This Tuesday the Konex Awardswhich recognized the most outstanding personalities of Science and Technology during the last decade (2013-2022). He Brilliant Konexthe highest distinction awarded by the Konex Foundation, was for Sandra Diaz and Gabriel Rabinovich.
The award ceremony was held at the Cultural Center of Science and was attended by the president of the Foundation, Luis Ovsejevich and the President of the Grand Jury of the Konex 2023 Awards: Science and Technology, Alberto Kornblihtt.
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In the previous editions of the Konex Awards for Science and Technology, the Konex de Brillante went to Luis Federico Leloir in 1983, César Milstein and René G. Favaloro in 1993, Mirta Roses and Luis Caffarelli in 2003, and Alberto R. Kornblihtt and Juan Martín Maldacena in 2013.
The selection of the winners was carried out by a Grand Jury made up of 20 important personalities. It is chaired by Alberto Kornblihtt -Konex Brilliant Award 2013-, its general secretary is Mirta Roses -Konex Brilliant Award 2003- and has Juan Martin Maldacena -Konex Brilliant Award 2013- as a special guest.
Sandra Díaz and Gabriel Rabinovich, winners of the Konex de Brillante 2023: Science and Technology
Sandra Diaz She is a Doctor in Biological Sciences graduated from the National University of Córdoba. Senior researcher at CONICET, Full Professor at UNC and Visitor at the University of Oxford, she is pioneer in the development of the concept of plant functional biodiversity, describing for the first time the global spectrum of plant form and function.
His work ranges from articles that provided the theoretical foundations of functional biodiversity to manuals on the practical measurement of functional plant traits used around the world. His work The global spectrum of plant form and function (2016) is a world reference in plant ecology and biogeography. She is also the author of over 200 articles and is included in the lists Nature’s 10 people who mattered in science2019 and in Highly Cited Researchers since 2013
In addition, it is a promoter of the inclusive concept of nature’s contributions to people, recognized in the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Gabriel Rabinovich He has a Doctor in Chemical Sciences at the National University of Córdoba. Senior Researcher at CONICET and Full Professor at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, His discoveries revealed a new paradigm for controlling the immune response, allowing the design of innovative therapies, based on the modulation of galectins and glycans, in cancer, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Rabinovich is an Honoris Causa Doctor and Guest Professor at national and foreign universities, author of 320 publications, director/co-director of 29 doctoral theses (6 in progress), speaker at more than 400 national and international conferences and organizer of numerous symposiums, conferences and courses . In addition, he is an associate editor and member of the editorial board of prestigious scientific journals.
Magazine Immunity chose him among the 25 voices of Immunology and Stanford University positioned him among the 2% of the most cited scientists in the world. Inventor of 10 patents and co-founder of the Technology-Based Company GALTEC, aimed at translating discoveries from his laboratory into new technologies and therapeutic strategies.
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All the winners of the Konex 2023 Science and Technology Awards
Konex Brilliant Award: Sandra Díaz and Gabriel Rabinovich
Konex Honor Award: Eduardo Charreau and Christiane Dosne Pasqualini
Special mention: ANLIS – Malbrán, Juan José Cazzulo, CITES – Center for Technological, Business and Social Innovation, Juan Carlos Parodi, Y-TEC
Konex Platinum Awards
1 -Mathematics: Alicia Dickenstein
2 -Physics and Astronomy: Daniel de Florian and Gloria Dubner
3 -Physicochemistry and Inorganic Chemistry: Marta Litter
4 -Organic Chemistry: Miriam Strumia
5 -Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Ricardo Astini and Carolina Vera
6 -Paleontology: Diego Pol
7 -Ecology and Environmental Sciences: Sandra Díaz
8 -Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology: Diego de Mendoza and Alejandro Vila
9 -Microbiology and Immunology: Gabriel Rabinovich
10 -Basic Biomedical Sciences: Ana Belén Elgoyhen
11 -Internal Medicine: Adrián Gadano
12 -Surgery: Victoria Ardiles
13 -Public Health: Pedro Cahn
14 -Biotechnology: Raquel Chan
15 -Nanosciences and Analytical Chemistry: Vera Álvarez
16 -Technological Development: Andrea Gamarnik
17 -Agrarian and Food Sciences: Carlos Ballaré and Noemí Zaritzky
18 -Engineering: Silvia Goyanes
19 -Energy and Sustainability: Abel Julio González
20 -Information Sciences and Artificial Intelligence: Pablo Goloboff
21 -COVID-19 Pandemic: Jorge Geffner