Susana Lizano Soberón, Emeritus Researcher at the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Morelia, received an honorary doctorate from the Rector of UNAM, Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, in a solemn ceremony at the Palacio de Minería in Mexico City on November 18.
The honoree, who is also an Emeritus Researcher with the National System of Researchers (SNII) and a member of Mexico’s El Colegio Nacional, shared the honor with 13 other prominent figures from diverse fields, who received the same distinction.
During the ceremony, Lomelí Vanegas stated that “a public and autonomous institution of higher education is enriched not by its infrastructure, but by the people who bring it to life and by those it recognizes as part of its essence. Therefore, it is an honor that you have accepted to be part of this diverse and vibrant community.”
In 2018, upon being inducted into El Colegio Nacional, the now Doctor Honoris Causa from UNAM expressed her appreciation for the university: “I feel enormous gratitude toward this institution for having given me the opportunity for professional development (...). In Mexico, astronomers have made fundamental contributions to the understanding of the universe and have achieved international recognition thanks to the unwavering support of major institutions like UNAM.”
In a press release, UNAM acknowledged that Susana Lizano's theoretical work on the birth and early stages of stars in our galaxy is internationally recognized. She has published more than 90 research articles in international journals, which have received over 10,000 citations.
She is a founding member of the then Morelia Unit of the Institute of Astronomy, which later became the Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics. As its director, Susana Lizano later promoted the transformation of the Center into what no is IRyA.
Photo: Susana Lizano Soberón, Honoris Causa Doctor; Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, UNAM Rector; Luiz Zapata González, IRyA Director. Credit: DGCS UNAM
Video biosketch from UNAM Global TV (in Spanish)
Susana Lizano Soberón’s career
Susana Lizano earned her bachelor's degree in physics from UNAM and her master's and doctoral degrees in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley. She participated in the creation of the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics (IRyA) and served as its director from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2011 to 2015.
She is a pioneer in Mexico in the theoretical study of star formation. She has made fundamental contributions to the contemporary understanding of the phenomenon of star birth in our Galaxy. Her field of expertise is the magnetohydrodynamics of the interstellar medium, and her research includes theoretical models of the formation and gravitational collapse of dense cores of dust and gas, the cradles of stars. She also studies bipolar stellar winds produced by stars and their interaction with the parent cloud, as well as protoplanetary disks around forming stars that give rise to planetary systems.
She has received numerous awards from national and international institutions, including the National University for Young Academics distinction, the Scientific Research Award from the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the Scientific Research Award from the Mexican Physical Society, the National Prize for Sciences and Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2018, she was inducted into Mexico’s El Colegio Nacional and has been an Emeritus Researcher at UNAM since 2020 and a also of the National System of Researchers (SNII) since 2022. In 2025, she received an Honoris Causa Doctorate from UNAM.
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. We 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. We contribute to the education of high-level human resources through a postgraduate program, and we have close contact with society through diverse outreach programs.
If you are interested in our Institute, visit the English version of our webpage, www.irya.unam.mx/web/en
Media contact:
Dr. René A. Ortega Minakata
Outreach and Science Communication
IRyA UNAM Campus Morelia
Text: René A. Ortega Minakata, IRyA UNAM, with information from DGCS UNAM and UNAM Global TV.