The Spanish Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (RAC) elected four new members during its plenary session held on 28 October. Tomàs Marquès Bonet, principal investigator at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF), professor at UPF and ICREA Research Professor, has been elected a full member of the Academy and awarded Medal No. 30. Pilar Català, a researcher at the University of Zaragoza; Víctor Resco, from the University of Lleida; and Ricardo Cao Abad, from the University of A Coruña, will join the institution as corresponding members.

“We are living at a time when science, more than ever, must play a fundamental role in helping to address the major challenges facing our society,” said Marquès Bonet, who described his election to the Academy as “a great honour, but also a responsibility”. Among his goals, he highlighted his intention to foster dialogue across disciplines, bring science closer to society and strengthen the role of scientific knowledge in decision-making.

In November 2024, Marquès Bonet joined the Academy as a corresponding member, and in December of the same year he received the Ramón y Cajal Medal in recognition of his scientific career and research on primates. According to the jury, his work has contributed to our understanding of our evolutionary origins and the origins of human diseases. His election as a full member represents further recognition of his scientific career and will allow him to participate more directly in the Academy’s activities.