Mexico City, May 3, 2022.— The title of National Professor Emeritus is the highest rank awarded by the Council of the National System of Researchers (SNI) of the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), a distinction that, at our Universidad Panamericana, has so far been achieved by only one researcher: Dr. Evandro Agazzi.
According to CONACYT, the title of National Professor Emeritus is awarded only to researchers who have demonstrated an outstanding track record in their field of expertise, within which they have made fundamental contributions to the generation of new scientific, humanistic, or technological knowledge, thereby earning national and international recognition and prestige.
Similarly, the aim is for those receiving this appointment to have contributed to the education of new generations of students and researchers and to have distinguished themselves nationally through their involvement in the establishment and development of one of Mexico’s academic institutions or research centers. In this regard, Dr. Agazzi meets every requirement.
About Dr. Agazzi
Born in Bergamo, Italy, Dr. Agazzi has also held Mexican citizenship since 2001, which is why he says, “I am proudly Mexican.” He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Milan and has studied various fields, such as Physics and Formal Logic, and completed graduate studies in the Philosophy of Science at Oxford University in England.
He has extensive experience in teaching, having taught courses such as Advanced Geometry, Complementary Mathematics, Mathematical Logic, Symbolic Logic, Philosophy of Science, and Bioethics. Currently, he is a professor at our university, where he directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics and the journal *Bioethics UPdate*.
His main areas of research are the general philosophy of science, the philosophy of specific sciences (mathematics, physics, social sciences), the ethics of science, philosophical anthropology, and bioethics.
His résumé includes an extensive and impressive list of publications, comprising more than100 books as an author or co-editorand approximately1,000 published articles; his works have been translated into nine languages.
As if that weren't enough, he is a professor emeritus at the universities of Fribourg (Switzerland) and Genoa (Italy) and has been awarded 12 honorary doctorates from various universities around the world—to name just a few of his many credentials.
A life devoted to research
Dr. Agazzi admits that while recognition for his work is satisfying, he points out that it cannot be the driving force behind any researcher—and it certainly isn’t his motivation: “When you dedicate yourself to research, your motivation is essentially the pursuit of something important.”
For him, the most significant aspect of the top position he currently holds is that it serves as an example for other researchers or young people interested in research, showing them that if they are passionate about what they do, they can go far and achieve their goals.
“It’s very important for everyone to see themselves as capable of moving forward and giving it their all, without this meaning that you’ll feel frustrated if you don’t achieve what you set out to do,” he says on the matter.
In the course of his research, the professor notes that the synergy between teaching and research at the university is of great value, since “you cannot teach something you do not know.”
He also points out that there is a social responsibility in research and teaching “because we all depend on one another, and this pandemic has taught us that no one can save themselves alone (…)”.
“It is therefore important for researchers from all fields to work together to enrich their findings: ‘I have worked in the field of the foundations of mathematics and produced results in mathematical logic and artificial intelligence that were later taken up by American researchers,’ he says.”
Dr. Agazzi is currently finishing another of his many books and emphasizes that he has no plans to stop researching: “(…) deep down, I always feel a sense of satisfaction in continuing to think and create, reading comments, and engaging in discussion, ”he concludes.
