Katherine Villa, Group Leader at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) and ICREA Research Professor, has been awarded the María Teresa Toral National Young Research Award from Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities in the field of Chemical Science and Technology. The award recognises her research in photocatalysis and sustainable materials, which combines chemistry, nanoscience and functional devices to address some of today’s most pressing energy and environmental challenges.
The Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities recognised Prof. Villa’s contributions to the development of advanced photocatalytic systems capable of harnessing light to transform pollutants into high value-added chemicals and solar fuels. Her research has also opened new avenues in the design of light-powered micro- and nanorobots, with applications in water purification, selective chemical transformations and photodynamic therapy.
The National Young Research Awards honour outstanding contributions from scientists whose careers are still at a consolidation stage. This year, the Ministry presented ten awards, each endowed with €30,000. The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, said that the awards “recognise the achievements of the recipients while also highlighting the strength of Spain’s public research system, which nurtures talent, promotes excellence and positions Spain among the world’s leading nations in scientific research.”
Prof. Katherine Villa holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and has built a multidisciplinary career across leading research institutions in Spain and Europe. She joined ICIQ in 2021 to establish her own research group and was appointed an ICREA Research Professor in 2025.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous prestigious distinctions, including an ERC Starting Grant, an ERC Proof of Concept Grant, a Consolidación Investigadora Grant, a Leonardo Grant from the BBVA Foundation, the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry Young Researcher Award, the EuChemS Lecture Award and, most recently, the National Young Talent in Research Award of Catalonia, among others.
“I feel deeply grateful and honoured to receive this award, which I share with everyone who has been part of my journey and, especially, with my team, with whom I continue every day to explore new ways of using light and chemistry to tackle environmental and energy challenges,” said Prof. Katherine Villa.
This recognition provides fresh momentum for a research programme with significant potential to advance sustainable technologies in areas such as clean energy and water decontamination using light, further establishing Prof. Katherine Villa as one of the most promising international researchers in the field of photocatalysis.
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