Dr. Mateo Valero
Mateo Valero, Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center–National Supercomputing Center, Numerary Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Honorary Academician of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), is the subject of an extensive feature in Diario de Mallorca on the occasion of his conferral as Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of the Balearic Islands. The solemn ceremony was held on October 29 at the Son Lledó campus in the presence of the President of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, the University’s Rector, Jaume Carot, and other authorities. This distinction is the fourteenth Honorary Doctorate awarded to the academic.
In his account of the event, journalist Jordi Sánchez explains that Valero was recognized for his outstanding academic career, his multidisciplinary vision in computer science, and his leadership in establishing a European center of excellence in supercomputing, as highlighted by Rector Carot and other speakers. Valero, for his part, dedicated the distinction to his research team and all collaborators who have contributed to his scientific projects. The honoree planted an olive tree in the university gardens as a symbol of his lasting legacy. During his address, he emphasized that the great challenge facing supercomputing today is the creation of a digital twin of the human body, which would allow for highly accurate simulation of organs and biological processes.
Since 2017, a group of professors from the Department of Industrial and Construction Engineering and the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences have maintained ongoing collaboration with Professor Valero and his team to promote research and train new professionals in chip design, microelectronics and electronics, focused on digital systems based on computers. In this regard, Professor Valero played a key role in incorporating the University of the Balearic Islands into the National RISC-V Excellence Network, the journalist concludes.
A telecommunications engineer by training, Valero has published more than 700 scientific papers and delivered over 500 lectures in the field of computer architecture. He has supervised 54 doctoral theses. His recognitions include the Eckert–Mauchly Award, the world’s most prestigious prize in computer architecture; the Seymour Cray Award, the top global distinction in supercomputing; the Charles Babbage Award, the most important in the field of parallel computing; and the Harry H. Goode Award. He was selected as one of the 25 most influential European researchers in information technology between 1983 and 2008.
In Spain, he has received the Julio Rey Pastor National Research Award in Computer Science and Mathematics and the Leonardo Torres Quevedo National Research Award in Engineering. He has also been awarded the Rey Jaime I Research Prize by the Valencian Government and the Catalan Foundation for Research Prize by the Government of Catalonia.
Internationally, he is a recipient of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor granted by the Government of Mexico to non-Mexicans; the Aragón Prize from the Government of Aragón; and the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Government of Catalonia.
