BCAM’s Scientific Director, José Antonio Lozano, Euskadi Research Award 2024

• José Antonio Lozano Alonso is also Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at UPV/EHU.

• His contributions in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science are notable.

• The Euskadi Research Award aims to promote scientific activity and recognize the efforts of qualified researchers and teams from the Basque Autonomous Community or beyond, whose work has had a significant positive influence in Euskadi.

The 2024 Euskadi Research Award has been awarded to José Antonio Lozano Alonso, Scientific Director of BCAM - Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; and Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.

The jury of the twenty-ninth edition of the Award, composed of five highly esteemed members in the field of Science and Technology, unanimously decided to grant the 2024 Euskadi Research Award to the mathematician José Antonio Lozano Alonso. Upon hearing the jury's decision, the Minister of Science, Universities, and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, personally informed the awardee.

"I am deeply honored to receive the 2024 Euskadi Research Award. This recognition not only fills me with personal joy but also underscores the collective work we develop in the field of Artificial Intelligence research. It is an encouragement to continue promoting science as a driver of progress in Euskadi and beyond," stated Lozano.

The Department of Science, Universities, and Innovation annually awards the Euskadi Research Award. In even years, as in this case (2024), the award focuses on Science and Technology, while in odd years, it recognizes the work of professionals in the Social Sciences and Humanities. The Euskadi Research Award aims to promote scientific activity and recognize the efforts of qualified researchers and teams from the Basque Autonomous Community or beyond, whose work has had a significant positive influence in Euskadi.

José Antonio Lozano

Professor José Antonio Lozano Alonso (Barakaldo, 1968) is Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, and has made significant contributions in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
As a scientist, Professor Lozano's work has focused on the field of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in Combinatorial Optimization and Machine Learning.
His methodological developments are applied in fields such as medicine, bioinformatics, and ecological modeling, among others. In the field of machine learning, his main contributions include areas such as clustering, weakly supervised classification, graphical models, probabilistic permutation modeling, time series mining, and anomaly detection, highlighting him as one of the international references in this research discipline.

Regarding his research, Lozano has addressed various real-world problems through the application of algorithms he has developed, highlighting three notable applications for their impact. For instance, in collaboration with Donostia Hospital, he developed a computational model to predict the viability of embryos in assisted reproduction processes, providing invaluable support for clinical decision-making. Additionally, his collaboration with the Department of Computational Medicine at UCLA has led to significant advances in predicting genetic mutations (SNPs) associated with specific diseases, improving understanding of genetic risk factors. Lastly, in ecology, his collaboration with the AZTI marine research center has enabled the creation of computational models to predict the recruitment of fish species, contributing to sustainable fisheries management. One of these models played a crucial role in the European Commission's decision to reopen anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay, demonstrating the tangible impact of his research on policy and resource management.

It is also noteworthy that his contributions were crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, advising the Basque Government by providing detailed reports containing accurate predictions regarding hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and mortality rates.

Professor Lozano holds a degree in Mathematics (1991) and Computer Science (1992) from UPV/EHU and a PhD in Computer Science from UPV/EHU (1998), where he has been a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence since 2008. José Antonio Lozano maintains numerous international collaborations, having conducted research stays at Coventry University (UK), University of Washington (USA), Harvard University (USA), University of California, San Diego (USA), and University of California, Los Angeles (USA). In 2016, he joined BERC BCAM with the aim of establishing and leading the area of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, currently serving as Scientific Director since 2019. Lozano is among the top 2% of scientists globally according to Stanford University (2024).

In addition to Professor Lozano's excellent scientific work, the jury highlighted his significant contributions in the field of machine learning and, particularly, in combinatorial optimization and artificial intelligence (AI), which are areas of great relevance and impact across various scientific and social disciplines. He has established a prestigious research group in intelligent systems that is a reference in Euskadi and has a strong international presence. The jury also positively valued his dedication to directing the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM), his success in attracting resources, and his knowledge transfer activities.

From BCAM  we would like to warmly congratulate our scientific director for this award. This prestigious recognition is a reflection of the commitment, excellence and relevance of his scientific career, as well as his leadership in the promotion of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science from the Basque Country. We are proud to work with him and we celebrate with enthusiasm this well-deserved award.
Zorionak, José Antonio!