Lourdes Vega Fernández (Villanueva del Fresno, Badajoz, 1965) is a Spanish scientist, specialist on molecular thermodynamics, clean energy and sustainable products, focused on CO2 capture and utilization, hydrogen production, storage, transportation and utilization, sustainable cooling systems, and water treatment.[1]

Lourdes Vega
Lourdes Vega in a congress in Abu Dhabi, December 2019
Born1965
Villanueva del Fresno, Badajoz
NationalitySpanish
EducationPh.D. in Theorical Physics by the University of Seville
Occupation(s)Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Research and Innovation Center for CO2 and H2 (RICH Center) at the Khalifa University, in Abu Dhabi (UAE)i
Employers
  • Khalifa University, since 2016
  • Air Products/Carburos Metálicos, 2007-2015
  • CSIC-ICMAB, 2003-2007
  • URV, 1995-2003
Honours

Academic and research information

edit

Vega has a Ph.D in Theorical Physics from the University of Seville (Spain) and she is a Professor in Khalifa University (Abu Dhabi, UAE) at the Chemical Engineering department.[1]

She is an expert in molecular modeling and her research in models to predict the thermodynamical behaviour of chemical compounds and the development of new materials to separate gases and contaminants led to a large number of scientific publication in high-impact journals.[citation needed]

Vega was a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rovira i Virgili between 1995 and 2003. Later, she joined the Spanish National Research Council's Institute of Material Science of Barcelona (ICMAB).[1]

In 2017, Vega entered the Academy of Sciences of Granada[2] She is also an elected member of the Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists[3]

Vega was Global Director of Technology in Agro-Food, Water Treatment and CO2 Uses of Air Products, combining that position with that of director of R&D of Carburos Metálicos S.A., and with the direction of the MATGAS R&D center at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Since 2016 she directs Khalifa University's Research and Development Center for Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen (RICH).[4][1]

Merits, recognitions and distinctions

edit

She received the Physics, Innovation and Technology Award in 2013 for “the outstanding, original and creative way in which she has managed to bring theoretical and computational research in statistical physics, a branch of basic physics, to the industrial world.”[5]

She was awarded the United Arab Emirates Medal for Scientific Excellence in 2020 for her work Science for Sustainable Products. She is the first non-Arab person to achieve this distinction[6][7][8]

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers elected her as a fellow in 2022.[9] In 2023, Vega entered the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences as a corresponding member.[10]

She has published more than 370 scientific articles,[11] has 5 patents, and is the author of the popular book on the uses of CO2, whose title is CO2 as a resource. From capture to industrial uses.[5][12][13]

Vega is a member of the boards of directors of the chemical company Ercros and water services company Canal de Isabel II[14][15]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d "Dr. Lourdes Vega". Khalifa University.
  2. ^ Lorca, Noelia S. "La doctora Lourdes Vega Fernández ingresa en la Academia de las Ciencias de Granada". Ahora Granada (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. ^ "Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists". mbras.ae. Retrieved 2021-09-18.
  4. ^ "Lourdes Vega, la física que transforma el CO2 en millones de euros". raex.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  5. ^ a b "Lourdes Vega". FBBVA (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  6. ^ "La española Lourdes Vega, primera persona no árabe que logra la Medalla a la Excelencia Científica de Emiratos". EL CORREO DEL GOLFO (in Spanish). 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  7. ^ "La villanovense Lourdes Vega recibe la Medalla a la Excelencia Científica de Emiratos Árabes". Hoy (in Spanish). 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  8. ^ "Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announces scientific medal winners". thenationalnews.com. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  9. ^ "Introducing Some of AIChE's Recently Elected Fellows". AIChE. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  10. ^ PARRA, ALMUDENA (2023-12-20). "La Doctora Lourdes Vega ingresa en la Real Academia de Ciencias de España". Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  11. ^ "Google Scholar Citations". Google Scholar. 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  12. ^ "Protectia. transferencia Tecnológica".
  13. ^ "Se presenta un nuevo libro sobre el CO2 y su uso en favor de la sostenibilidad". Interempresas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  14. ^ "Lourdes Vega".
  15. ^ "Jaime García-Legaz entra en el consejo del Canal de Isabel II como independiente". El País (in Spanish). 25 November 2020.
edit