AZTI researcher Ángel Borja awarded the prestigious Odum Prize for his international scientific career

The marine ecologist receives the highest international recognition in the field of estuarine and coastal science, awarded by the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). This is the first time since its creation in 1997 that the award has been given to someone from outside the United States.

Ángel Borja, principal researcher at AZTI, has been honoured with the Odum Award for Lifetime Achievement, the highest recognition awarded by the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) in the United States. This award celebrates his extraordinary scientific career and his contributions to the knowledge, management and conservation of coastal and estuarine ecosystems at an international level.

Since its creation in 1997, this award—named after three members of the Odum family, historical figures in modern ecology—has been given exclusively to researchers from the United States. Ángel Borja thus becomes the first non-American scientist to receive this recognition, underscoring both the global relevance of his work and Europe’s growing leadership in the field of marine sciences.

‘It is an immense honour to receive an award with the scientific legacy of the Odum family, whose work has profoundly influenced my vocation and career,’ says Ángel Borja. ‘I receive this recognition as a collective encouragement to all of us working in Europe for more resilient and better managed coasts, and as an impetus to continue promoting the application of science to decision-making.’

With more than 40 years of experience in marine research, Ángel Borja has spent his entire career in the Basque Country, from where he has projected his work internationally. He has led multidisciplinary teams with more than 25 researchers at AZTI, attracting significant competitive funding, training 30 master’s and doctoral students from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and consolidating this research centre as a European benchmark in applied marine ecology.

His research has been key to placing the Basque Country and Spain in a leading position in fields that are crucial for the protection of the marine environment, such as the fight against pollution, the assessment of ocean health, the implementation of European policies such as the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Strategy Directive, maritime spatial planning, sustainable resource management, ecosystem services, the application of genomics to environmental monitoring, and the study of climate change.

In addition, Ángel Borja has done outstanding work as a trainer and science communicator. Since its creation in 2004, he has directed the summer course on marine research in Donostia, which received recognition from the European Commission in 2024 for its academic excellence and international outreach.

The award will be officially presented on 9 November 2025, during the 28th Biennial Conference of CERF in Richmond (Virginia, USA), considered the leading international scientific forum on coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

With this award, CERF recognises not only a scientific career of excellence, but also a vision that combines research, practical application and commitment to ocean sustainability. In the words of the jury, ‘Ángel Borja’s work has transcended borders and disciplines, promoting useful, rigorous and accessible science for environmental management’.

This recognition is in line with major international priorities in marine sustainability, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 14 (Life below water), and with the strategic lines of knowledge transfer and international collaboration promoted by AZTI.