La Jornada: “The most important signals from the universe tend to be the weakest”

Mexican astrophysicist José Eduardo Méndez Delgado received the 2026 Princess of Girona International Research Award, in Spain, for his contributions to the knowledge of the origin and evolution of galaxies, as well as the chemical composition of nebulae.

During the ceremony, held at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona, ​​the researcher reflected on the importance of looking carefully at both the universe and human talent. “When you look at anything closely enough, extraordinary details begin to emerge. Today I dedicate that vision to the light that comes from heaven.”

For the astronomer, “young talent flourishes when there is a society that seeks it, that looks at it and is convinced that it exists and that it is important,” and he compared it to the signs in the universe: “the most important ones also tend to be the weakest, the most difficult to find, which must be looked at with special care.”

The scientist claimed to be the result of that meticulous look, “that of Mexico, which trained me in its public institutions and at the National University; that of Spain, which opened its telescopes to me in the Canary Islands, and that of Germany, which sheltered me in its scientific research centers.”

He added that just as in the universe, “each generation of stars is born from the material forged by the previous ones – none of them start from scratch, but they all shine with their own light – today Latin America has a generation of stars and the world is about to perceive their light.”

When introducing Méndez Delgado, Venezuelan astrophysicist Yarivith González, winner of the same award in 2024, stressed: “José Eduardo takes us to the farthest reaches of the universe, in search of answers, and brings them here to share them with all of us and with society; and reminds us that knowledge is the only resource that is not exhausted when it is shared, but rather multiplies.”

In 2023, Méndez Delgado solved the historic enigma of the discrepancy of abundances in nebulae. That work, published in Naturemade it possible to explain why different measurement methods gave incompatible results regarding its chemical composition.

He is founder of the international collaboration Desired, an international scientific network dedicated to the study of the chemical evolution of the universe, an initiative that earned him the 2024 Ernst Patzer Prize from the Max Planck Institute.

Méndez Delgado, specialized in chemical abundances and the study of ionized nebulae, trained at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and later at the University of La Laguna, where he obtained a doctorate how praiseand later did a postdoctoral degree at the University of Heidelberg, in Germany.

The jury highlighted his leadership in international projects and his vision of Latin American science as an actor capable of contributing to both global and regional challenges. The foundation also considers him a reference for youth due to his interest in transmitting his knowledge to indigenous peoples.

At the ceremony, Princess Leonor, honorary president of the foundation, stated that the winners are part of the people who inspire her. “What I like about them is that they train bacteria, they fall in love with problems with the intention of solving them, they tell something with talent, and from the darkness and the depths they discover exoplanets. They accompany their madness with rigor, discipline and critical thinking.”

In turn, King Felipe VI of Spain, who also presided over the event, said that these awards offer the certainty that “progressing together is the only thing that makes sense and is, furthermore, an exercise of responsibility.”

In the same ceremony, along with Méndez Delgado, Hatim Azahri Akhnous were recognized, in the Social category; Patricia Aymà, at CreaEmpresa; Gemma Blasco, in Art; Rafael Luque, in Research.