Mercedes Vila facts for kids

Mercedes Vila Juárez is a Spanish scientist born in 1975. She is an expert in material science. This field studies how different materials are made and how they behave. Mercedes Vila is also the chief technology officer (CTO) and a co-founder of BioTech Foods SL. As CTO, she leads the company's technology and research efforts.

Mercedes Vila's Journey in Science

Mercedes Vila Juárez was born in Madrid, Spain. She studied Physics at the Autonomous University of Madrid. In December 2003, she earned her doctorate in Materials Physics. This means she became an expert in how materials work at a very deep level.

After her studies, she spent five years working in different countries. She focused on creating special surfaces for biomaterials. Biomaterials are materials used in medical devices or to replace parts of the body. She used physical and chemical methods to make these surfaces better.

Research on Bone Health

In 2008, Mercedes Vila became a researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid. She joined a leading group that studies Nanomedicine and Tissue engineering. Nanomedicine uses tiny particles for medical treatments. Tissue engineering helps grow or repair tissues in the body.

During this time, she worked on materials to help rebuild lost bone mass. This research aimed to improve the lives of patients. It could help people with injuries or diseases like bone cancer or osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes bones weak and easy to break.

Her work also explored how materials interact with cells. She designed and used nanoparticles made from graphene oxide. These tiny particles could be used for hyperthermia treatments for cancer. Hyperthermia uses heat to destroy cancer cells.

Awards and New Roles

In November 2010, Mercedes Vila received a special award. She was one of five scientists to get the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science. This award supports women under 40 who are doing important scientific work. It helps encourage more women to pursue careers in science.

In 2013, she became a main researcher at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. She led a lab that looked at how carbon materials could be used in nanomedicine. In 2015, she started working in industry. She became the Scientific Director of Coating Technologies S.L.-CTECHnano. She also continued her role as a professor at the University of Aveiro.

In February 2017, she helped start BioTech Foods. She became the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company.

Awards and Recognition

Mercedes Vila has received several important awards for her scientific work:

• 2006: Marie Curie IntraEuropean Fellowship from the European Commission.
• 2008: Marie Curie Reintegration Grant from the European Commission.
• 2010: Women in Science Award from the L'Oreal Foundation-UNESCO.
• 2017: Marie Curie Society & Enterprise from the European Commission.

See also

In Spanish: Mercedes Vila para niños

• List of female scientists in the 21st century
• List of Spanish inventors and discoverers