Carmen Vela facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carmen Vela
|
|
|---|---|
Carmen Vela in 2015
|
|
| Born |
Carmen Vela Olmo
25 March 1955 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
| Occupation | Secretary of Ministry of Economy and Finance (Spain) |
Carmen Vela Olmo was born on March 25, 1955. She is a Spanish scientist and businesswoman. She also used to be a very important government official. She helped lead research and new ideas in Spain.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Carmen Vela was born in Sigüenza, Spain. She went to the Complutense University of Madrid. There, she studied Chemical Sciences. She became an expert in Biochemistry. This is the study of the chemistry of living things. For five years, she worked at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation. She researched allergies there. Allergies are when your body reacts badly to certain things.
Career in Biotechnology
In 1982, Carmen Vela started working for a company called Ingenasa. This company focused on biotechnology. Biotechnology uses living things to make products or solve problems. Ingenasa was first created by the National Institute of Industry.
Vela moved to the Centre of Molecular Biology Severo Ochoa. This center is part of the Autonomous University of Madrid. She worked on a special project there. The project aimed to create vaccines and tests for a serious animal disease. This disease was called the African swine plague. It was a big problem in Spain at that time.
In 1988, Ingenasa became a private company. Later, the company faced financial trouble. Carmen Vela and two other partners bought Ingenasa. From 1994 onwards, Vela became the general director of Ingenasa.
Scientific Contributions
Carmen Vela has written many scientific papers. She also holds patents in the United States and Europe. Patents protect new inventions. She has been part of many important groups. These groups evaluate national and European science programs.
She was on the Advisory Board for a big European Union research program. She also served on the management council of the CSIC. The CSIC is Spain's largest public research organization. Additionally, she advised Spanish government ministries on science and technology.
Until October 2010, she was the president of AMIT. This group is called the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists. From September 2010 to January 2012, she led the Spanish Society of Biotechnology (SEBIOT).
Government Role
In January 2012, Carmen Vela took on a new role. She became the Secretary of State of Investigation, Development and Innovation. This was under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. She worked with Luis de Guindos, who was the Minister of Economy. In this role, she helped guide Spain's research and innovation efforts.
Personal Life
Carmen Vela is married and has two children.
See also
In Spanish: Carmen Vela para niños
