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FCG International Science and Research 2007: FRANCISCO JOSÉ AYALA

  “Due to his important scientific contributions to the fields of population genetics, biological evolution, including the origin of the species, genetic diversity of organisms, genetic structure of parasites causing malaria and the Chagas disease and the phylogenetics of human evolution.  Born in Madrid in 1934, he is currently University Professor at the Universidad de California.  He is the author of over 900 scientific articles and 24 books published since 1961, the year in which he moved to the United States, where he carried out his long and brilliant scientific career.  His philosophical publications are centered on epistemology, ethics and questions related to biology.  Ayala has been President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest international organization of researchers and editor of the prestigious “Science” magazine as well as scientific counselor for the Presidency of the United States.  He has previously been awarded other important distinctions such as the National Medal of Science of the United States. Both  these  achievements,  which  have  been  internationally recognized, as well as his role in the promotion of science and promoting the interest in the unified culture of science and humanity have made the Jury decide to award him the FCG International Award for Science and Research”.

According to the jury that met in Valladolid on June 22, 2007, chaired by, Dr. Regina Revilla Pedreira, Director of External Relations and Communications of Merck, Sharp & Dohme, and made up by the following members: Mr. Alberto Aguirre de Cárcer, Deputy Director for Information of ABC Newspaper; Mr. José Ballesta Germán, Professor of Molecular Biology of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Murcia, Rector of the University of Murcia between 1998 and 2006 and currently Member of the Regional Parliament of Murcia; Dr. Camilo José Cela Conde, Director of the Human Systematics Laboratory at the University of the Balearic Islands; Excmo. Mr. Julio Fermoso, President of Caja Duero Savings Bank.

FRANCISCO JOSÉ AYALA- Biography

Francisco J. Ayala is University Professor and Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. On 12 June 2002, President George W. Bush awarded him the National Medal of Science at the White House.

From 1994 to 2001, Ayala was a member of the US President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He has been President and Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993-1996), and President of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society of the US (2004-2005). In 2003 he was appointed University Professor, the highest title at the University of California and the only professor currently holding this title at the University of California, Irvine.

He has published more than 800 articles and is the author of 19 books. His books in Spanish include La genética en México. Institucionalización de una disciplina (2003), De Darwin al DNA y el Origen de la Humanidad (2002), Senderos de la Evolución Humana (2001), El Método en las Ciencias (1998), La Teoría de la Evolución (1994), La Naturaleza Inacabada (1994), Genética Moderna (1984), Estudios sobre Filosofía de la Biología (1983), La Evolución en Acción (1983), Origen y Evolución del Hombre (1980), Evolución (1980) and Evolución Molecular (1980).

He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (Italy), the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the Latin American Institute for Advanced Studies, and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.  He has received honorary doctorate negrees from Universities in several countries Duch as the University of Athens (Greece), Bologne (Italy), Vladivostok (Russia) and Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic); in Spain, from the Complutense University of Madrid, the Central University of Barcelona, the University of León, the University of Vigo and the University of Valencia.

Ayala has received the Gold Honorary Gregor Mendel Medal from the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Gold Medal of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Gold Medal of the Stazione Zoologica of Naples, the President's Award of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award from the AAAS, the 150th Anniversary Leadership Medal from the AAAS, the Medal of the College of France, the UCI Medal from the University of California, the 1998 Distinguished Scientist Award from SACNAS, and the William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement from Sigma Xi in 2000.  Between 2003 and 2006 he served as President of Sigma Xi, the U.S. Scientific Research Society.

He has been President of the Society for the Study of Evolution, a member of the Council of the US National Academy of Sciences, the National Advisory Council of the Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH), the National Advisory Council for the Human Genome Project, the Executive Committee of the Science Advisory Board of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Commission on Life Sciences, and the Board on Basic Biology (Chairman, 1985-1992) of the National Research Council as well as the Council of the Fogarty Center for International Programs of the National Institute of Health.

He is also a frequent lecturer in universities and other institutions around the world, including the United States and Spain, as well as other countries such as Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Peru, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.

The Jury of the International Award fro Science and Research of the Cristóbal Gabarrón Foundation has unanimously decided to award the 2007 Prize to Professor Francisco J. Ayala. The research undertaken by Professor Ayala has centered on population genetics and biological evolution, including the origin of species, the genetic diversity of organisms, the evolution of malaria, the genetic structure of protozoan parasites, and the evolution and human evolution molecular clock. His philosophical publications center on epistemology, ethics and questions related to biology.  Both these achievements, which have been internationally recognized, along with his role in the promotion of science and in promoting interest the unified culture of science and humanities has made the Jury decide to award him the FCG International Science and Research Award.