Andrea Galvez wins Lopez-Loreta Prize 2025
© 2025 - Andrea Galvez
Neuroengineer Andrea Galvez has been named the 2025 EPFL Laureate of the prestigious Lopez-Loreta Prize, receiving €1 million to advance her transformative research on pediatric spinal cord injury.
Her award-winning project introduces a novel, non-invasive brain-spine interface (BSI) designed specifically for children. This cutting-edge technology leverages neurofeedback and spinal neuromodulation to stimulate motor recovery and prevent secondary complications. By combining brain signal decoding with transcutaneous spinal stimulation, the BSI supports the natural development of neural pathways during the critical early years of a child’s life.
“Despite the lifelong challenges children with SCIs face, most rehabilitation strategies are designed for adults,” says Galvez. “This leaves a critical gap in pediatric care—one I’m committed to addressing with evidence-based innovation.”
Galvez’s project builds on her doctoral research in the Courtine lab at the EPFL School of Engineering, where she co-led the development of the first thought-controlled digital bridge enabling a person with quadriplegia to walk again again (Lorach, Galvez et al. Nature 2023). For this pioneering achievement, she was awarded the EDEE Best Doctoral Thesis Award in 2023.
Her new research will be hosted by the Brain-Computer Interfaces Laboratory at the Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne (UNIL). In partnership with the Neurorestore rehabilitation center and the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), the project will benefit from world-class clinical infrastructure and expertise.
With over six years of clinical research experience and academic training in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and electrical engineering, Andrea Galvez is uniquely equipped to redefine the future of neurorehabilitation for children—offering new hope for families around the world.
The Lopez-Loreta prize is awarded annually to four recent master or PhD graduates from EPFL, ETH Zurich, École Polytechnique in Palaiseau and ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse to finance outstanding projects over five years. The prize is funded by the Jean-Jacques and Felicia Lopez-Loreta Foundation for academic excellence.