Prof. Laura M. Lechuga is Full Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Head of the Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) in Barcelona (Spain).

The principal focus of her research is the development of novel nanobiosensor devices based on nanoplasmonics and silicon-based photonics principles for point-of-care diagnostics. Prof. Lechuga has been at the forefront of the Photonic Biosensor area during more than eighteen years, making key contributions and opening new horizons in this field. Her research activities have encompassed from fundamental research to the technological operation of complete sensing platforms, including the technological transfer into products of social applicability. Her Group is considered as a world reference in this field. She has published over 300 publications (articles, book chapters and proceedings), has 8 families of patents, and has presented her work worldwide in more than 430 invited talks. She has co-founded two spin-off companies. She is Associate Editor in international journals in the field of engineering, chemistry, and optics, belongs to the Scientific Advisory Committees of highly prestigious national and international institutions and regularly participates in high-level international scientific evaluation panels (as Panel Chair for Adv. ERC grants).

The quality of her research has been recognised by prestigious prizes and awards, as the Spanish National Research Prize in 2020, the King Jaume I award in New Technologies in 2020, the Ada Byron 2020 Prize, the Physics, Innovation and Technology Prize from the Spanish Royal Physics Society (RSEF) and BBVA Foundation (2016), the XVIII Burdinola Research award in 2021, the 2021 Medal of the International Foundation Olof Palme and the Honoris Cause awarded by the University of Cádiz, among others.

In addition, she has been carrying out a significant scientific dissemination activity for more than 25 years, being one of the national pioneers, with numerous TV, radio, podcast, social media, press interviews and conferences and articles for scientific popularization at national and international level.

From April 2020 to September 2021, she belonged to the Expert Scientific Panel advising the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Government in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.