Pedro Miguel Etxenike

Etxenike was the son of a medical doctor, Pedro Etxenike, and a teacher, Felisa Landiribar.{{cite journal |url=https://www.jotdown.es/2016/09/pedro-echenique-cientificismo-pensar-la-ciencia-la-unica-fuente-conocimiento-verdadero-error/ |title=Pedro Echenique: "El cientificismo, el pensar que la ciencia es la única fuente de conocimiento verdadero, es un error" |author=Juan José Gómez Cadenas, Francesc Monrabal |journal=Jot Down |language=es |date=September 2016 |access-date=2019-04-18}} Growing up with one brother and one sister in a small navarrese village (with about 800 inhabitants at the time) he later attended a Capuchin boarding school {{cite web |url=https://www.unavarra.es/digitalAssets/118/118912_100000001.pdf |title=Acceptance speech on the occasion of receiving the honorary degree of the Universidad Pública de Navarra |date=2008-06-13 |language=es |author=P.M. Etxenike}} He attended the University of Navarre and graduated in Physics in 1972, receiving the Special Degree Prize and End-of-Studies Award.

In 1973, he began his studies at the University of Cambridge with a March stipend. In 1976, he obtained his Ph.D. (with a thesis directed by John Pendry){{cite thesis |url=https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.454332 |title=Interaction of Energetic Particles with Surfaces |author=Echenique, P.M. |work=eTheses online |date=1976|publisher=University of Cambridge |type=Ph.D }} and, in 1977, he received{{cite book |title=Tesis doctorales: 1976/77–1988/89. Ciencias y técnica |volume=2 |editor=Consejo de Universidades, Ministerio de Educación |date=1990 |pages=205 |publisher=Ministerio de Educación |isbn=9788436918250 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uH6m0ciI6PQC&dq=%22Aspectos+Estela+Cargadas%22&pg=PA250 |quote=the thesis is titled Aspectos de Estela en la Interacción de Partículas Cargadas con Medios Materiales}} a Doctorate in Physics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, for which he received the Special Doctorate Prize.

After postdoctoral positions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and as Nordita Fellow of the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen and with stays at Lund University he became Professor of Solid State Physics at the University of Barcelona in 1978. In 1980, he stepped down from this position to join the government of the Basque Autonomous Region. In 1984, he returned to academia as a visiting lecturer at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. In 1986, he moved back to the Basque Country as Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) at its campus in Donostia / San Sebastián. Since 1999 he is also president of the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC).{{cn|date=March 2024}}

Etxenike has co-authored over 400 scientific articles.{{cite web|url=https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=HCDBpxwAAAAJ&hl=en |title=profile Pedro M. Echenique |work=Google Scholar |access-date=2019-04-17}} His research has focused on explaining the behaviour of solid bodies and their interaction with beams of charged particles. His work has opened new lines of research and has stimulated innovative theoretical and experimental lines of work in very diverse fields of condensed matter physics such as electron and tunnel microscopy, physical chemistry on the femtosecond scale, electronic surface localization, reverse photo-emission, atomic collisions, the interaction of ions with plasma particles, ion implantation and surface excitations in superfluid helium.{{cite web|url=http://www.fpa.es/en/princess-of-asturias-awards/laureates/1998-emilio-mendez-perez-and-pedro-miguel-echenique-landiribar.html?texto=trayectoria&especifica=0 |title=Emilio Méndez Pérez and Pedro Miguel Echenique Landiríbar Prince of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research 1998 |work=fpa.es |date=1998 |access-date=2019-04-17}}

Many works, starting with his PhD thesis in Cambridge study the interaction of electrons, atoms, and ions with surfaces. An important concept introduced and developed by Etxenike are image-potential states at metal surfaces {{cite journal |journal=J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. |title=Image-potential-induced surface states |author=P.M. Echenique |volume=18 |page=L1133 |date=1985 |doi=10.1088/0022-3719/18/36/004}} in which electrons can be trapped in the potential of their own image charge. Etxenike and co-workers computed and analyzed these states for many different materials and surfaces as well as their interaction with surface excitations such as surface plasmons, surface plasmon polaritons, and surface phonons. Etxenike is co-author of a highly cited review on the theory of surface plasmons.{{cite journal |title=Theory of surface plasmons and surface-plasmon polaritons |first1=J.M. |last1=Pitarke |first2=V.M. |last2=Silkin |first3=E.V. |last3=Chulkov |first4=P.M. |last4=Echenique |date=2006 |journal=Rep. Prog. Phys. |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=1–87 |doi=10.1088/0034-4885/70/1/R01|arxiv=cond-mat/0611257 |bibcode=2007RPPh...70....1P |s2cid=46471088 }}

They analyzed theoretically the technique of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in order to interpret STM images and, in particular, relate them to the topography of the studied surfaces and to the spectroscopy of surface states ("scanning tunneling spectroscopy").{{cite journal |title=Theoretical aspects of scanning tunneling microscopy |first1=E. |last1=Louis |first2=F. |last2=Flores |first3=P.M. |last3=Echenique |date=1988 |journal=Phys. Scr. |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=359–369 |doi=10.1088/0031-8949/37/3/010|bibcode=1988PhyS...37..359L }}

Etxenike has directed 27 PhD theses.{{cite web|url=https://etxenike.dipc.org/admin/documentos/archivos/cv/cvIngles.pdf |title=Curriculum Vitae - Pedro Miguel Echenique Landiríbar |work=dipc.eus |date=2016 |access-date=2019-04-17 }}

He has been very active in recent years, giving numerous lectures in different university, cultural and business forums, at which he has always defended the cultural value of scientific activity and encouraged young people to pursue science.{{cite web |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/advice-young-scientist |author=Elisabeth Pain |date=2015-05-12 |title=Advice to a young scientist |access-date=2019-04-17}} He co-organized outreach activities such as since 2010 the triennial festival "Passion for Knowledge" in San Sebastián.{{cite web |url=http://p4k.dipc.org/en/introduction |title=About Passion for Knowledge |editor=dipc.org |access-date=2019-04-18}}

• {{cite journal |title=Image-potential-induced surface states |author=P.M. Echenique |journal=J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. |volume=18 |pages=L1133 |date=1985 |doi=10.1088/0022-3719/18/36/004}}
• {{cite journal |journal=Progress in Surface Science |volume=32 |issue=2 |date=1989 |pages=111–159 |title=Theory of image states at metal surfaces |author=P.M. Echenique |author2=J.B. Pendry |doi=10.1016/0079-6816(89)90015-4|bibcode=1989PrSS...32..111E }}
• {{cite journal |title=Theory of surface plasmons and surface-plasmon polaritons |author=J.M. Pitarke |author2=V.M. Silkin |author3=E.V. Chulkov |author4=P.M. Echenique |date=2006 |journal=Rep. Prog. Phys. |volume=70 |issue=1 |pages=1–87 |doi=10.1088/0034-4885/70/1/R01|arxiv=cond-mat/0611257 |bibcode=2007RPPh...70....1P |s2cid=46471088 }}
• {{cite journal |title=Active quantum plasmonics |author=D. Codruta Marinica |author2=M. Zapata |author3=P. Nordlander |author4=A.K. Kazansky |author5=P.M. Echenique |author6=J. Aizpurua |author7=A.G. Borisov |journal=Science Advances |date=2015 |volume=1 |issue=11 |pages=e1501095 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.1501095|pmid=26824066 |pmc=4730853 |bibcode=2015SciA....1E1095M |doi-access=free }}
• {{cite journal |title=Attosecond spectroscopy in condensed matter |author=A.L. Cavalieri |author2=N. Müller |author3=Th. Uphues |author4=V.S. Yakovlev |author5-link=Andrius Baltuška |author5=A. Baltuška |author6=B. Horvath |author7=B. Schmidt |author8=L. Blümel |author9=R. Holzwarth |author10=S. Hendel |author11=M. Drescher |author12=U. Kleineberg |author13=P.M. Echenique |author14=R. Kienberger |author15-link=Ferenc Krausz |author15=F. Krausz |author16=U. Heinzmann |journal=Nature |volume=449 |issue=7165 |pages=1029–1032 |date=2007 |doi=10.1038/nature06229|pmid=17960239 |bibcode=2007Natur.449.1029C |s2cid=4341749 }}

• 1998 Premio Principe de Asturias
• 1998 Max-Planck Forschungspreis (of Max Planck Society and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation)
• 2002 Medalla de Oro de la Real Sociedad Española de Física{{cite web|url=https://rsef.es/area-de-miembros/premios-de-la-rsef?start=10 |title=Premios de la RSEF |date=23 May 2014 |language=es |access-date=2018-02-15}}
• 2005 Premio Nacional de Investigación Blas Cabrera{{cite web |url=http://dipc.ehu.es/echenique/admin/documentos/archivos/prensa/DV26OCTUBRE2005.pdf |title=Pedro Miguel Etxenike, galardonado con el Premio Nacional de Investigación |publisher=Diario Vasco |date=2005-10-25 |language=es |access-date=2018-02-15}}
• 2014 he was elected to the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences, becoming a full member (Académico numerario) in 2017 {{cite web |url=http://www.rac.es/2/2_ficha.php?id=68&idN3=&idN4=&i=2 |title=Excmo. Sr. D. PEDRO MIGUEL ECHENIQUE LANDIRÍBAR |publisher=Real Academia de Ciencias |language=es |access-date=2018-02-15 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608180555/http://www.rac.es/2/2_ficha.php?id=68&idN3=&idN4=&i=2 |url-status=dead }}
• 2018 honorary member of the European Physical Society{{cite web|url=http://www.epsnews.eu/2018/04/eps-distinctions-2018/ |title=EPS distinctions 2018 |author=David Lee |date=2018-04-23 |access-date=2019-04-17}}
• He is Fellow of the American Physical Society (since 1990) {{cite web|url=http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/fellowships/archive-all.cfm?initial=&year=1990&unit_id=DCMP&institution= |title=APS Fellowship directory|quote=For contributions to the theory of surface image states and of surface and bulk excitations.}} and foreign member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium.
• He received many honours in the Basque Country and Navarre, among them the Premio Vasco Universal by the Basque Government (1999),{{cite web|url=http://www.euskadi.eus/premio-vasco-universal/web01-s1leheki/es/ |title=Premio Vasco Universal |date=2015-10-10 |access-date=2019-04-18}} the gold medals of UPV/EHU (1998), of San Sebastián (2000), of Gipuzkoa (2010), and of Navarre (2016), and he is "favoured son" (Hijo Predilecto) of his native town Isaba (1998).
• He has received honorary doctorates from the universities of Cambridge (D. Sc. in 1998),{{cite web|url=https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/1997-98/weekly/5738/12.html |title=Approved for degrees and certificates |publisher=Cambridge University Reporter |date=1998-05-20 |access-date=2018-03-02}} Complutense de Madrid, Valladolid, Navarra, Aalto (2016),{{cite web |url=http://promootio.aalto.fi/en/ceremonial_conferment_tech_2016/honorary_doctorates_2016/ |title=Honorary Doctorates of Technology 2016 |publisher=aalto.fi |date=2016 |access-date=2018-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084118/http://promootio.aalto.fi/en/ceremonial_conferment_tech_2016/honorary_doctorates_2016/ |archive-date=2018-02-15 |url-status=dead }} and of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (2017).{{cite web|url=http://www.fomentosansebastian.eus/donostiainn/es/ecosistema-de-innovacion/noticias-de-innovacion/3142-pedro-miguel-echenique-nombrado-doctor-honoris-causa-por-la-universidad-autonoma-de-santo-domingo |title=Pedro Miguel Echenique, nombrado Doctor Honoris Causa por la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo |date=2017-11-10 |access-date=2018-02-15}}

In 1980 he gave up his professorship in Barcelona to join the first government of the Basque Autonomous Community after the Francoist dictatorship. In the government of Carlos Garaikoetxea he first served as Minister of Education and in 1983 he became Minister of Education and Culture and Spokesman for the Government until the end of the legislative period in 1984. One of the milestones in this legislative period was the law on the normalisation of the use of Basque, for which Etxenike was the driving force and proponent. These early years of the Department of Education were also crucial in putting in place most of the foundations in the education system of the Basque Autonomous Community, including freedom of education. The setting up of R&D centres and the internationalization of study scholarships were also promoted. {{cn|date=March 2024}}

After leaving government politics, Etxenike continues to play an important role in the science policy of the Basque country. He was central in founding and leading a number of centers, agencies, and initiatives that are now leading research institutions in the Basque country. He is the founder and first president of Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), founded in 1999. He was a promoter and creator of the mixed CSIC-UPV/EHU centre, the Centre for Materials Physics (CFM) and was its first director (1999-2001) and is still president of the Materials Physics Center associated with CFM.{{cite web|url=https://www.bercmpc.org/index.php/en/home/governance |title=Governance |editor=bercmpc.org |access-date=2019-04-18}} He played a similar role for the [https://www.nanogune.eu/en Cooperative Research Centre CIC nanoGUNE] (founded 2009){{cite journal |url=https://www.noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus/2019/01/27/sociedad/todos-entendieron-que-no-podiamos-ahorrar-en-futuro |journal=Noticias de Gipuzkoa |title=Todos entendieron que no podíamos ahorrar en futuro |author=Mikel Mujika Iker Azurmendi |date=2019-01-27 |language=es |access-date=2019-04-18}} and was until 2019 chairman of its governing board.{{cite web|url=https://www.nanogune.eu/sites/default/files/inline-files/activity_report_19-20_en_0.pdf |title=Activity Report 2019-2020 |editor=CIC nanoGUNE |page=132 |access-date=2023-10-13}}

In 2007, he was among the founders of the Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters of the Basque Country Jakiunde and served as its first president until 2012. He then was named honorary chairman.{{cite web|url=https://www.jakiunde.eus/miembros/m/?mid=38&n=Etxenike-Landiribar-Pedro-Miguel |title=Etxenike Landiribar, Pedro Miguel |publisher=Jakiunde |language=es |access-date=2018-02-15}}

Other positions held include membership of the governing board of the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) (2001-2007), deputy chairperson of the board of the franco-spanish Euskampus Foundation,{{cite web |url=https://euskampus.eus/en/foundation/patron-en |title=Board |editor=euskampus.eus |access-date=2019-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418221251/https://euskampus.eus/en/foundation/patron-en |archive-date=2019-04-18}} and vice-chairmanship of the innovation agency of the Basque government, Innobasque (2008-2012). Since 2012 he chairs the panel of judges of the Princess-of-Asturias-Prize for Scientific and Technical Research.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.rac.es/2/2_ficha.php?id=68&idN3=&idN4=&i=2 |title=Short Biography: Excmo. Sr. D. PEDRO MIGUEL ECHENIQUE LANDIRÍBAR |publisher=Real Academia de Ciencias |language=es |access-date=2018-02-15 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608180555/http://www.rac.es/2/2_ficha.php?id=68&idN3=&idN4=&i=2 |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite web |url=https://elpais.com/tag/pedro_miguel_etxenike/a |title=News about Pedro Miguel Etxenike |work=El País |date=20 June 2018 |language=es |access-date=2019-04-17}}
• {{cite web|url=https://etxenike.dipc.org/inicio/ctrl_inicio.php?lang=en |title=Personal webpage of Etxenike |access-date=2019-04-18}}
• [https://etxenike.dipc.org/publicaciones/ctrl_publicaciones.php?lang=en Etxenike's publications]
• [http://www.euskonews.com/0452zbk/elkar_en.html Interview], Euskonews.com. Accessed 28 March 2024.
• [https://dipc.ehu.eus/en/dipc/organizational-chart The webpage of the DIPC]
• {{cite journal |url=https://www.jotdown.es/2016/09/pedro-echenique-cientificismo-pensar-la-ciencia-la-unica-fuente-conocimiento-verdadero-error/ |title=Pedro Echenique: "El cientificismo, el pensar que la ciencia es la única fuente de conocimiento verdadero, es un error" |author=Juan José Gómez Cadenas, Francesc Monrabal |journal=Jot Down |language=es |date=September 2016 |access-date=2019-04-18}} (long, biographical interview)
• {{cite web |url=https://vimeo.com/193560391 |title=Meeting with Pedro Miguel Echenique |editor=Canal Europa |date=2016-11-29 |language=es, en}}
• {{cite journal |url=https://www.diariovasco.com/suplementos/brandedcontent/pedro-miguel-echenique-20190129190441-nt.html |title=Pedro Miguel Echenique: "Si no somos más inteligentes, seremos más pobres" |author=Mirari Gómez |journal=El Diario Vasco |date=2019-01-29 |language=es |access-date=2019-04-18}}

{{Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Etxenike, Pedro Miguel}}

Category:1950 births

Category:Living people

Category:Government ministers of the Basque Country (autonomous community)

Category:People from Roncal-Salazar

Category:Academic staff of the University of the Basque Country

Category:University of Navarra alumni

Category:Spanish physicists

Category:Autonomous University of Barcelona alumni

Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge

Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society

Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Category:Culture ministers of the Basque Country (autonomous community)