Academic, scientific, and technological excellence—and above all, the research that drives innovation and transformation—once again place FIEC among the leading units recognized for their commitment to generating knowledge. In the sixth edition of the Cuartiles Mayores 2024 awards, the faculty received eight distinctions that reflect its community’s dedication to science, technology, and the country’s sustainable development.
The event, organized by ESPOL’s Office of the Dean for Research, brought together researchers, faculty, and students who promote the creation of knowledge with social and academic impact. The ceremony took place at the STEM building on the Gustavo Galindo campus, in an atmosphere filled with pride and celebration for the achievements attained.
During the event, FIEC was recognized as the Academic Unit with the highest amount of non-refundable competitive research funding in 2024—a distinction that reflects its capacity to manage research projects and strengthen technological innovation. The award was received by FIEC’s dean, Jorge Aragundi.
At the institutional level, FIEC’s research centers were also honored:
The Center for Research, Development, and Innovation in Computing Systems (CIDIS) was recognized as the Institutional Research Center with the largest amount of non-refundable competitive funding for research.
The Information Technology Center (CTI) received recognition for its contributions to high-impact publications and its performance in QS areas and sub-areas, consolidating its leadership in Computer Science & Information Systems and Data Science with Gold distinction.
Among FIEC’s outstanding researchers, several names stood out for their effort and talent::
Ángel Domingo Sappa (FIEC–CIDIS) received double recognition for his leadership in research. He earned distinctions in the areas of Computer Science & Information Systems (Gold) and Data Science (Gold), as well as the award for securing the highest amount of non-refundable competitive research funding in 2024, thanks to the projects Advancing Camouflaged Object Detection with a Cost-Effective Cross-Spectral Vision System (ACODCS) and Evaluación del estado del arte en técnicas de segmentación de imágenes de colonias bacterianas.
Katherine Malena Chiluiza García (FIEC–CTI) was recognized in the area of Social Sciences and Management (Ruby), with Gold-level excellence in the sub-areas of Social Policy & Administration, Sports-related Subjects, and Politics & International Studies.
César Antonio Martín Moreno (FIEC) was highlighted in Social Sciences & Management for his contributions to interdisciplinary studies connecting engineering with social development.
Rebeca Leonor Estrada Pico (FIEC–CTI) received a Bronze distinction in the sub-area of Communication & Media Studies for the visibility and quality of her scientific publications.
FIEC also added new recognitions in categories that reflect technological innovation::
José Luis Asencio Mera, Rommel Caiza Quinga, Ingrid Adanaqué Bravo, Ronald Criollo Bonilla, Luis Castro Osorio, Meiyin Chang Rizzo, and Giancarlo Carvajal Flor were honored in the Innovative Research category for obtaining software copyright for ESPOL Alert, a development that strengthens the link between engineering, technology, and society.
Vanessa Ivonne Echeverría Barzola was recognized for her publications in top 1% journals according to CiteScore, including Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence and the British Journal of Educational Technology.
Boris Xavier Vintimilla Burgos was also recognized for his high-impact publications in Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture.
These achievements reflect FIEC’s commitment and passion for advancing scientific development, applied research, and the training of new talent. (NMCH)
