image: José Luis Mascareñas. The Scientific Director of CIQUS will preside over the 58th edition of the Bürgenstock Conference, becoming the third Spaniard to receive this honour.
Credit: CiQUS
José Luis Mascareñas, Scientific Director of the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CIQUS) at the University of Santiago de Compostela, has been elected Scientific Chair of the 58th edition of the Bürgenstock Conference, to be held from May 4 to 8, 2025, at the Waldstätterhof Hotel in Brunnen, Switzerland. This prestigious international conference, formally known as the "SCS Conference on Stereochemistry," is a global benchmark in the world of Chemistry and a meeting point for interdisciplinary discussions at the highest level. Professor Mascareñas will be the third Spaniard to receive this international recognition. Among the list of previous chairs are up to four Nobel laureates. As chair, he assumes responsibility for the scientific program and the selection of speakers, which typically includes a Nobel laureate, and for ensuring the scientific level of the event.
The Bürgenstock Conference is a highly prestigious and unique scientific meeting that has been held since 1965, in a setting designed to foster relaxed but intense interaction among its attendees. Participants who are not speakers, around 100-120, are also selected from among scientific leaders of all ages, to ensure a high level of discussion. Each year, several leaders from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries also attend the conference. One of the unique features of the event is that its program is not revealed until the opening session, which adds interest and a sense of exclusivity to the conference. Participants must commit to attending the entire week, a rare requirement in other conferences of this type, and presentations include lengthy discussions after the talks.
In its early days in 1965, the conference focused on aspects related to stereochemistry, a key discipline for understanding life processes and the properties of matter at the molecular level; but the Bürgenstock Conference has evolved into a multidisciplinary forum, where the most innovative advances in synthetic and biological chemistry, molecular medicine, or materials design are addressed. Mascareñas' appointment will help increase the international visibility of CIQUS and the USC, especially in the field of Chemistry.