CRETUS researchers Anxo Méndez Villar, Cristina Gallego Rodríguez and Juan Iglesias Riobó have been honoured with the 2026 Ícarus Awards of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) in recognition of the innovation, feasibility and knowledge transfer potential of their doctoral research. This triple distinction highlights the excellence of the research carried out at CRETUS and its commitment to generating scientific knowledge that drives innovation, knowledge transfer and the development of sustainable solutions with environmental, economic and social impact.
The awards ceremony took place on Monday at the Colexio de Fonseca, where the USC recognised doctoral theses and undergraduate and master’s final projects for their technical and economic feasibility, as well as their potential to deliver innovative solutions to societal challenges.
In the doctoral thesis category, Anxo Méndez Villar received the first prize in Experimental Sciences for his thesis A holistic evaluation of an efficient and environmentally-sound public lighting system to control biological colonisation on architectural heritage, supervised by Principal Investigator Patricia Sanmartín, which focuses on developing more efficient and environmentally friendly public lighting systems for the conservation of architectural heritage.
Cristina Gallego Rodríguez was awarded the first prize in Engineering and Architecture for her thesis Valorisation of fish skin using eutectic solvents, supervised by Principal Investigators Ana Soto and Héctor Rodríguez. Her research proposes new strategies to valorise fish-processing by-products using eutectic solvents, contributing to the development of circular economy solutions.
Juan Iglesias Riobó received the second prize in Engineering and Architecture for his thesis Short and medium chain carboxylate production from lignocellulosic biomass, supervised by Principal Investigators Marta Carballa and Miguel Mauricio. His research focuses on producing short- and medium-chain carboxylates from lignocellulosic biomass as a sustainable alternative for the chemical industry.
The Ícarus Awards, promoted by the USC’s Area for Valorisation, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship with the support of the Xunta de Galicia, recognise research projects with outstanding potential for knowledge transfer to industry and society, taking into account their innovation, technical and commercial feasibility, and their capacity to address current societal challenges.
Congratulations to Anxo, Cristina and Juan on this outstanding achievement