Elena Pinilla Cienfuegos, researcher in the CHIRALFORCE project and professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), has been selected as one of the 50 emerging women leaders worldwide in the Santander SW50 Emerging Leaders 2026 programme.
After being chosen last March among the top 50 candidates in Spain, she advanced to the international stage as one of 450 finalists. She has now been officially recognized among the global Top 50, highlighting her outstanding professional trajectory and leadership potential.
Currently, Elena Pinilla conducts her research at the Nanophotonics Technology Center (NTC) at UPV, where she leads the Photonic and Innovative Nanomaterials Lab. She is also a professor at the School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSIT) at the same university, where she serves as Deputy Director for Institutional Communication and Outreach. In addition, she is Vice-President of the Spanish Royal Society of Physics (RSEF).
Beyond her academic and research roles, Pinilla is deeply committed to science communication and outreach. She is particularly passionate about increasing the visibility of women in physics and actively collaborates with initiatives such as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11F), the RSEF’s Women in Physics group, Girls4STEM, AMIT, and the Women in Optics and Photonics area of the Spanish Optical Society (SEDOPTICA).
