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Ivana Gasulla Mestre, a researcher in the Photonics Research Labs (PRL) group at the iTEAM Research Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has been one of the four winners of the V edition of the FRACE Awards for Young Female Scientific Talent from the Royal Academy of Sciences Foundation of Spain and Mastercard. Specifically, the UPV researcher received the award in the category of Applications of Science to Technology.

The presentation of this prestigious award took place on Tuesday, 11 February, within the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at an event presided over by Queen Letizia.

Now, in its fifth edition, this award, which comes with a monetary prize of 2,500 euros, aims to contribute to strengthening the careers of female scientists with notable talent aged 45 or younger.

'For me, this award represents not only recognition of my work but, above all, a reflection of the dedication and effort of my colleagues at the Photonics Research Labs, with the support of the iTEAM Institute, as well as the UPV spin-off iPronics Programmable Photonics. It also gives me the impetus to continue my research in photonics, a field of vital importance for future technological innovation, especially in areas such as next-generation mobile communications, as well as the infrastructures of data centres and servers that underpin artificial intelligence,' says Ivana Gasulla.

An award on a special day

Ivana Gasulla also stated that she was 'especially thrilled' to have received this award as part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and emphasised the importance of continuing to promote scientific vocations among our girls. 'We cannot underestimate the importance of including female talent in STEAM areas, as a greater diversity of perspectives and approaches is essential to address the problems that our society will face more creatively and comprehensively. It is crucial that we continue to promote science education among young women and show them examples of women who are passionately dedicated to research, innovation and entrepreneurship'.

Four winners out of 394 candidates

In addition to the award given to Ivana Gasulla, FRACE has awarded three others in various categories: in Biology, Geology and Related Sciences, the award went to Ainhoa Magrach González; in Physics, Chemistry and Related Sciences, the winner was María Escudero Escribano; and in Mathematics and Related Sciences, FRACE recognised the work of Ana Primo Ramos.

In total, 394 women researchers were nominated for these awards: 191 in Biology, Geology and Related Sciences; 102 in Applications of Science to Technology; 77 in Physics, Chemistry and Related Sciences; and 24 in Mathematics and Related Sciences.

About Ivana Gasulla Mestre

Ivana Gasulla Mestre is a Researcher in the Photonics Research Labs (PRL) group at the iTEAM Research Institute and a Senior Lecturer at the Higher Polytechnic School of Gandía at the UPV. Her research focuses mainly on microwave and optical signal processing, along with innovative architectures of multicore and few-mode optical fibres. She has more than 150 international publications, some of which are in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and Nature Photonics. She was recognised with one of the prestigious Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council. Currently, she is Deputy Economic Director of the iTEAM Research Institute and Senior Editor for the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, among other positions. In addition, she was recently recognised as one of the 100 most influential figures in the field of photonics worldwide in The Photonics100 List 2025.

In her entrepreneurial role, she is co-founder of the UPV spin-off iPronics Programmable Photonics, which in 2020 was recognised by Nature as one of the 32 best spin-offs to follow worldwide.