José Luis Mascareñas, researcher at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) and Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), has been awarded the 2025 Rei Jaume I Prize for Basic Research — one of Spain’s most prestigious scientific distinctions. The award recognizes his pioneering contributions at the interface of organometallic chemistry and cellular biology, particularly his efforts to carry out metal-catalyzed reactions inside living cells.
Mascareñas describes the award as “a meaningful tribute to fundamental science” — the type of research that doesn’t necessarily seek immediate applications, but which often paves the way for major advances in knowledge and technology. “It’s also a recognition of the many brilliant people who’ve worked with me over the years,” he added. “This is a shared achievement.”
The Rei Jaume I Prizes are presented annually by the Valencian Foundation for Advanced Studies and the regional government of Valencia. Candidates are nominated by experts and assessed by an international jury that, in this edition, included over 20 Nobel Laureates — five of whom specifically reviewed submissions in the Basic Research category. With 38 candidates competing for the award this year, the selection process was highly competitive.
In the words of Vicente Boluda, President of the Foundation, these prizes are not merely symbolic: “They are a recognition of the dedication, effort, and extraordinary talent that drive our society forward across all areas of knowledge.” He also emphasized the importance of maintaining strong public and private support for science: “In an era marked by global challenges and the rise of populism, we must not allow setbacks in research and innovation. It is through scientific progress — and its alliance with industry — that humanity has achieved its greatest breakthroughs.” The official ceremony will take place in November at the historic Lonja de los Mercaderes in Valencia, in the presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.
Mascareñas is widely recognized as a leading figure in supramolecular and biological chemistry. After earning his PhD at USC, he pursued postdoctoral research at Stanford, Harvard, Cambridge, and MIT. He later served as the founding scientific director of CiQUS, where he currently leads the MetBioCat group. His team explores innovative approaches to catalysis and chemical reactivity in living systems, developing synthetic metal complexes that can trigger specific, non-natural reactions inside cells — with potential applications in areas like molecular engineering, targeted therapies, and synthetic biology.
With over 250 scientific publications and several national and international honors to his name, Mascareñas was also recently elected President of the 2025 Bürgenstock Conference — a prestigious meeting that gathers some of the most influential voices in global chemistry. He is the third Spanish scientist ever to preside over the event.
The 2025 Rei Jaume I Prizes also recognized Jan Eeckhout (Economics), Núria López-Bigas (Medical Research), Silvia de San José Llongueras (Clinical Research and Public Health), Victoria Reyes García (Environmental Protection), María Jesús Vicent D’Ocón (New Technologies), and Damià Tormo Carulla (Entrepreneurship). This year’s edition was notable for its strong representation of women across several categories.
At CiQUS, the award is seen as a source of institutional pride — a testament to the center’s mission to promote excellence in frontier research. The center is recognized as a CIGUS (Galician Center of Singular Research) by the Xunta de Galicia and receives financial support from the European Union through the Galicia FEDER Programme 2021–2027.
