Dr. Erlinda Hándal Vega

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Erlinda Hándal Vega obtained her Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Inorganic Chemistry from Moscow State University “Mikhail Lomonosov”, Russia.

She has served as a researcher, principal investigator and teacher, was a member of the Scientific Commission of the Synthesis Department of the Center for Pharmaceutical Chemistry – CQF and Member of the General Scientific Council of the CQF, until March 1994. In addition, she has been Executive Director of the Scientific Research Commission of the University of El Salvador (UES); Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council of the University of El Salvador (CIC-UES, Coordinator of the Area of Liaison and Dissemination of Scientific Research of the UES (EPI-CIC) and Researcher of CENSALUD – UES

She has received distinctions such as:

– The Gold Medal of the World Intellectual Property Organization

– First place in the Inventors Contest, Chemistry section; for patent “New Synthesis Procedure for Aspirin”. Semana de la Inventiva, Centro Nacional de Registros – El Salvador, 2001.

– “Most Outstanding Young Researcher in the Chemical Branch.” Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas de Cuba – (CNIC), in 1983.

– ANIR Seal” (National Association of Innovators and Rationalisers) in Havana, Cuba. 1986.

– Institutional Scientific Achievement” for the work “Bivalent cobalt and nickel acetylacetonates, their properties and use for separation and purification purposes”. National Center for Scientific Research of Cuba – (CNIC), in 1989.

It holds patents in Cuba, the United States and El Salvador, the People’s Republic of China and India, among which stand out the Separation of Nickel and Cobalt by fractionated sublimation; Separation of Indium and Iron with diethylexylphosphoric acid; Procedure for the sequestration of Mercury ions and other metals whose sulphides are not very soluble in water; Stable pharmaceutical form with anti-tumor effect, its obtaining procedure; all patented in Cuba. Synthesis of acetylsalicylic acid in the presence of calcium oxide, patented in the United States. Procedure for obtaining Maleic Anhydride in El Salvador.

She has published different works and presentations in scientific events. She has been consultant of the Central American Integration Bank for CONACYT; Design, assembly and start up of the Research and Chemical Analysis Laboratory “Chemical Synthesis of Central America”; Fellow of the International Institute of Women in Science and Engineering-IWISE. Iowa State University and Founder of the Scientific Research Council of the University of El Salvador.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, June 1, 2009 to present.