This morning, Miguel Hernández University (UMH) conferred the title of Doctor Honoris Causa upon Valentín Martínez Pillet, Director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, during the official opening ceremony of the 2026/2027 academic year held in the Assembly Hall of the Rectorate and Social Council building on the Elche campus. Mari Carmen Perea, a professor in the UMH Department of Applied Mathematics, served as the sponsor for the new Doctor Honoris Causa.

The event was presided over by UMH Rector Juan José Ruiz; the Regional Minister of Economy, Finance, and Public Administration, José Antonio Rovira; the President of the UMH Social Council, Joaquín Pérez; the Rector of the University of Valencia, Juan Luis Gandía; the Rector of Jaume I University, Jesús Lancis; the Rector of the Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, José Manuel Pagán; and the Rector of the European University of Valencia, Rosa Sanchidrián. Prior to the ceremony, astrophysicist Martínez Pillet inaugurated a grapevine—planted by the University in his honor and bearing his name—in the “Jardín de los Honoris” (Garden of Honorary Doctorates) at the UMH Elche campus. Located near the Rectorate and Social Council building, the garden aims to preserve the legacy of and pay tribute to the individuals awarded honorary doctorates (Honoris Causa) by the UMH. Launched several years ago, the initiative involves each honorary doctorate recipient selecting a plant specimen; this is then planted alongside an information plaque displaying the recipient’s name, the plant’s common and scientific names, and a QR code providing further details about the specific plant. Additionally, the UMH presented service-recognition awards to staff members who have concluded their service at the University due to retirement or passing.

Born in Alicante in 1964, Martínez Pillet earned his degree in Physics from the University of La Laguna and obtained his doctorate in 1992 through the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC). After conducting postdoctoral research at the High Altitude Observatory in the United States and holding university teaching positions, he was appointed project coordinator at the IAC in 2000, spearheading Spanish participation in major space consortia. His technical leadership and strategic vision led to his appointment in 2013 as director of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in the United States, a position he held for over a decade. Under his leadership, the final construction and commissioning phases of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii—the planet’s largest and most technologically advanced solar telescope—were successfully executed; this milestone demanded exceptional management skills and scientific diplomacy. In the field of instrumentation research, Martínez Pillet has played a pivotal role in ESA and NASA missions. Notable among his contributions is his role as co-principal investigator for the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI) on the Solar Orbiter mission, designed to measure the Sun’s internal oscillations and map its polar regions with unprecedented precision. He also led the IMaX experiment aboard the Sunrise stratospheric telescope. Furthermore, he chaired Division 11 of the International Astronomical Union and has served on numerous international advisory committees.

With a bibliometric impact exceeding 7,800 citations and 146 articles in internationally prestigious journals such as *Nature*, he represents the pinnacle of research excellence.

In 2024, he assumed the role of Director General of the IAC in Spain, marking a milestone in the return of high-level scientific talent. Since 2025, he has also served as a Corresponding Academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain.

CEREMONIAL

ACT VIDEO