The appointment took place during the organization's XVIII congress, held last week in Nevşehir (Cappadocia, Turkey). Nieto Feliner, who succeeds Italian professor Francesco M. Raimondo (University of Palermo), has expressed his gratitude to the OPTIMA scientific community for his election.
In a letter sent to members, the RJB-CSIC researcher stated that one of the Executive Committee's primary goals is to "enhance the benefits of bringing together the human network that makes up OPTIMA" at congresses, as well as strengthening interactions between members between meetings. To achieve this, efforts will be made to revitalize the organization's twelve thematic commissions.
The main challenge, according to Nieto Feliner, is to involve all current and former members of OPTIMA—an association that celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year—and to encourage young botanists to learn about and engage with it.
Gonzalo Nieto Feliner (Madrid, 1958) is a Research Professor at CSIC at the Royal Botanical Garden. He served as director of the RJB from 2006 to 2014 and as vice-president of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) from 2017 to 2023. With a PhD in Biology (Botany) from the Complutense University of Madrid, his research focuses on understanding the current diversity of plants as a result of evolutionary processes.
A strong advocate for scientific communication and outreach, Nieto Feliner chaired the Organizing Committee for the 20th International Botanical Congress held in Spain in 2024 and is responsible for outreach initiatives such as the RJB Scientific Marathon.
