Biography

I am a physicist. My professional expertise lies within the areas of solid state physics, materials science and applied physics. During my doctoral thesis, developed mostly at ICMAB, I specialized in the electric and magnetic characterization of superconductors, and more precisely in the energy dissipation within them. My pioneering activity in Spain in this field was acknowledged with the Extraordinary Award of the University for PhD thesis. Later on (1994-96) I worked in the Dpt. of Condensed Matter Physics of the University of Geneva, where I acquired expertise on fabrication and characterization (structural, microstructural and functional) of thin films and epitaxial heterostructures of complex oxides. I continued working in this field back to ICMAB, though I progressively moved to ferroelectric and multiferroic materials. In 2002 I started exploring in parallel the possibility of developing in Spain cryogenic detectors (based on superconductors) for astronomical instrumentation; this activity got increasing relevance in the following years, to the point that this research line focuses presently my work. Within it, I have been the responsible and am now the co-responsible of the development of Transition-Edge Sensors in Spain; I have been part of the XEUS Instrument Working Group and of the X-IFU Consortium of Athena (next ESAS’s X-ray telescope); I have been PI of several national projects, and the responsible of TES development within CSIC in two H2020 projects (AHEAD, “Integrated Activities for the High Energy Astrophysics Domain” and AHEAD2020) and of a Core Technology Program contract from ESA. My work focuses on the physics of the superconducting cryogenic detectors and on the search for and development of new applications. I also participate in the CSIC Platform on Quantum Technologies QTEP+ and at present I'm co-leading an initiative within it to use them for Ultralight Dark Matter Search, funded by CSIC and NGEU funds.

I have worked for short-term periods (between 1 week and 4 months) in several top international laboratories, such as the University of Cambridge (UK), Argonne National Laboratory (USA), Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium (Leiden University), the Free University of Amsterdam, and the International Center for Theoretical Physics (Trieste), as well as in large scientific infrastructures such as the Service National de Champs Intenses-Laboratoire Louis Néel (Grenoble) and ISIS Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Oxford, UK). I have participated in 39 research projects funded mainly by the Spanish CICyT and the European Commission, and in two contracts (funded respectively by REE-Pirelli and by the European Space Agency, ESA).

Research interest

• Superconductivity and superconducting materials
• Cryogenic detectors for astronomy, particle physics and quantum communications
• Thin films and heterostructures