With nearly 1,000 published articles and more than 70,000 citations in just 10 years, IRyA is a relevant and outstanding astrophysics research institution.
On July 1, 2015, the former Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics at UNAM, Campus Morelia, became the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA), consolidating a history that began with a small astronomy group that arrived in Morelia in 1995, led by Luis Felipe Rodríguez.
In these 10 years, IRyA’s community has strengthened its leadership in the different research areas of astrophysics cultivated at the Institute, including the interstellar medium, star formation, evolved stars, high energy astrophysics, Galactic dynamics and structure, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology.
As an example, IRyA’s academic community, including graduate students, has published 932 papers in internationally recognized peer-reviewed scientific journals in these 10 years. The work of IRyA researchers received more than 70,000 citations during this period alone.
Furthermore, IRyA has seven researchers among its academic staff with an h-index of 40 or more, according to the most widely used database of astronomy publications in this area, the ADS, maintained by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and NASA, United States.
This index indicates the number of articles a person has published that currently have at least the same number of citations. This means that 7 IRyA researchers have at least 40 articles with 40 or more citations, which demonstrates not only the high academic productivity of the Institute, but also the high impact of this output.
13 researchers from the Institute have received awards or recognitions during this period, including the TWAS Prize (The World Academy of Sciences), the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (in collaboration with the Event Horizon Telescope consortium), the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, the Henri Chrétien International Research Grant, the Bruno Rossi Prize, the Nelson P. Jackson Aerospace Award, the Albert Einstein Medal, the “Robert F. Kennedy” Visiting Professorship at Harvard University, the Karl G. Jansky Lectureship, the Marcos Moshinsky Professorship, the Research Award of the Mexican Physical Society, the State Science Prize of the State of Michoacán, Mexico’s National University Award, Mexico’s National University Recognition for Young Academics, the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Recognition, the University Merit Recognition, the COPARMEX Recognition for Educational Excellence, an appointment as a Foreign Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Spain, an admission to México’s El Colegio Nacional and appointments as UNAM Emeritus Researcher and Emeritus Researcher of Mexico’s National System of Researchers.
Graduate students have also received awards for their thesis works, including the International Astronomical Union award for the best doctoral thesis, the awards for the best master's and doctoral theses from Mexico’s National Astronomy Meeting, the "Ing. Sergio Viñals" award for the best master's thesis in the space field developed in Mexico, and the Alfonso Caso Medal for master's and doctoral programs.
IRyA’s community also includes the technical teams that maintain high-performance computing, vital to research, as well as internal processes and telecommunications. The administrative activities necessary to maintain the Institute's work are also handled by a strong and committed team.
Finally, IRyA plays a significant role in astronomy outreach state and nationwide, serving school children and teacher groups, the media and the general public through a wide variety of activities and social media, keeping a strong commitment with Michoacan and Mexican society.
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IRyA UNAM community in February 2025.
About IRyA, UNAM
The Instituto de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica (IRyA), or Institute for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics is an academic unit at UNAM, Campus Morelia, Mexico. The Institute’s personnel perform high-level and high-impact research in the areas of interstellar medium, star formation, evolved stars, high energy astrophysics, Galactic dynamics and structure, extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. They also contribute to educate high-level human resources through a postgraduate program, and maintain a close relationship with society through diverse outreach and science communication programs.
If you are interested in our Institute, visit the English version of our webpage, www.irya.unam.mx/web/en
Media contact:
René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
Text: René A. Ortega Minakata, IRyA UNAM