CATA’s Deputy Director recognized as one of the 10 Essential Women 2025

Laura Pérez, Deputy Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies CATA, was recognized as one of the 10 Essential Women 2025, in a ceremony held at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center.

This Thursday, March 6, the meeting to recognize the Essential Women 2025 took place, where Laura Pérez, deputy director of the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies (CATA), PhD in Astronomy and academic of the University of Chile was one of the winners. This distinction is awarded every year to 10 women creators who have made outstanding contributions to society in different disciplines such as culture, art, music, science, sports, cinema, among others, promoted by Citylab, GAM and UN Women.

The Principal Investigator of CATA received this recognition after being awarded the “2024 New Horizon Price Physics” for her contribution to scientific research in planetary formation. At the same time, she expressed her joy at receiving the distinction of Essential Woman 2025: “It is very exciting to be given a tribute to creativity and creation in different fields, from the arts to the sciences, it is really an honor to be among such brilliant Essential Women this year,” said Laura.

During the course of the day, the academic from the University of Chile highlighted the work of her peers and invited the audience to immerse themselves in the world of science and astronomy. “It is very nice to share this award with the starry sky and with each of the winners today. As a society, we realize that science also requires creativity and that it seeks to solve that curiosity that we all have as children, where we seek answers from art, music and science. The universe is vast to look for answers in different ways and demonstrate that we can do great things from Chile”.

Finally, he explained the relevance of our Center for this retribution. “CATA has been present since the beginning of my career, as a master’s student, and now as Principal Investigator and Deputy Director. Having the possibility of doing high impact science from Chile is thanks to initiatives such as the Center for Astrophysics and Related Technologies. In addition, CATA brings together wonderful women in administration, outreach, scientific creation, and engineering, which is very inspiring, she said.

In addition to Laura who was awarded in the Science category, other winners were Andrea Obaid (Journalism and Literature), Alejandra Urrutia (Orchestra), Catalina Saavedra (Film and Theater), Colombina Parra (Music), Trinidad Piriz (Podcasting), Javiera Parra (Music), Luisa del Carmen Quechupan (Activism), Nona Fernández (Theater and Playwriting) and Priscila Huaman (Fashion).

As an institution, we congratulate our Deputy Director for her recognition as one of the 10 Essential Women 2025. We also reinforce her words and encourage the work of women in science to continue building contributions to society from scientific and astronomical research.