Protoworlds: The Role of Silica in the Origin of Life – by Prof. Juan Manuel García-Ruiz

(Opening Ceremony of the 2025–2026 Academic Year and Feast of Saint Albert the Great – Faculty of Chemistry, URV)

On Friday, November 14, the Faculty of Chemistry at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili will celebrate the opening ceremony of the 2025–2026 academic year, coinciding with the Feast of Saint Albert the Great, patron saint of chemists.

The event will take place at the Sescelades Campus, in Rooms 101 and 102 of the Faculty of Chemistry, and will feature the inaugural lecture “Protoworlds: The Role of Silica in the Origin of Life,” delivered by Dr. Juan Manuel García Ruiz, Ikerbasque Research Professor at the Donostia International Physics Center.

In this lecture, Dr. García Ruiz will explore the fundamental significance of silica in prebiotic environments and the geochemical processes that may have facilitated the emergence of the first life-precursor structures.

During the ceremony, awards will also be presented to the students with the highest entrance grades who began their studies in the Faculty of Chemistry in the 2025–2026 academic year. In addition, the Catalan Chemical Society Award will be given to the student with the best bachelor’s thesis in the Chemistry and English-taught Chemistry degrees (2024–25), and the Spanish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Award will be presented to the top bachelor’s thesis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as well as in the double degree in Biotechnology and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, for the same academic year.

Event details
📅 Date: Friday, November 14, 2025
🕛 Time: 12:00 p.m.
📍 Venue: Faculty of Chemistry – Sescelades Campus, Rooms 101 & 102. C/ Marcel·lí Domingo, 1 · 43007 Tarragona
🎟️ Free entry until full capacity is reached
🗣️ Language: Spanish