The Chilean minister of Education, Nicolás Cataldo, announced that our researcher Ricardo Baeza is to receive the 2024 National Award for Applied Science and Technology, in recognition of his academic career in the field of computing. Baeza is renowned for his contribution to the development of technologies that have revolutionized the field of computing. Between 2006 and 2016, for example, he was vice president of research at Yahoo Labs, where he led several projects that transformed the way humans interact with technology.

"I receive this National Prize with happiness and as a recognition of all the research that I conducted over fifteen years in Chile, ten in Catalonia, and another ten in California, but still connected to my roots”, professor Baeza Yates stated after receiving the award.

Ricardo Baeza was an ICREA professor in Enginyeria UPF until the end of 2010. In 2011, he became a professor in our department and was also the founder of the Web Science & Social Computing, now led by Carlos Castillo. 

In addition to his academic and professional career, Baeza Yates has been awarded several times for excellence in the field of computing. In 2018, he received the Spanish Ángela Ruiz Robles Award, granted by the Spanish Scientific Society of Informatics and the BBVA Foundation. His dedication to research continues to inspire future generations of engineers around the world.