UNAB Confers Doctor Honoris Causa on Physicist Salvatore Mele for His Contribution to the Dissemination of Knowledge at the International Level

The investiture ceremony took place on January 16 at Casona Las Condes, Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB), honoring the Italian physicist for his outstanding work at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) and his contributions to global knowledge dissemination, particularly through the creation of opportunities for Latin American researchers.

The ceremony was attended by university faculty and leadership, including Juan Antonio Guzmán, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Julio Castro, President of UNAB.

Mele has played a key role in fostering international scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange at one of the world’s leading research institutions. In his acceptance speech, he emphasized the long-standing relationship between UNAB and CERN, calling the university «one of the most reliable partners in Latin America.» He noted that «their laboratories produce instruments that are sent to Switzerland for installation in our particle accelerator, and we hope this collaboration continues to grow.»

Reflecting on his experiences with young researchers in Latin America, he remarked, «Every one of them is a beacon of knowledge for me, and we hope that, in the future, Chile will be a fundamental pillar of scientific research, collaborating with us. I am optimistic about universities like this one, which promote research and, in time, will become a beacon of knowledge in the region.»

During his speech, he also highlighted his work at CERN, stating, «I help governments join our organization—a process that Chile is about to complete with pride. Supporting universities in maximizing their impact on our infrastructure is a vision we share with this university.»

UNAB President Julio Castro celebrated Mele’s inclusion among the university’s honorary doctorate recipients, stating, «The awarding of an Honorary Doctorate is always a source of pride for our university, and we hope to continue recognizing distinguished figures like him in the years to come.»

Pierre Paul Romagnoli, Dean of the School of Exact Sciences and Mele’s sponsor for the honor, underscored his commitment to equity in science. «Today, we celebrate someone who has redefined how we understand and share scientific knowledge. As his sponsor, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to introduce a scientist whose career exemplifies service to the progress of humanity,» he said.

With this recognition, Salvatore Mele joins an esteemed group of honorees, including writer Mario Vargas Llosa, theorist Otto Kernberg, and former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, who have also received this distinction from UNAB.

UNAB and CERN

Universidad Andrés Bello has a long-standing relationship with CERN through the research efforts of CTEPP UNAB and the Millennium Institute SAPHIR, contributing to CERN experiments such as ATLAS, NA64, and SND.

Starting in October 2024, UNAB will also participate in the prestigious LHCb (Large Hadron Collider beauty) experiment, one of CERN’s most significant scientific initiatives. The UNAB team, led by Jilberto Zamora, Deputy Director of the Theoretical and Experimental Center for Particle Physics, is working on measuring rare processes that could be key to understanding the asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the universe.