Ignacio Bolívar y Urrutia

His field of expertise was entomology, particularly the Iberian fauna of orthoptera. In 1877, he became a professor of Entomology at the Faculty of Sciences of the Central University of Madrid, where he later served as Dean from 1904 to 1909.

He had a prominent career in two fields: zoology and educational policy. In zoology, it is worth noting his numerous publications and the identification of several hundred species, as well as his leadership at two key institutions in Spanish science: the National Museum of Natural Sciences (1901-1939) and the Royal Botanical Garden (1921-1930). In educational policy, his work on the Public Instruction Council, an organization he chaired between 1930 and 1931, is noteworthy. This concern also led him to join the Board for the Expansion of Studies, first as a member (1907) and later as vice president (1918).

After the death of Cajal, he took on the interim presidency of the Board for the Expansion of Studies, a position he was officially confirmed in on June 22, 1935. He held this role until the end of the Spanish Civil War.

In 1939, he was forced into exile in Mexico, where several of his collaborators accompanied him. In that country, he continued his scientific work through two initiatives: the creation of the Association of Spanish University Professors in Exile and, most notably, the journal Ciencia.

He was a member of various scientific societies, both Spanish and international, including the Royal Spanish Society of Natural History, the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (1915), and the Royal Spanish Academy (1931).

He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the National Autonomous University of Mexico.