The Royal Cavalry Order of Seville Foundation and the Royal Seville Academy of Sciences held a ceremony on Thursday to present the latest edition of their awards, which recognise scientific excellence amongst young researchers.
Dr Cristina Megías Sayago, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Seville and a member of the Organometallic Synthesis and Catalytic Applications (OSACA) group at the Institute of Chemical Research, received the 2025 Royal Cavalry Order of Seville Foundation Award. This award was granted in recognition of her research in chemistry, carried out primarily in the fields of catalysis and materials science.
The researcher has an outstanding international track record in Materials Science, Catalysis and Chemical Engineering. Her research has focused on the development of sustainable technologies for biomass utilisation, CO₂ capture and conversion, hydrogen production and advanced plastics recycling. She has spent her career at leading institutions in Spain, France and China, participating in collaborative projects with companies such as BASF. She has been awarded prestigious competitive grants, including a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship and a Juan de la Cierva grant. She is the author of 40 scientific publications, has received over 1,000 citations, holds one patent and has experience in supervising doctoral theses and research projects. She is currently supervising a doctoral thesis funded by the FPU programme at the University of Seville.
These awards reflect both institutions’ commitment to fostering culture, advancing knowledge and promoting scientific activity. Their aim is to recognise the career paths and achievements of researchers who, despite their youth, have distinguished themselves through the quality and relevance of their work. In addition to recognising emerging scientific talent, the awards seek to encourage a vocation for research and support dedication to science, thereby contributing to the development and dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of society.