Hermenegildo García, member of the Academia Europæa

Hermenegildo García, a researcher at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ CSIC-UPV), professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and leader of the HG Energy group at the ITQ (CSIC-UPV), has been appointed a member of the prestigious Academia Europæa. This institution has recognised the solid track record and academic excellence of Hermenegildo García, as well as the international recognition of his work. The UPV professor will present his research at the Academia Europæa's annual conference, to be held in Budapest (Hungary) from 12 to 16 October 2026.

The Academia Europæa, founded in 1988, is a non-profit charitable institution. It is also the most prestigious academy, with individual membership in Europe and worldwide. It has approximately 6,000 members, including leading scientists and researchers from around the world.

The Academia Europæa aims to promote and disseminate, at an international level, academic excellence in fields such as the humanities, law, economics, social and political sciences, mathematics, medicine and all branches of the natural and technological sciences. All this is for the benefit of society and to advance the education of people of all ages. It also seeks to boost European research, advise governments and international organisations on scientific matters, and foster interdisciplinary and international research.

"It is an honour for me to receive this appointment as a member of the Academia Europæa. It is also a great responsibility to continue advancing knowledge and developing innovative solutions to address the major challenges facing our society. Science is more necessary today than ever before, and this recognition reinforces my commitment to it. I would like to thank the Academia Europæa for this distinction and, in particular, acknowledge the essential role of my HG energy group at the ITQ (CSIC-UPV), whose talent, effort and dedication have been key along this journey, as well as the unconditional support of my family throughout my career," adds researcher Hermenegildo García.

An international leader in Photochemistry and Catalysis

Hermenegildo García Gómez (Canals, 1957) has achieved significant results in the conversion of solar energy into green hydrogen and fuels through the development of photocatalysts, some of which are based on graphene.

His research group coined the term 'carbocatalysis' to describe reactions that use graphene and its derivatives as heterogeneous catalysts in various chemical processes, including converting CO? into methanol and storing electrical energy in supercapacitors. These catalysts can even be prepared from agricultural waste.

Internationally, he has become renowned in heterogeneous catalysis through the use of porous catalysts and nanoparticles, contributing to fields such as photocatalysis, gold nanoparticle catalysis and solar fuels. With over 950 articles published in high-impact journals, his work has accumulated more than 81,000 citations and an h-index of 136 (Google Scholar, January 2025). He has been recognised as a "Highly Cited Researcher" for 12 consecutive years, and ranks among the top 1% of the world's most cited scientists in Chemistry, Materials Science and Environmental Science.

Among his many awards are the Enrique Moles National Research Prize (2021), the King Jaime I Prize for New Technologies (2016), the Medal of the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences (2023), the ERC Advanced Grant (2024) and the Yueqi Award from the China University of Mining and Technology (2021). In addition, he has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bucharest and has been an Honorary Professor at King Abdulaziz University since 2015.