The research scholar at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Claudia Altamirano, was honored as “2026 Meritorious Engineer of the Valparaíso Region” by the Valparaíso Zone Council of the Chilean College of Engineers. The scholar is the first woman to receive this recognition in the almost five decades of the award, making it an important milestone for feminine participation in spaces historically led by men.
A Biochemical Engineer trained at the PUCV, Altamirano has an outstanding academic and scientific trajectory at the university. Her work has focussed on the development of solutions from Engineering and Biotechnology with an impact on health and well-being of people, in addition to training new generations of practitioners and researchers.
When hearing the news, the scholar expressed that she receives this recognition with “great gratitude and humility”, underscoring that “this is not only and individual achievement, but it represents the collective work I have been able to develop, for more than two decades, together with my team and researchers and national and international institutions that have trusted our work”. In the same way, she expressed that it is especially meaningful that this honor comes from the College of Engineers, since it is “an institution that represents the values and historical contribution of our profession to the development of our nation”.
The ”Meritorious Engineer of the Valparaíso Region” award was created in 1975 with the purpose of acknowledging professionals of broad and outstanding trajectory at the service of engineering and the region. Since then, it has been awarded to more than 40 professionals.
In relation to being the first woman to receive this award, Altamirano expressed that she feels proud and reflected on gender equality in engineering. “To be the first woman to be awarded this honor, after more than fifty years of history, shows the progress that we have made, but it also reminds us that there are still great challenges in terms of equality and visibility of women in engineering. This award is not only mine, but it belongs to all women that made a way before me, that developed excellent careers in environments that were less friendly and still demonstrated that talent and leadership does not lie on gender”, she noted.
Regarding the contributions that prompted this recognition, the researcher highlighted her work in the training of advanced human capital and the strengthening of scientific abilities in areas such as biomedicine production, vaccines and advanced therapies. This has allowed – she said – to place the Region of Valparaiso as a relevant actor in bioprocesses and biotechnology applied to human and animal health.
Trajectory of excellence at the PUCV
Within the context of the committment of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso to its surroundings and the holistic development of people, the scholar has developed important connections with private businesses, so that her work responds to the requirements of the productive sector. This is why, throughout her career, she has collaborated with bio-technological and pharmaceutical companies in the Valparaíso region and other places in the country, on projects of applied research, innovation and technological transfer. “My conviction is that knowledge creation reaches its highest value when it can be transformed into tangible solutions that contribute to the social and economic development of people, of all humanity”, she indicated.
Claudia Altamirano also highlighted the role the PUCV in her professional development, underscoring that the institution has allowed her to propel new lines of investigation, form interdisciplinary teams, create international networks and lead high institutional and regional impact initiatives.
In this sense, she expressed that she feels deeply identified with the Institutional values, which –she stated– have left a mark in her way of understanding research, teaching and community engagement.
Throughout her trajectory, the researcher from the PUCV has been awarded multiple contestable funds to develop her projects, the Fondecyt or Fondef projects among them. One of the most notable has been the FIU Frontier, an Institutional fund from the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, to which the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso applied with a project developed by Claudia, focusing on the creation of a health and wellbeing Interdisciplinary center.
By Jenny Díaz
Strategic Communications Department
