Artificial intelligence expert Nuria Oliver is the winner of the fourth Hypatia Prize in the Science and Technology category for her research excellence in the development of new AI methods and systems to drive positive social impact.
The Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize in its fourth edition recognises Nuria Oliver her research of excellence in the development of new methods and AI systems to promote a positive social impact, a trajectory of exceptional international influence that has resulted in more than 40 registered patents.
Launched by the Barcelona City Council in collaboration with the Academia Europaea-Barcelona Knowledge Hub (AE-BKH) within the framework of the Barcelona Science Plan, the Hypatia Prize seeks to project the city as a European capital of research and innovation. Its main goal is to spotlight science, as well as to promote, support and enhance the value of excellent research conducted in Europe and of its impact on society.
The award was presented on 4 March 2024 at an event in the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Hall in which Nuria Oliver gave the lecture “Towards a Socially Sustainable Artificial Intelligence” in the company of Barcelona city officials, representatives from Barcelona’s scientific community and Members of Academia Europaea (AE). You can enjoy the video recording of the event though this LINK.
Prize winner Nuria Oliver
Nuria Oliver is passionate about scientific and technological dissemination, with hundreds of media appearances, being actively committed to attracting young talent – and especially women – to engineering and computer science. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she was commissioner of the Presidency of the Generalitat Valenciana for the Valencian AI Strategy, and especially for the coordination of data science to fight against Covid-19.
Among other positions in the telecommunications sector, She has been Scientific Director of Telefónica R&D, Scientific and Data Science Director of Vodafone Group (United Kingdom), and co-founder and vice-president of ELLIS, The European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (Germany).
With a degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and a PhD in Media Arts and Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Oliver has focused her research on modelling individual and aggregate human behaviour using machine learning techniques and the creation of intelligent and interactive systems, covering various areas of social impact. including health and well-being, financial inclusion and natural disasters.
The Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize, part of the Barcelona Science Plan
The Barcelona Hypatia European Science Prize is part of the Barcelona Science Plan 2020-2023, a comprehensive science policy with the aim of projecting Barcelona as a European capital of science and innovation. The Prize aims to recognise an outstanding scientist or researcher who has conducted her/his career in Europe at the highest international level and has had a strong influence on different fields of knowledge and a positive impact on society.
The Hypatia Prize is awarded annually and follows a triennial cycle, rotating each year among three major areas of knowledge:
● Science and Technology
● Life and Health Sciences
● Humanities and Social Sciences
The call for candidates is aimed at scientists and researchers who have carried out their research in a European country, having achieved a career of excellence at the highest international level, a positive influence on society and social well-being, and impact on different fields of knowledge. Nominations must be made by Members of Academia Europaea.
The name of the Prize honours Hypatia of Alexandria (344-415), a woman scientist and philosopher who successfully bridged and disseminated all scholarly disciplines known during her time and who, for this same reason, was assassinated by the forces of ignorance and fanaticism.
The Hypatia Prize constitutes one of the main features of the Barcelona Science Plan, a strategic initiative of the Barcelona City Council to promote the science and research infrastructures of the city, involving joint efforts by the scientific, academic, business and community sectors.
For more information contact AEbarcelona@fundaciorecerca.cat