Outreach News

En memòria de Roger Guzmán Aluja, investigador de l’ICMAB

Avui, 1 d’octubre de 2026, hem rebut amb consternació la notícia de la mort del nostre company Roger, als 41 anys

Roger Guzmán ha estat un investigador, company i amic de moltes persones de l’ICMAB. Estem profundament commocionats per la seva pèrdua. La trajectòria de Roger a l’ICMAB va començar durant el seu doctorat, i actualment era investigador permanent del grup MULFOX. Al llarg d’aquests anys, va participar en nombrosos projectes de recerca i va establir moltes relacions.

Trajectòria científica

Roger Guzmán i Aluja es va formar a l’ICMAB, on va completar el doctorat (2009–2014), estudiant superconductors d’alta temperatura mitjançant microscòpia electrònica de transmissió d’esacombrat (STEM) amb correcció d’aberracions, sota la supervisió de Jaume Gázquez. Va continuar la seva recerca a Saragossa, Madrid i, de nou, a Barcelona, sempre amb l’objectiu d’entendre, àtom a àtom, com l’estructura dels materials dona lloc a les seves propietats.

El 2019 es va incorporar a la UCAS, a la Xina, on va ampliar la seva recerca als materials bidimensionals i a tècniques d’avantguarda com la 4D-STEM i l’EELS vibracional. El 2023 va tornar a l’ICMAB com a investigador permanent. Al llarg de la seva trajectòria, va publicar més de 50 articles, entre els quals hi ha dos articles publicats recentment a la revista Nature Materials.

Actualment, formava part del grup de recerca MULFOX, on coordinava un projecte de recerca amb Mariona Coll.

El Roger va arribar a l'ICMAB quan es buscava un doctorand per fer la tesi en microestructura de superconductors; va aparèixer ell, geòleg-cristal·lògraf inquiet, a qui no feia por explorar altres terrenys més enllà del que havia estudiat a la facultat. Tots vam apreciar-lo per la seva humilitat, discreció i inquietud honesta. A la Xina, en un entorn científic ric i potent, va demostrar la seva increïble vàlua. Tot i els seus èxits en la recerca, seguia sent la mateixa persona humil i discreta. Sens dubte el Roger hagués enriquit sanament aquest centre nostre, científicament i humananament.

Aquells que vam tenir la sort de conèixer-lo i treballar amb ell el recordarem com una persona afable i càlida, i alhora profundament entusiasta. Era un amic i company generós, amable, proper i molt estimat. A l’ICMAB, exercia com a Investigador Permanent, iniciant una carrera científica independent molt prometedora i participant activament en responsabilitats compartides, com ara la coordinació de les instal·lacions de microscòpia electrònica. La seva pèrdua ens afecta profundament, tant a nivell personal com professional.

Gràcies per tot, Roger. Et trobarem molt a faltar.

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Roger Guzmán was a researcher, colleague and friend to many at the ICMAB. We are deeply saddened by the news of his passing. Roger’s trajectory at ICMAB started during his PhD and was now a permanent researcher in the MULFOX group. During these years he participated in many research projects and built many relationships.

Scientific trajectory

Roger Guzmán i Aluja trained at ICMAB, where he completed his PhD (2009–2014), studying high-temperature superconductors using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), under the supervision of Jaume Gázquez. He continued his research in Zaragoza, Madrid, and once again in Barcelona, always with the aim of understanding, atom by atom, how the structure of materials gives rise to their properties.

In 2019, he joined UCAS in China, where he expanded his research into two-dimensional materials and cutting-edge techniques such as 4D-STEM and vibrational EELS. In 2023, he returned to ICMAB as a permanent staff member. During his trajectory, he published more than 50 papers, among them two articles lately published in the journal Nature Materials.

Currently, he was a member of the MULFOX research group where he was coordinating a research project with Mariona Coll.

Roger came to ICMAB when we were looking for a PhD student to carry out a thesis on the microstructure of superconductors. Then he appeared: an inquisitive geologist-crystallographer who was not afraid to explore new territory beyond what he had studied at university. We all appreciated him for his humility, discretion, and genuine curiosity. In China, in a rich and dynamic scientific environment, he demonstrated his remarkable abilities. Despite his achievements in research, he remained the same humble and discreet person. There is no doubt that Roger would have enriched our centre in many positive ways, both scientifically and as a human being.

Those of us who had the good fortune to know him and work with him will remember him as a kind and warm person, while also being deeply enthusiastic. He was an affable, generous, kind, and deeply loved friend and colleague. Here at ICMAB, he served as a Staff Scientist, embarking on a highly promising independent career and actively participating in shared responsibilities, such as coordinating the electron microscopy facilities. His loss affects us deeply on both a personal and professional level.

Thanks for everything, Roger. You will be deeply missed.

01 October 2026