The event was presided over by UMH Rector Juan Jos\u00e9 Ruiz; the Regional Minister of Economy, Finance, and Public Administration, Jos\u00e9 Antonio Rovira; the President of the UMH Social Council, Joaqu\u00edn P\u00e9rez; the Rector of the University of Valencia, Juan Luis Gand\u00eda; the Rector of Jaume I University, Jes\u00fas Lancis; the Rector of the Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente M\u00e1rtir, Jos\u00e9 Manuel Pag\u00e1n; and the Rector of the European University of Valencia, Rosa Sanchidri\u00e1n. Prior to the ceremony, astrophysicist Mart\u00ednez Pillet inaugurated a grapevine\u2014planted by the University in his honor and bearing his name\u2014in the “Jard\u00edn 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.<\/span><\/p>\n Born in Alicante in 1964, Mart\u00ednez 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\u2014the planet’s largest and most technologically advanced solar telescope\u2014were successfully executed; this milestone demanded exceptional management skills and scientific diplomacy. In the field of instrumentation research, Mart\u00ednez 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.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/comunicacion.umh.es\/files\/2026\/09\/16-09-26-apertura-curso-3-noticia.jpg\")
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