December 16, 2022.- The University of Alcalá de Henares hosted the award ceremony of the Doctor of Alcalá Awards last tuesday. These awards, promoted by Cantabria Labs, aim to give visibility to women in the field of research.

These distinctions were created in memory of Mrs. María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda, the first woman to achieve the university degree of doctor, obtained at the University of Alcalá. The prizes are awarded in two categories: young researchers and research excellence, endowed with 5,000 and 20,000 euros respectively. Each category presents two modalities: experimental and human and social.

In the category of Research Excellence, the prize in Experimental Sciences has been awarded, in this first edition, to María José Alonso, professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela. The jury highlighted “the excellence of her scientific contributions, their impact, her leadership capacity, as well as the balance and quality of her research career and the quality of the support received”.

Prof. Alonso thanked the University of Alcalá for its sensitivity in making the research work made by women visible. She dedicated this award “to all those women who fight to sculpt their brains, to develop intellectually. Because we women can contribute significantly to our society, contribute in a tangible way to make this society better”.