Selman Uranues received his degree in 1981 from the Medical University of Graz and board certification in surgery in 1988.

His early interest in surgical research coincided with the introduction of laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery.

Based on his experimental studies and on the growing demand for clinical application of ever smaller instruments and sophisticated techniques, including virtual reality and robotics, of which he was an earl proponent, he played a leading role in the development of this field.

[2][3][4] He has since gone on to advanced work in reduced port and endoscopic surgery,[5][6][7] where there is enormous potential for future reduction of surgical trauma.

[8][9][10][11] In this context, he played a pioneering role in developing laparoscopic techniques to preserve the spleen and pancreas, publishing one of the first papers on laparoscopic partial removal of the pancreas preserving the spleen and essential blood vessels.