Josefina Castellví, the biologist who fell in love with the most desolate place in the world, has died.

BarcelonaOceanographer and biologist Josefina Castellví passed away this Monday in Barcelona. Born in Barcelona in 1935, Castellví—or Pepita, as many knew her—was the first woman in the world to direct a permanent station in Antarctica. Throughout her long career, the Catalan researcher received such distinguished awards as the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia for her academic and social contributions in 2021. Strong-willed and visionary, Castellví chose oceanography during her studies at the University of Paris. At that time, the discipline was a rarity, as neither Catalonia nor Spain, unlike France or the United Kingdom, had institutions or facilities dedicated to this field. In fact, for this very reason, the researcher was also a pioneer in introducing the discipline and, most notably, Antarctic studies.

Her interest in the frozen continent led her to join the expedition led by biologist Antoni Ballester to Deception Island in 1984. The first Spanish research base in Antarctica was established on the island, albeit in a very precarious state. Later, Castellví replaced Ballester—who had suffered a stroke—and thus became the first woman in the world to direct a permanent station on the ice continent. Subsequently, between 1988 and 1995, she directed the Antarctic base on Livingstone Island.

After her time in Antarctica, the biologist held various positions at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and ended her career as director of the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona. She also served as vice president of the Advisory Council for Sustainable Development (CADS).

"I would start all over again."

During her career as a researcher, the oceanographer published more than seventy scientific papers and directed numerous research projects. Her outreach work earned her a large number of awards from institutions and the public. In 1994, she received the Gold Medal of the City of Barcelona and, almost ten years later, in 2003—three years after retiring—she was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi (Cross of Saint George). The Barcelona native also received and accepted the commission to give the opening address for the Mercè Festival in 2007.

In 2013, after a long absence from the icy continent, Castellví returned once again to Antarctica. "Ice has extraordinary sounds, fantastic harmonies, and that can never be reproduced," she said. He described this in an interview on the ARA shortly after returning"I've been reunited with the wonderful icebergs, with the hospitality, and with my memories of a very beautiful time," she explained.

And when asked if she would change anything about her career, the oceanographer was very clear: "For me, life is like the trunk of a tree, which creates dichotomies, and now you go towards that branch and then you think: 'What if I had left?' Well, I probably would have arrived at a very different point than this one, but it hasn't worried me. Now that I'm in the last stage of my life, [...] I would tell you that if I started over, I would do the same thing again. With all the reproaches I have for myself, I would start from the same place."