Dr. Manuel Solano Palma, a researcher at the Center for Research in Mathematical Engineering, CI²MA, and an academician at the Department of Mathematical Engineering of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the Universidad Concepción, UdeC, faces a new professional challenge to his research career. 

In fact, he comments, “at the beginning of March, the Fondecyt Project Coordinator contacted me inviting me to join the Group of Study of Mathematics of that program during the period March to December of this year”.  

These groups of study, that include prominent members of the national scientific community, represent an intermediate level of decision between external evaluators and the Superior Councils of the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development, Fondecyt, of the National Research and Development Agency (ANID). Their task is to provide technical advising to the Superior Councils in the selection of the projects that are presented in each call for proposals and evaluating the progress and results of those that are being carried out. 

“Among the tasks”, Solano details, “reviewing academic reports of the projects, propose external evaluators, review the fulfillment of the application requirements of assigned projects, evaluate proposals, review proposal budgets, among others”.  

Dr. Solano is also a member of the group of researchers from the Biobío and Ñuble universities, associated to the Center for Mathematical Modeling of the Universidad de Chile, experts in Numerical Analysis of Partial Differential Equations. “I congratulate Dr. Solano, for his appointment as a member of the Group of Study, and on this occasion also Dr. Oyarzúa for his recent appointment as the director of this group”, emphasizes the principal investigator of the group and Subdirector of CI²MA, Dr. Raimund Bürger. “These events highlight the leadership in all areas by the Numerical Analysis of PDEs research group made up of academicians from the UdeC, UBB, and UCSC”, he emphasizes. This Fondecyt Group of Study is currently led by another CI²MA researcher: Dr. Ricardo Oyarzúa Vargas, academician from the Universidad del Bío-Bío.  

Regarding his participation as an expert in different instances at the national level, Solano says that “I feel very proud that my name is proposed to integrate this type of committees. In addition, I have already been participating as a peer evaluator of graduate programs in accreditation processes of the National Accreditation Commission (CNA) and as evaluator of the ANID scholarship program”. 

In this regard, Dr. Rodolfo Araya Durán, Director of CI²MA, emphasizes that “this appointment is an excellent news not only for Dr. Solano but also for our entire center. This is clearly a recognition to the brilliant scientific career of Dr. Solano, so we wish him the best in this new responsibility that is extremely important for the development of mathematics in our country”.