Prize Winners

Curriculum Vitae

Ph.D. in Geography. Head of the Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group and director of the Environmental Ethics Chair at the University of Alcalá de Henares.

He holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in Geography. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley, he was hired by the University of Alcalá, where he teaches courses in remote sensing, global change, and environmental ethics.He has been a visiting researcher at the Universities of Berkeley, Santa Barbara, Maryland, and Cambridge, as well as at the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing. He has supervised 39 doctoral theses, coordinated 33 research projects, and managed 23 contracts with companies and public institutions. He is the author of 33 books and 399 scientific articles and book chapters, 209 of which are indexed in the Web of Science (h-index = 59). He has received the Award for Excellence in Research (2021) and for Doctoral Thesis Supervision (2016) from the University of Alcalá; the Ministry of the Environment’s Award for Research on Wildfires in 2004; and the Spanish Geographical Association’s Award for Best Article in 2019.

Dr. Chuvieco has also been very active in transferring knowledge to society, both on scientific topics (climate change, remote sensing, wildfires) and regarding the ethical and religious values of environmental conservation. He has given numerous talks and seminars on these topics at universities, schools, cultural centers, parishes, and other social organizations.

He began his research on wildfires during his postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. Upon his return, he secured his first contract with the Spanish Forest Service in 1989 and his first European project in 1992, serving as principal investigator for the Megafires and ControlFireSat projects between 1996 and 2000. To date, he has participated in 13 other European projects related to wildfires and is currently the scientific leader of the H2020 FirEUrisk project, which involves 38 groups from 17 countries.

Jury ruling

The jury for the Rei Jaume I Prizes has unanimously decided to award Emilio Chuvieco in Protection of the Environment, a recognized world expert in the field of remote sensing and its application to the detection and monitoring of wildfires. This is a critically important area for understanding the effects of climate
change. His work has expanded the application of geography to the analysis of the complex issues linking the environment and human development. This information is critical for the design and implementation of fire prevention measures in the context of the growing trend of global warming.