CiMUS María José Alonso ranks amongst Spain’s most influential researchers  

María José Alonso is one of the principal investigators at the University of Santiago de Compostela’s Research Centre for Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), a member of the CIGUS Network. This year, she once again ranks amongst Spain’s most highly cited researchers.      

The h-index ranking (ISI-DIH), the most relevant indicator of the impact of scientific publications within a specific area, confers Professor Alonso an h-index of 81, 59% higher than the average score obtained by the almost 500 female researchers included in this list in any of the scientific areas indexed. Furthermore, Professor Alonso occupies overall first place in this ranking for the specific area of Pharmacology and Pharmacy.

Professor Alonso has topped this category in recent years, positioning her as one of Spain’s most influential researchers in her field. Moreover, she is one of the few women at the head of a Health Sciences area in Spain.  

María José Alonso’s trajectory

María José Alonso is Professor of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). She also served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Santiago de Compostela between 2006 and 2010.

Professor Alonso has pioneered numerous discoveries in the field of pharmaceutical nanotechnology and nanomedicine. The laboratory she leads at CiMUS has more than 30 years’ experience in the formulation of macromolecules, namely peptides, proteins, antigens, monoclonal antibodies and polynucleotides, using polymer-based delivery systems.

She has also coordinated numerous research consortiums funded by organisations such as the WHO, the Gates Foundation and the European Commission. In addition, she has actively transferred her knowledge to industry and is the inventor of 22 patent families, the majority of which have been licensed to industry.

Her extensive and outstanding trajectory has earned her several awards and accolades, such as the Juan de la Cierva National Award in the area of Technology Transfer and the Medal for Excellence in Research and Education, both awarded by the Spanish government. She has also received the King James I Prize, the Castelao Medal, awarded by the Galician autonomous government (Xunta de Galicia) and other prizes from prestigious scientific institutions and foundations.

The CIMUS researcher is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and Fellow of the Controlled Release Society; a member of the Royal Galician Academy of Science, the Galician Royal Academy of Pharmacy, the Spanish Royal Academy of Pharmacy (RANF), the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine and the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM); she has also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nottingham.