Prof. Laura M. Lechuga received her PhD in Chemistry from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) in 1992. She is Full Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Head of the Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in Barcelona (Spain) and at the Networking Biomedical Research Center (CIBER-BBN).
The principal focus of her research is the development of novel nanobiosensor devices based on Nanoplasmonics and Silicon photonics principles for point-of-care diagnostics. Prof. Lechuga is a world reference in the Photonic Biosensor area, making key contributions and opening new horizons in this field. Her research activities cover from fundamental research to the technological operation of complete sensing platforms, including the technological transfer into products of social applicability. Her Group is considered as a world reference in this field.
She has published over 300 publications (articles, book chapters and proceedings), has 8 families of patents and 4 trade secrets, and has presented her work worldwide in more than 490 invited talks. She has co-founded two spin-off companies. She is Associate Editor for international journals in the field of engineering, chemistry, and optics, belongs to the Scientific Advisory Committees of highly prestigious national and international institutions and has participated regularly in high-level international scientific evaluation panels (such as Panel Chair for ERC Adv. grants).
The quality of her research has been recognised with prestigious prizes and awards, such as the Spanish National Research Prize in 2020, the King Jaume I Award in New Technologies in 2020, the Ada Byron 2020 Prize, the Physics, Innovation and Technology Prize from the Spanish Royal Physics Society (RSEF) and BBVA Foundation in 2016, the XVIII Burdinola Research Award in 2021, the 2021 Medal of the International Foundation Olof Palme, the Doctorate Honoris Causa awarded by the University of Cádiz, the Lung Ambition Alliance Prize from AstraZeneca, and the National Prize in Nanotechnology (2023), among others.
In addition, she has been carrying out a significant science dissemination activity for more than 25 years, being one of the national pioneers in this field, with more than 250 TV, radio, podcast, social media, press interviews, as well as conferences and articles fro scientific popularisation at national and international level
From April 2020 to September 2021, she belonged to the Expert Scientific Panel advising the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Government in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.