Today, 14th of October, the publication “Mujeres a Seguir” (MAS, for its Spanish acronym) has announced the winners of their annual “Women to Follow” awards. The CSIC researcher at CRAG, Ana I. Caño-Delgado has been recognized in the Science category for her pioneering research and dedication to investigate plant signaling to combat drought. 

The Women to Follow awards have been given annually since 2014 with a simple but fundamental mission: to recognize the talent of women with an excellent professional career, a clear future projection, who stand out in their respective disciplines and for their social commitment. In this 2020 edition, seven women have been awarded in the categories: Science, Communication, Culture, Sports, Economy/Business, Technology and InnovationDue to the pandemic situation caused by the Covid-19, the award ceremony this year will be virtual on the 27h of October at 7PM (CEST).

Ana I. Caño-Delgado  leads the Brassinosteroid signaling in plant development research group at CRAG. With her team, and with the financial support of an ERC Consolidator Grant Caño-Delgado has been able to produce genetically modified plants that keep growing in severe drought conditions. This achievement is the result of two decades dedicated to the study of the plant steroid hormones -brassinosteroids- in which she pioneers the study of plant signaling with cell-specific resolution. At CRAG, Caño-Delgado and her team discovered that a particular steroid receptor localized in plant vascular cells confers resistance to water scarcity without penalizing growth. With the aim of contributing to achieve food security and safety in the context of a climate emergency, Caño-Delgado is currently working in translating her scientific results to crops.

Apart from being an internationally recognized researcher, who has published in high-impact scientific journals and holds an EMBO Membership, Caño-Delgado is actively engaged in science communication defending genetically-engineered crops. She also contributes with activities to children and young students that are mostly aimed to empower career paths and visibility for women in science.

 “This recognition represents for me an opportunity to encourage to all talented women in science to become leaders. I feel very honored and privileged to receive this prize”, says Caño-Delgado.