Lino Barañao (born 28 December 1953) is an Argentine chemist and politician. He was Minister of Science, Technology and Innovative Production of Argentina under President

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previou ...

. He also served the same position under former president

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who has served as the Vice President of Argentina since 2019. She also served as the President ...

Biography

Barañao was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and enrolled at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...

(UBA) in 1973, where he graduated with high honors in 1976 with a degree in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. Specializing in

biological chemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

, he earned a Doctorate at the University's School of Exact and Natural Sciences in 1980 and received the National Medical Academy's recognition for his research into

hormonal A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required fo ...

roles in

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. Staying on as Professor from 1981, Barañao was subsequently given fellowships to the

Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry The Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (german: Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie) is a scientific institute based in the city of Munich in Germany specializing in psychiatry. Currently directed by Elisabeth Binder and Alon Chen, it is one of ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and to the

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (MSHMC) is a 628-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, servicing the Central Pennsylvania area. MSHMC is the region's only university-le ...

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

. A researcher in Argentina's CONICET specializing in

reproductive biology Reproductive biology includes both sexual and asexual reproduction. Reproductive biology includes a wide number of fields: * Reproductive systems * Endocrinology * Sexual development (Puberty) * Sexual maturity * Reproduction * Fertility Human ...

from 1984 to 1994, he received the

Bernardo Houssay Bernardo Alberto Houssay (April 10, 1887 – September 21, 1971) was an Argentine physiologist. Houssay was a co-recipient of the 1947 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discovering the role played by pituitary hormones in regulating th ...

Prize in 1987 and became part of the UBA's Exact Sciences School Board of Directors in 1990. He was named Vice President of the Argentine Biological Society in 1993 and served as its President in 1995-96.

CONICET member

Becoming a member of CONICET's Advisory Board from 1999 to 2001, he continued research in the field of

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

and published 54 articles in international, peer-reviewed scientific journals and was named a fellow to the prestigious

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed ...

, among others. Returning to the UBA as a leading Professor in his field, he was President of the National Agency for the Promotion of Science, Technology and Innovation and, on the creation of a cabinet-level Ministry by that name by outgoing President

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...

in 2007, Barañao was named its first Minister on President Cristina Kirchner's inauguration on December 10, 2007. Barañao's extensive experience in the field of

veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

and

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

has also made him an unofficial liaison between the administration and the

agrarian sector Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

in their often contentious relationship.

Honours and awards

He has won several awards, among them the

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The pur ...

Special Mention in Science and Technology in 2013 for his last decade outstanding trajectory. In 2003 he won the Konex Award - Merit Diploma as one of 5 best biotechnologist in the last decade (1993-2002) in Argentina.

References

Lino Barañao, ''Télam''

External links

Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología Innovación Productiva
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baranao, Lino 1953 births Living people Argentine people of Portuguese descent Politicians from Buenos Aires University of Buenos Aires alumni Pennsylvania State University alumni Argentine biochemists Ministers of science of Argentina