The ceremony took place on 15 February at the auditorium of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy of Madrid and was attended by numerous authorities and representatives of UIC Barcelona, including Alfonso Méndiz, Rector of the University; Miguel Ángel Cazcarra, President of the UIC Barcelona Board of Trustees; Lluís Giner, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry; Conrado Aparicio, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer; Román Pérez, Director of the Bioengineering Institute of Technology; and and Josep Lluís, former director of the School of Architecture.

During the inauguration ceremony, Xavier Gil delivered the keynote address entitled “Advances in dental implant surfaces: myths, legends and scientific evidence”, which was answered on behalf of the academy by Dr Eugenio Velasco Ortega.

Xavier Gil’s admission to such a prestigious institution is of particular relevance as a recognition of the most outstanding contributions of Dr Gil to the field of dentistry, despite not being a trained dentist. Xavier Gil becomes part of the Academy as a numerary member within the area of Basic and Medical Sciences related to Dentistry (Dental Materials).

“This appointment is an honour for me since it represents a very special recognition by dentistry academics, a field that I am passionate about and in which I have focused much of my research in biomaterials to contribute to the improvement of oral health”, explained Xavier Gil.

The former rector of UIC Barcelona and researcher of the Bioengineering Institute of Technology of the University has now added new recognition to his teaching and research. Gil is part of the latest edition of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists, ranking as one of the most influential researchers thanks to his research career and scientific production in the area of Bioengineering. At the same time, he is also responsible for the National Network of Periimplantitis and Implantoplasty of Spain.

He is currently involved in numerous projects with the Ministry of Science and Technology to prevent infections in dental implants, and to create bone tissue free of infection. Gil has also directed more than 35 European and 79 national research projects, is the author of ten books and over 370 international publications, has more than 22 invention patents, and has participated in more than 250 presentations at congresses.