Alberto Bugarín, Research Medal in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science
The Royal Galician Academy of Sciences (RAGC) announces the award of its prestigious ‘Enrique Vidal Abascal’ Medal to the CiTIUS researcher, in recognition of his outstanding career in the field of artificial intelligence and its multiple applications.
CiTIUS researcher Alberto Bugarín, a professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), has been awarded the 2024 Enrique Vidal Abascal Research Medal, one of the most prestigious honors of the Real Academia Galega de Ciencias (RAGC). This award annually recognizes the careers of active scientists with well-established trajectories, primarily developed in Galicia.
In parallel to his work as a CiTIUS member and a professor at USC, Bugarín also coordinates the Intelligent Systems Group (GSI), a competitive reference group supported by the Xunta de Galicia. Their research focuses on cutting-edge areas such as natural language generation, trustworthy AI, flexible computing, and machine learning.
Additionally, Bugarín coordinates the Bachelor's Degree in Artificial Intelligence, taught jointly by the three Galician universities, and holds significant roles in key national associations, such as the Spanish Association for Artificial Intelligence (AEPIA) and the Spanish Society for Natural Language Processing (SEPLN). His contributions have positioned him as a leading figure in his field internationally. He has participated in over 60 R&D projects and co-authored more than 200 scientific papers.
A collective achievement
«This recognition is not individual, but collective», said Bugarín. «It is the result of the work and effort of the researchers in the Intelligent Systems Group at CiTIUS over the last 35 years. The medal is as much theirs as it is mine, and it reflects the international level of excellence of our AI research developed in Galicia».
The medal will be awarded on Tuesday, October 8th, at the USC's Paraninfo, coinciding with the celebration of Galicia's Science Day.
Recognitions for other USC researchers
The Research Medals awarded annually by the RAGC aim to highlight scientific excellence and promote science and technology in Galicia. Along with Alberto Bugarín, two other USC researchers have been recognized this year: Diego Peña Gil, Antonio Casares Rodríguez Medal in Chemistry and Geology, and Santiago Lago Peñas, Domingo García-Sabell Rivas Medal in Economic and Social Sciences. Both have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.
The 2024 list of award-winning researchers is completed by Antonio Figueras Huerta (CSIC, Vigo) in Biology and Health Sciences, and Pedro Arias Sánchez (University of Vigo) in Technical Sciences.