The former president of the CSIC Emilio Lora-Tamayo dies

Emilio Lora-Tamayo, who was president of the Higher Council of Scientific Research in two different periods (2003/2005 and 2012/2017), coinciding with PP governments, has died at the age of 74, as reported by the scientific institution. “From the scientific community we want to accompany his family and friends in these sad moments and thank Emilio for his work in favor of science,” lamented this Friday the president of the CSIC, Eloísa del Pino, in a publication on the social network Also his father, Manuel Lora-Tamayo, Minister of Education under Franco, was president of the CSIC between 1967 and 1971.

Emilio Lora-Tamayo, was honorary life rector of the Camilo José Cela universities and Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP), doctor in Physical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid, researcher in France, professor of Electronics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and researcher guest at the University of Berkeley.

Emilio Lora-Tamayo was vice president of the CSIC during the Prestige crisis and chaired the scientific commission that investigated the Prestige ecological

. He became the president of the CSIC two months later, following the resignation of Rolf Tarrach. The entity received a lot of criticism for denying the seriousness of the accident.

In 2013, during his second stage as president of the CSIC, a group of researchers criticized him for distributing supposed bonuses in the midst of budget cuts. The council lost 10% of its staff in a year and a half. And in 2014 he celebrated the organization's 75th anniversary with some celebrations that ignored the long list of scientists who had to go into exile during the Franco regime.

Lora-Tamayo was closely linked to his predecessor in office, the microbiologist César Nombela, who also directed the CSIC. Lora-Tamayo was replaced as president of this organization in 2017 by Rosa Menéndez.

You can follow