Dr. Francisco López Muñoz
Francisco López Muñoz, Professor of Pharmacology and Vice-Rector for Research, Science and Doctoral Studies at Camilo José Cela University, member of the Academy of Military Sciences and Arts, corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Basque Country and of other national and international academies, and full member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), was awarded on 20 March the Medal for Merit in Cyber Defence granted by the Professional Association of New Technology Experts. “This medal recognises his well-founded work, both professional and personal, from the university sphere, in the cyber defence and cybersecurity of our nation, its people and its interests,” the organisation stated.
The ceremony was held at the Security Technology Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, in the Madrid district of El Pardo, and was led by Fernando Mairata, President of the Association of Experts, and by the Deputy Director-General for Information and Communications Systems for Security, Manuel Jesús Izquierdo, who highlighted the important role of the award recipients in the world of cyber defence.
The Medal for Merit in Cyber Defence is one of the most important distinctions in the field of cybersecurity in Spain. It is an official decoration that highlights the work of individuals and institutions working in favour of Spain’s cyber defence. Together with López Muñoz, a total of 70 professionals have now been decorated, including police officers, military personnel and civilian staff, for their work in the protection of critical infrastructure, cybercrime investigation and national cyber defence.
For its part, the Professional Association of New Technology Experts aims to promote excellence and professional ethics in the practice of experts in new technologies, focusing on the importance of continuous training and respect for data protection, both for clients and for the cases handled.
A recognised commentator on contemporary history, Spanish Golden Age literature, and medicine and pharmacology, López Muñoz holds doctorates in Medicine and Surgery and in Spanish Language and Literature, is a specialist in Pharmaceutical Medicine and holds a diploma in Holocaust Studies from the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. He is a researcher at the Hospital 12 de Octubre Research Institute in Madrid, a member of the Governing Council of the HM Hospitals Health Research Institute and of the Miguel de Cervantes Institute for Medieval and Golden Age Studies at the University of Alcalá de Henares, a member of the Council for Science and Technology of the Community of Madrid, scientific adviser to the Ibero-American Committee on Ethics and Bioethics, member of the Observation Committee of the Spanish Human Rights Observatory, of the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome, and honorary member of the Gandhi-Mandela Foundation. He has taken part in numerous research projects and is the author of monographs and articles in his fields of study. He has also recently been honorarily appointed a Kentucky Colonel and Honorary Civil Guard, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the creation of this distinction, the highest civil honour granted by the corps on an exceptional basis.
