Professor Eugenio Oñate, founder of the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and Senior Distinguished Researcher at the centre, has been awarded the prestigious Spanish National Research Award 2024 in the Leonardo Torres Quevedo category. This recognition is one of the highest honours in Spain for scientific research, awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.

The Spanish National Research Awards celebrate the scientific excellence of researchers whose work contributes to the progress of society and the strengthening of Spain as a global leader in scientific advancements. The Leonardo Torres Quevedo Award, in particular, highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of engineering.

Professor Oñate has been recognized for his exceptional contributions to computational mechanics and numerical methods. His pioneering work in developing computational techniques for engineering applications has had a transformative impact on the field, influencing industries worldwide.

Born in València in 1953, Dr. Oñate’s research has focused on the development of numerical methods in the field of structural and fluid dynamics and coupled situations in engineering sciences. Professor Oñate has published 467 articles in JCR-level journals and has over 14,000 citations. He is a Civil Engineer for the Technical University of València and obtained his PhD from the Civil Engineering Department of the University College of Swansea, University of Wales (UK).

Dr. Oñate led the founding of CIMNE in 1987 and served as its director until 2022. He was the founder and first president of the Spanish Society of Numerical Methods in Engineering, SEMNI (1989-2004), and creator and first president of the European Community for Computational Mechanics in Applied Sciences, ECCOMAS (2000-2004), as well as the International Association for Computational Mechanics, IACM (2002-2010).

CIMNE’s General Director, Prof. Javier Bonet, commended Dr. Oñate and the other awardees for their contributions to advancing science and engineering, highlighting Prof. Oñate commitment to “excellence in research”. In Dr. Bonet’s words, this distinction “not only attests to the outstanding scientific career of Prof. Oñate, but to the remarkable impact he has had on young scientific talent”. Professor Oñate has supervised over 68 PhD students and 49 postdocs through his career.

Learn more about the prize and the other laureates