Jezabel Curbelo has received the National Research Award 2025 for Young Researchers in Mathematics and ICT. King Felipe VI bestowed the distinction upon her this week during an official ceremony held at the Palau de Pedralbes.
Curbelo was born in 1987 in the Canary Islands and currently resides in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. His academic career directly links him to two key institutions in the Catalan scientific ecosystem. He works as an associate professor at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and researches at the Centre de Recerca Matemàtica.
Mathematics explains the climate and oceans
The award distinguishes his work in fluid dynamics applied to geophysics. His studies focus on modeling complex behaviors of the atmosphere, the ocean, and the Earth's interior. This line of research is fundamental to improving the understanding of climate change and its effects.
The researcher now directs projects aimed at unraveling these natural phenomena through advanced mathematical tools. The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities grants these awards annually. Each category is endowed with 30,000 euros to foster scientific vocations among professionals in the early stages.
"I manage to make applied mathematics understood as a very powerful tool for providing solutions to problems that have a great impact on daily life" - Jezabel Curbelo, associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia
The scientist underscored the collaborative nature of her discipline. Far from being an isolated task, research in this field demands coordination with physicists, engineers, and oceanographers. This joint effort allows for addressing issues that would be impossible to solve from a single perspective.
Institutions demand support for scientific talent
The monarch intervened in the ceremony to defend the role of public administrations. Felipe VI insisted on the need for institutions to actively accompany and support emerging scientific talent in Spain.
For his part, the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa, took the opportunity to highlight the territory's research capacity. Illa pointed out that there are more than 33,000 active researchers in Catalonia. This figure reflects the density of human capital dedicated to knowledge generation in the autonomous community.