontamination, and health.
In 2025, its work has been reinforced with the prestigious ERC Proof of Concept Grant for its PhotoSERS project. The project aims to develop light-powered microswimmers capable of selectively capturing and detecting harmful PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”, from water, offering a sensitive, real-time monitoring solution for these persistent environmental pollutants.
Katherine Villa obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has developed a multidisciplinary career in top-level research centers across Europe. With over a decade of experience in photocatalysis, she has received several distinctions, such as an ERC Starting Grant, a Consolidación Investigadora Grant, a BBVA Foundation Leonardo Grant, the RSEQ Young Investigator Grant and the EuChemS Lecture Awards, among others.
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