Following the advice of the International Award Committee for the EuChemS Lecture Award (IACL), Katherine Villa Gomez received the 2023 EuChemS Lecture Award. This honour recognises the major achievements of one junior scientist working in chemistry in a country with a EuChemS Member Organisation.

Katherine Villa is the leader of a research group at the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ). Her group works on developing advanced photocatalysts and photoactive self-propelled micro/nanomotors for applications in the environmental field, generation of solar fuels, and energy. The EuChemS Lecture Award recognises her achievements and excellent research focused on using light to induce chemical reactions, utilizing affordable and nanostructured materials, to address environmental and energy-related challenges and her patent for a multistage portable device for micromotor-assisted water decontamination. She will accept her award, and hold a lecture at the 10th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2026.

Apart from the EuChemS Lecture award, Katherine Villa was honoured with a number of recognitions and awards, including but not limited to the ERC Starting Grant 2022 for her PhotoSwim, the BIST-2021 Mother of Science Award in recognition of her career as a mother and scientist as well as her membership in the platform of Scientists and Innovators by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation amongst others.

The call for the 2024 EuChemS Lecture Award is open until 9 December 2024.