Dr. Eduardo Posada Flórez, a Colombian physicist, is the Executive Director of COMSATS’ Centre of Excellence in Colombia, the International Centre of Physics (CIF). Born in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1942, Dr. Posada completed his Bachelors in Physics (1966) from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and later, in 1972, received his Doctorate in Physics with honours.

Recognized as one of the fathers of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy of Colombia, Dr. Posada is the co-founder of CIF where he has promoted several important projects in basic and applied research. At CIF, he has served as the principal investigator of several projects financed by Colciencias – Colombian National Research Foundation – and headed a project on semi-conducting thin films that included the construction of an ion-implanter and the establishment of a characterization laboratory. He also promoted several important projects, among which are the Research Institute on Corrosion in Bucaramanga, a business incubator and an Institute for Advanced Optics in Bogotá. Some of his notable contributions towards physics come from his research work on low temperatures, cryogenics and superconductivity that was undertaken in Colombia and Europe.

Currently, Dr. Posada is the President of the Colombian Association for the Advancement of Science (ACAC), which is a promoter of the Colombian legislation for science and technology; the scientific fair ‘Expociencia’; and the popularization journal ‘Innovación y Ciencia’. He is the co-founder of the interactive Museum of Science ‘Maloka’ and the President of its Board of Directors. 

Dr. Posada has also been the Director of the Investigation Laboratory in Coffee Chemistry (1975-1992), affiliated with the National Federation of Coffee Growers, that is contributing research on physical phenomena involved in processing of natural products, particularly in drying, freezing and freeze-drying. Besides his current full membership of Colombian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Posada has been the President of the Colombian Physical Society (1984-1987) and the Association for the Promotion of the International Center of Physics (1982-1987). He has been a member of the Commission on Science, Education and Development (1993-1994); the Board of the National Bank Foundation (1992-2003); the Board of the Nuclear Affairs Institute (1991-1994); and the International Scientific Council of the ICTP, Trieste (1984-1988). He is also Professor at the Rosario University and Emeritus Professor at the National University of Colombia (1990), and is the recipient of the National Science Prize ‘Alejandro Angel Escobar’ (1989).