The Royal Spanish Mathematical Society and BBVA Foundationpresent their awards, pointing outthe “imperative need” for mathematics in today’s society

  • This is the first formal collaboration between the two institutions. A joint project whose goal is to support mathematical research and raise the public profile of a science which is “indispensable to unlock the immense potential of the present,” in the words of BBVA Foundation President Francisco González
  • The collaboration has its material expression in the Vicent Caselles awards bestowed on six young mathematicians, and the funding of a research project for the winner of the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society’s José Luis Rubio de Francia Prize
  • All Vicent Caselles awardees are aged under thirty and are currently pursuing their research outside Spain. Their interests lie in varied areas of mathematics and they come from Tenerife, Navarra, Cuenca, Madrid and Barcelona

Madrid, October 29, 2015.- Mathematical research is vital forthe advancement of knowledge and progress on every front. Promoting it so “itoccupies a larger space in the collective imagination,” is the aim of the collaborationbegun this year by the BBVA Foundationand the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society (RSME).

The two organizations have established the Vicent CasellesAwards for six young mathematicians, and the Foundationis also funding the RSME’sJosé Luis Rubio de FranciaPrize for a research project in mathematics. The awards were presented today in the Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation.

“Without mathematics,there is no way to even formulate the fundamental questions, from the origins of the Universe to the workings of the market or the human brain,” remarked Francisco González, President of the BBVA Foundation.In its absence, there could be no techrevolution rich in developments like Big Data or advanced modeling; a revolution that has contributed in turn “to an explosion of knowledge that is set to overturn paradigms in every sector.”

“At times like these the need for mathematics is more imperative than ever,” González affirmed. “That is why it is vital to support mathematicians in their work while conveying to society that the abstractis not only beautiful in itself, but also of vast practical potential.”

Antonio Campillo López, President of the Royal Spanish Mathematical Society , emphasized the sheer scope of mathematical research “encompassing the disciplinary, interdisciplinary, applied and industrial sectors,” and its role in generating wealth and progress: “Science, which drives our society and culture, is also an economic powerhouse (…) To the extent that we can say that mathematicsismodernity in today’s Spain.”

The first six “Vicent Caselles” awardees

During the ceremony, the six winners were presented with theirVicent Casellesawards of 2,000 euros each. The award is named after the former professor at the universities of Valencia, Pompeu Fabra and the Balearic Islands in memory of his scientific and human personality.

The Vicent Casellesawardees in this inaugural edition are Alejandro Castro Castilla (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1987), currently a postdoctoral investigator at the University of Uppsala (Sweden); Jezabel Curbelo Hernández (Los Realejos, Tenerife, 1987), Assistant Professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), and now LIO Postdocin theLaboratoire de Géologie de Lyon(France); Javier Fresán Leal (Pamplona, 1987), SNF Postdoctoral Fellow at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in Zurich (Switzerland); Rafael Granero Belinchón (Cuenca, 1986), Arthur J. Krener Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis (USA); Luis Hernández Corbato (Madrid, 1986), to date a postdoctoral investigator at the Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada in Río de Janeiro (Brazil); and Xavier Ros Oton (Barcelona, 1988), R. H. Bing Instructor at the University of Texas in Austin (USA).

The BBVA Foundation grant of 35,000 euros for a three-year research project that comes with the José Luis Rubio de Francia Prize went to Nuno Ricardo Barroso Freitas (Portugal, 1984), this year’s winner of the RSME award. The José Luis Rubio de Francia Prize, for mathematicians aged under 32, has won considerable international prestige in the course ofits eleven editions.

RSMEmedals

The RSME also handed over its first three medals during the ceremony, expressingwhat it described as “the community’s public recognition of the authors of signal achievements in any sphere of mathematical activity.”

The RSMEmedals went to José Luis Fernández, Professor of Mathematical Analysis at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, who “adds to his international repute in analysis and geometry the fact of being one of Spain’s leading figures in financial mathematics”; Marta Macho Stadler, Adjunct Professor of Geometry and Topology at the University of the Basque Country, “for her work in mathematical communication, her commitment to equality and her effort to build bridges between mathematics teachers at different educational levels”; andAntonio Martínez Naveira, Emeritus Professor of Geometry and Topology at the University of Valencia, “for his numerous contributionsin establishing and disseminating the values of the RSME.”

More visibility for mathematical breakthroughs

It may be everywhere, yet mathematics is, paradoxically, “one of the sciences occupying least space in the collective imagination,” said Francisco González, before adding “We believe thatthis must change”.

Mathematics has been compared to art in its vocational nature, González continued. However, unlike with art, “society gets to hear little about the motivation, the personal challenges and the cognitive and emotional adventure behind the breakthroughs.”

The young prize winners are clear that their dedication to math islargely vocational. Alejandro Castro and Xavier Ros Oton are working on the theory of partial differential equations, which describe the movement of bodies such as planets but also of sounds and heat. Rafael Granero is studying a particular variant of these equations, governing the behavior of fluids. Jezabel Curbelo is studying models describing geophysical phenomena,of potential use to understand the processes unfolding in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions. Javier Fresán addresses problems in his work along the lines of those that led to the solution ofFermat’s Last Theorem. Luis Hernández Corbato is working on the solution to equations applicable to chaotically behaving systems, like atmospheric weather.

The fact that all six occupy postdoctoral positions at eminent universities and research centers in a range of countries endorses the healthy state of Spanish mathematics.

In their acceptance speeches, the laureates referred to the high quality of the education received in Spain, their desire to continue advancing in a profession they love, and the need to support the young researchers who are the future of the science.

High standards and great opportunities

Papers by Spanish authors make up five percent of worldwide science production in mathematics, more than half Spain’s contribution to global GDP. Moreover, these publications are cited with the same frequency as those written elsewhere in Western Europe, proof if needed that Spanish mathematics is of a standard comparable to that of our main partner countries.

A further illustration of its importance to society is that mathematics is an increasingly soughtafter labor-market qualification, leading to an influx of students intomathfaculties.

As Antonio Campillopoints out: “Our profession has the highest relative employment and ranks second, after computer sciences, in the number of job vacancies. The double degrees offered by mathematics faculties have the highest admission grades, and single math degrees are not far behind”.

Data from the 2014 Labor Force Survey of the Spanish National Statistics Office(INE) show that individuals with qualifications in mathematics and statistics or computer sciencesenjoyed the highest employment rates, in the neighborhood of 78%, while unemployment in math and statistics stood at under 6%.

For more information, contact the BBVA Foundation Department of Communication and Institutional Relations (+34 91 374 5210,91 537 3769,91 374 8173/) or visit

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