ICMol researcher José J. Baldoví, elected full member of the Young Academy of Spain

The distinguished researcher of the Gen-T Plan José Jaime Baldoví Jachán (Xàtiva, Valencia, 1986), director of the 2D Smart Materials group at the Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol) of the University of Valencia (UV), has been elected as a new full member of the Young Academy of Spain, an organisation that promotes the scientific careers of young researchers. Along with Baldoví, four female researchers and two male researchers have been selected from among 142 candidates, following an evaluation by an international committee covering different areas of knowledge.

"I feel immensely grateful for the trust placed in me and the recognition of my career, as well as for all the professional and personal growth this experience will bring", said José Jaime Baldoví. His election took place on Monday, 17 June, during an extraordinary meeting of the General Board of the Young Academy of Spain.

José J. Baldoví, in addition to being a researcher at ICMol, is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Physical Chemistry of the UV. He is currently leading an ERC Starting Grant project and is the Spanish representative in the Management Committee of the COST SuperQumap Action. His research focuses on the development of theoretical and computational frameworks for the chemical design of molecular and two-dimensional smart devices for information technologies. This work integrates physics, chemistry and materials science to explore emerging applications in fields such as magnonics, spintronics, quantum computing and sensing devices.

In his group, he currently supervises a Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoc, 2 postdoctoral researchers, 5 doctoral theses and 2 undergraduate students. He has published more than 65 articles in international journals, one book chapter and three popular science articles, and has given 30 invited lectures at international conferences and 8 invited seminars.

The new full members elected alongside Baldoví are Elena del Corro García, Rosa María Fernández García, Francisco Pelayo García de Arquer, Irene Lebrusán Murillo, Ana Ortega Molina and Carlos Tornero Dacasa. According to the Academy, "their profiles cover different fields of knowledge including archaeology, sociology, biology, medical applications, electrocatalysis, theoretical chemistry and phylogenomics". Collectively, they have published more than 400 scientific articles, developed 11 patents, won major awards and prizes and received the most prestigious and competitive grants from the European Research Council (ERC), among others.

The Young Academy of Spain was founded in 2019 with the aims of promoting science as a career option among young people, enhancing scientific training through the promotion of knowledge, research and innovation as drivers of economic development and serving as a link between young Spanish researchers working abroad and Spain. Membership of the Young Academy is limited to 5 years, which preserves the youth of the 50 members of the organisation.