José Antonio Lozano, BCAM's Scientific Director, Receives the 2024 Euskadi Research Award for Contributions to Artificial Intelligence and Data Science

• José Antonio Lozano, BCAM Scientific Director and Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), was awarded the prestigious 2024 Euskadi Research Award for his contributions to Science and Technology by the Lehendakari Imanol Pradales and the Minister of Science, Universities, and Innovation Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias.
• The jury highlighted his significant contributions in the field of combinatorial optimization and machine learning, key technologies for artificial intelligence with applications in areas such as medicine, bioinformatics, and ecological modeling.
• During the ceremony, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales praised the direct impact of Lozano's work on society.

José Antonio Lozano, BCAM Scientific Director and Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), was awarded the prestigious 2024 Euskadi Research Award for his contributions to Science and Technology by the Lehendakari Imanol Pradales and the Minister of Science, Universities, and Innovation Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias.

The jury highlighted his significant contributions in the field of combinatorial optimization and machine learning, key technologies for artificial intelligence with applications in areas such as medicine, bioinformatics, and ecological modeling.

During the ceremony, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales praised the direct impact of Lozano's work on society, emphasizing three notable applications of his research. One of these is his collaboration with Donostia Hospital to develop a computational model for predicting the viability of embryos in assisted reproduction processes, providing invaluable support for clinical decision-making. Another is his collaboration with the Department of Computational Medicine at UCLA, which has led to significant advances in predicting genetic mutations (SNP) associated with specific diseases, enhancing the understanding of genetic risk factors. Finally, in the field of ecology, his collaboration with the AZTI marine research center has resulted in the creation of computational models to predict fish species recruitment, thus contributing to the sustainable management of fisheries. One of these models played a crucial role in the European Commission's decision to reopen the anchovy fishery in the Bay of Biscay, demonstrating the tangible impact of his research on policy and resource management.

The jury also emphasized his essential contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he advised the Basque Government by preparing detailed reports containing precise predictions on hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and mortality.

Professor Lozano holds a degree in Mathematics (1991) and Computer Science (1992) from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and a PhD in Computer Science (1998) from the same university, where he has been a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence since 2008. He has had numerous international collaborations, with 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 goal of establishing and leading the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence area. Since 2019, he has been the Scientific Director of this research center. Lozano is among the top 2% of the most influential scientists worldwide according to the Stanford University list (2024).

In addition to his outstanding scientific work, the jury also recognized his important contributions in the field of machine learning, particularly in combinatorial optimization and artificial intelligence (AI), which are highly relevant and impactful areas in various scientific and social disciplines. He has established a prestigious research group in intelligent systems, a leading reference in the Basque Country with a strong international projection. The jury also positively valued his leadership at the Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM), his success in resource acquisition, and his knowledge transfer activities.

Both the administrative staff and the research team at BCAM are proud of this achievement, 

Zorionak, José Antonio!

The video of the event is available at this link.