Is life on earth a cosmic anomaly? When we search for a response to this question, it leads us to explore the origin and evolution of the universe, the stars, and our planetary systems.
Scientific and technological progress in recent decades, along with new cosmos observation capacities, allows us to discover and understand some of the processes that made possible the emergence of life on our planet.
Astrophysicist Eva Villaver, one of the most prominent Spanish researchers in the study of the evolution of the stars and planetary systems, introduces us to some of the great enigmas of the cosmos. She does this through subjects like the importance of water in the formation of planets or the conditions that made the source of life possible on earth. She also addresses one of science’s greatest questions: could life exist beyond our planet?
A look into the universe and the most recent developments in exploration to better understand the source of life on earth and our place in the cosmos.
After the conference, enjoy a conversation-colloquium between the speaker and journalist Fede Cardelús.
Eva Villaver is an astrophysicist and research professor at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands, where she currently acts as Deputy Director.
She holds a PhD from the University of La Laguna and has conducted her career in leading institutions such as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Autonomous University of Madrid, and the Centre for Astrobiology. She has also led the Space and Society Office of the Spanish Space Agency. Today, she is member of the ESA Science Advisory Committee (SSAC), one of the leading bodies advising on the scientific strategy of its missions.
She has received international recognition for her pioneering work on the evolution and future of planetary systems when their stars grow old, focusing a large part of her research on white dwarfs (the remnant cores of stars up to ten times the mass of the sun). She has discovered dozens of planets that orbit red giant stars and has helped to explain the presence of planetary material on the surface of white dwarfs.
Author of hundreds of scientific publications and the educational book “Las mil caras de la Luna (The Thousand Faces of the Moon),” she is principal investigator on several projects and an active educator, collaborating with El País and curating several science exhibitions.
She has received several accolades, including the award for the best doctoral thesis from the Spanish Astronomical Society and the Spanish Geographical Society’s 2023 award.
In terms of her communication work, of note is the Carrera de la Mujer Award in 2024 and the 2026 Fotón Award from the Daza de Valdés Institute of Optics of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).
With a journalism degree from Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV), he has worked on over 20 television programmes, specialising in the production and direction of features and documentaries in 40 countries around the world.
He currently coordinates and hosts “La Aventura del Saber” on TVE’s La 2 and is collaborating host for the podcast and videopodcast “Despierta tu Curiosidad” by National Geographic.
“Kalipay” is his first documentary as director and producer. It was broadcast on Documentos TV (La 2) and received several awards and selections at national and international film festivals.
All funds raised from the Conference Series 2026 shall be allocated to the project Dual Pathology Day Centre, by the FOUNDATION PROYECTO HOMBRE MADRID.
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