Avelino Corma

Avelino Corma is a Spanish chemist born in 1951, affiliated with the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia as the founder and director of the Instituto de Tecnología Química (ITQ) since 1990. He previously worked at the Instituto de Catálisis y Petroleoquímica (CSIC), Madrid, and conducted postdoctoral research at Queen’s University, Canada.

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1976)
• B.Sc. in Chemistry, Universidad de Valencia (1973)

His research focuses on structured nanomaterials, molecular sieves, and hybrid organic-inorganic catalysts, with applications in acid-base and redox catalysis. He emphasizes rational catalyst design for single- and multistep cascade reactions, combining theoretical calculations and advanced synthesis techniques.

He has received numerous accolades, including:

• Dupont Award on Materials Science (1995)
• Spain National Award (1995)
• F. Ciapetta Award (1998)
• King Jaime I Award (2000)
• Houdry Award (2002)
• Boudart Award (2009)
• Eni Award (2010)

He has directed 30 Ph.D. students and authored approximately 700 journal articles, three books, and over 100 patents, many commercialized in industrial processes. He collaborates actively with major oil refining and chemical companies.