García Zapirain, Begoña

Begoña García Zapirain (Donostia-San Sebastián, 1970) holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of the Basque Country (1994) and gained her PhD in Computational Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Deusto (2004). She is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Deusto, accredited by ANECA (Spanish National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation) as a Full Professor in 2016, and has led the eVIDA research team since 2001. Under the title ‘LIFE LIVING LAB (L3Lab)’, this team obtained recognition from the European Network of Livings Labs (ENoLL) in 2012. It was also recognised by the network of social spaces for innovation under the name LS2Tech in 2012.

Her doctoral thesis was titled Digital Processing Model for Regenerating Oesophageal Speech in the field of biomedical engineering applied to otorhinolaryngology. From then on, her research has focussed on ICT applied to human health and quality of life. She has participated in more than 100 national and international research projects since 2002 and been lead researcher on 50 of them. Consequently, she has published more than 70 articles in leading international journals, written two books and more than 15 chapters, and released more than 150 communications at international conferences. She is co-inventor in more than 35 intellectual property listings.

In 2011 she studied an Executive MBA at the University of the Basque Country and received special mention for best student. In 2012 she went on to study the advanced healthcare management programme in Deusto Business School at the University of Deusto.

She is lead researcher from the University of Deusto in the Kronikgune research group run by the Association/Research Centre for Excellence in Chronicity, titled Kronik 12/032 e-health/e-care: New technologies in health and social services.

Throughout her research career, together with the eVida research team, she has been awarded the UD-Grupo Santander 2007 research prize, the ONCE Euskadi-solidarios 2007 research prize, second place for the Ada Byron prize for women in technology 2015, the Women and Technology 2016 prize from the Orange Foundation, second place for the DONATIC 12x12 2015 prize, and second place for the UD-Grupo Santander 2015 prize. She was a finalist in Social Innovation in Ageing – The European Award 2014 and won the Benito Menni Social Innovation Prize 2019.

Begoña Garcia Zapirain was elected a full member of JAKIUNDE on 8 November 2019 in Bergara.