Nadejda Blagorodnova Mujortova, a researcher at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and an alumni of the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), has been awarded the 2025 National Research Award for Young Talent, granted ex aequo in recognition of her outstanding scientific career.
A graduate in Computer Engineering from FIB, Blagorodnova discovered her passion for astronomy while working as a software engineer on the Gaia space mission. This experience marked the beginning of her transition into astrophysics research.
Her current research focuses on time-domain astronomy and on understanding how stars evolve and interact within binary and multiple-star systems. She is a member of the Common Envelope Transients – Progenitors, Precursors, and Properties of their Outbursts (CET-3PO) research group.
Following the announcement of the award, Blagorodnova highlighted the significance of the recognition: “Receiving this award is incredible and shows that we are on the right track, and that conducting high-quality research is rewarding.” She also noted that such distinctions “provide international visibility to the research being carried out in Catalonia.”
The award recognises both the excellence of her scientific career and her contributions to the study of transient astrophysical phenomena, a key field for understanding the evolution of the Universe and some of its most energetic events.
Nadejda Blagorodnova Mujortova shares the 2025 National Research Award for Young Talent with Katherine Villa Gómez, an ICREA Research Professor and group leader at the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ). The award carries a prize of €15,000, shared equally between the two recipients.
The National Research Awards, organised by the Government of Catalonia through the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), recognise excellence and impact in scientific research and aim to strengthen public recognition of science, research and innovation.
