- The Interdisciplinary Center for Chemistry and Biology (CICA) of the UDC took advantage of the day of the presentation of results, held last week, to award this appointment to the two researchers for their informative and research work.
A Coruña, April 14, 2025.- The Interdisciplinary Center for Chemistry and Biology (CICA) of the University of A Coruña, which is part of the CIGUS Network, which integrates those centers whose quality and research impact has been accredited by the Xunta de Galicia, has appointed researchers Socorro Castro and Elena Pazos as new CICA ambassadors for their work both in outreach and in the research field.
Socorro Castro, a researcher at the UDCSolids group, participated in various outreach activities organized by the center, including the CICA Gallery project, of which she was part of the coordination and organization. The CICA Gallery was a project co-financed by FECYT that was carried out in 2024, in which artists and scientists lived together in the center’s laboratories with the aim of jointly creating a series of artistic works.
In addition, the researcher also coordinated visits to the CICA with Nanoscience students from the UDC Senior and participated in the Scientific Dissemination Talks in secondary education centers organized by the UDC, offering up to four different workshops related to science with 3D printing, hydrogen cars, the states of matter and also on what it means to be a scientist. Her commitment to science led her to be part of many other outreach activities, such as the last edition of Gnight in A Coruña.
Elena Pazos (Marín, 1983), Ramón y Cajal researcher and coordinator of the Quimbio group, has been part of the research center for eight years. Pazos arrived at CICA through the InTalent program, promoted by the UDC and Inditex, and in 2019, she received the prestigious ERC Starting Grant.
Her work as coordinator of the Biological Chemistry group is fundamental, as she fosters a culture of participation and collaboration in her team’s initiatives promoted by the center, such as the CICA Gallery or internal area seminars.
The researcher has an extensive and recognized scientific career, and also has a high level of involvement with CICA, being part of the center’s Internal Committee, as well as being the coordinator of the Nanoscience area.
This is the fourth year that the UDC research center has awarded this recognition to its researchers, which last year went to Érika García, from the BioCost group, and Alejandro Criado, from the Nanoself group.
About CICA
The Interdisciplinary Center for Chemistry and Biology (CICA) was created in 2015 as an advanced science research center that has more than 200 researchers belonging to three scientific areas: Biomedicine; Food, Pollution and Health; and Nanoscience and Advanced Materials.
Since 2024, CICA has had CIGUS recognition from the Xunta de Galicia, which accredits the quality and impact of its research.
Research excellence, technology transfer and the transmission of knowledge to society form the three pillars on which the research centre is founded. It is recognised for attracting talent, the visibility of female scientists and the promotion of gender equality, with a female presence exceeding 50%.
Photo: from left to right, Socorro Castro and Elena Pazos, new CICA ambassadors.
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UDC Communication Office