On Wednesday, October 11, in a hybrid public session, the Chilean Academy of Sciences welcomed Dr. Alejandro Valdivia, CEDENNA researcher and Full Professor at the Department of Physics of Universidad de Chile, as a corresponding member.
As we reported last June, his selection and admission were the result of a meticulous process in which his career, prestige, the quality of his research and his outstanding contribution to training new scientists were evaluated in detail.
He was received by another CEDENNA researcher, National Prize in Exact Sciences winner Dr. Miguel Kiwi, a full member of the Academy. After the reception, he gave the talk “Complex systems, a paradigm for facing society’s challenges”.
“It has been a great experience; it is very interesting to share with the other members (full or corresponding). I believe the Academy is a great place to try to make changes in public policies related to science,” he said.
For her part, the president of the Chilean Academy of Sciences, Dr. María Cecilia Hidalgo, said that “the incorporation of Dr. Alejandro Valdivia into our Academy is a source of great satisfaction. His outstanding career and contributions in the field of physics are an invaluable asset to the Chilean scientific community. We are sure his experience will further enrich our commitment to scientific progress in the country. We extend our warmest welcome to Dr. Valdivia and look forward to collaborating in promoting and developing science in Chile.”
Dr. Valdivia holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Maryland, USA, and completed a postdoc at NASA. His experience and contributions span various areas, from plasma physics and nonlinear phenomena to chaos theory, complex systems, astrophysics and physics in general. He has also left a significant mark in editorial work and as an international project reviewer.
This CEDENNA researcher has received multiple distinctions throughout his career, including the “Best Paper” award from the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA) and the prestigious “Juan Tavera” award from the Chilean Association of Professional Geologists, in recognition of his outstanding work as a geologist. He has also been invited to join the select “Space Weather Expert Group” of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
