Adrián Sánchez Fernández, a researcher at the Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, has been awarded the 2026 María Miguel Award by the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS), one of Europe’s most prestigious distinctions for early-career researchers who have established an outstanding and independent scientific profile in colloid and interface science.
Presented annually to a single researcher across Europe, the award recognises the originality, excellence and scientific independence of Sánchez Fernández’s career. The ECIS selection committee highlighted his ability to develop an independent research programme following his doctoral training, pioneering new approaches in the study of deep eutectic solvents, the self-assembly of amphiphilic surfactants, biomolecular colloids and soft materials. His work demonstrates scientific leadership and has opened new avenues towards sustainable formulations and biomolecular materials.
After earning his PhD from the University of Bath (United Kingdom) in 2018 and completing postdoctoral research at Lund University (Sweden), where he studied protein–amphiphile interactions in aqueous systems, Adrián joined CiQUS in 2022 through a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship funded by the European Union. His research has since focused on understanding the behaviour of nucleic acids in deep eutectic solvents and developing these media as functional environments for preserving sensitive biomolecules.
Currently a Ramón y Cajal researcher, he leads several projects aimed at expanding the functionality of biomolecules beyond conventional aqueous environments. As part of the María Miguel Award 2026, Sánchez Fernández will deliver a plenary lecture at the next ECIS Annual Meeting, presenting the scientific advances that have shaped his contributions to colloid and interface science.
CiQUS holds the CIGUS accreditation awarded by the Xunta de Galicia, recognising the quality and impact of its research, and receives financial support from the European Union through the Galicia FEDER 2021–2027 Programme.