Eduard Punset: A Charismatic Scientific Advisor

Eduard Punset is controversial, charismatic and innovative. He is an author, economist, politician and popularizer of science. Thanks to his show  Redes,  which was shown for almost two decades,  millions of Spaniards have become interested in science.

He made it possible for science to extend its reach into Spanish homes. A large part of the population sees science as something strange, incomprehensible and boring. But slowly it has become something entertaining and enjoyable for many of them, thanks to Eduard Punset.

He takes advantage of the public’s curiosity. He simplifies what seems difficult and makes it attractive. Although it may seem that everyone should like it, he has also received criticism. Furthermore, people tend to think that Eduard Punset is a researcher, which he is not.

He has done many things if most have not done. He has very strong political convictions and has always chosen new technologies and the most controversial scientific theories. And not only that, because he has also made sure that people are well informed about them. Undoubtedly, he is an incredible teacher.

His life

Eduard Punset was born in Barcelona in 1936. He was the son of a country doctor in Tarragona. From a very young age he showed great interest in studies and learning about different things. He was very anxious to  learn about the world at large and to make discoveries.

Eduard Punset traveled to Los Angeles in the 1960s and began studying at North Hollywood High School, where he learned English. When he returned to Spain, he received a law degree from the Universidad Computense de Madrid. After that he became involved in the Communist Party, still under the dictatorial regime.

During this era, he met Jorge Semprún – someone he was very much in agreement with. As a result of the problems that the dictatorship led to, Punset decided to go into exile and continue his studies abroad. His bilingualism led him to pursue a postgraduate degree in economics in London. He also traveled to France where he graduated from the École pratique des hates études.

Eduard Punset and Politics

Shortly after graduating, he began working as a financial writer for the BBC. He was CFO of the Latin American edition of  The Economist, and also worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund in the United States and Haiti. After Franco’s death, he returned to Spain and devoted himself 100% to politics.

He was appointed Minister of Finance by the Government of Catalonia, and in the 1980s he carried out esteemed work by opening up Spain to the world, working as Minister for Relations with the European Community. He joined the Convergence and Union Alliance, but left after a few months.

During his time in the European Parliament, he took part in the process of economic transformation of Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. After several other political attempts, he finally decided to retire in 1995.

His work as a scientific advisor

During the next stage of his life, Eduard Punset devoted himself to working with important subjects and new technologies. He was an Advisory Professor of International Marketing at ESADE. He was also head of the Instituto Tecnológico Bull and professor of innovation and technology at IE Business School. He also worked as a consultant in important sectors and companies, and wrote several books on economics and social analysis.

The creation of  Redes , a TV show, was an important milestone in his already brilliant career, which took place in 1996. The program was shown for 18 years. During this period, he interviewed major personalities from the scientific and technological world, in a total of 600 broadcast episodes.

The program dealt with many subjects and produced sections that many consider to be masterpieces thanks to the information they provided about neuroscience, positive psychology, new educational technologies, the psychology of emotions and many other fascinating subjects.

This was a very positive stage in Punset’s life – he actually wrote  most of his books during this time.

He is one of the most respected and criticized figures in Spain. There is no doubt that he aroused a curiosity for science during his years in the box. He is a brave man who invested in everything. He was able to translate the most complex scientific concepts into an easy-to-understand language for the public.