Lino Barañao (born 28 December 1953) is an Argentine chemist and politician. He was Minister of Science, Technology and Innovative Production of Argentina from 2007 to 2019, under Presidents

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 former politician who served as the 56th president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and later as the 37th Vice ...

and

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

Biography

Barañao was born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

and enrolled at the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

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

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

. Specializing in biological chemistry, 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 or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones a ...

roles in

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. Staying on as Professor from 1981, Barañao was subsequently given fellowships to the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in

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 Pennsyl ...

. A researcher in Argentina's

CONICET The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (, CONICET) is an Argentine government agency which directs and co-ordinates most of the scientific and technical research done in universities and institutes. History The National Scient ...

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 H ...

from 1984 to 1994, he received the Bernardo Houssay 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 a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

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 t ...

, 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 Ostoić (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Sa ...

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 non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...

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 in their often contentious relationship.

Honours and awards

He has won several awards, among them the Konex Award 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 Fernández de Kirchner administration cabinet members Macri administration cabinet members