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Activity Report Activity Report Materialen Fisika Zentroa 2020 Centro de Física de Materiales Materials Physics Center ACTIVITY REPORT ACTIVITY REPORT ACTIVITY REPORT 2020 CFM Centro de Física de Materiales Materialen Fisika Zentroa Materials Physics Center SUMMARY FOREWORD 06 GOVERNANCE 08 PROFILE 10 PEOPLE 12 EXTERNAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE 21 RESEARCH LINES & GROUPS 22 HIGHLIGHTS 34 FACILITIES & EXTERNAL SERVICES 71 RESEARCH OUTPUT 78 TRAINING ACTIVITIES 105 WORKSHOPS, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS 113 COMPETITIVE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS 117 TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE 130 SCIENCE AND SOCIETY 132 GENDER EQUALITY & DIVERSITY AT CFM 143 MISCELLANEOUS 148 FOREWORD Despite all the difficulties, 2020 has been a record year in terms of research output, with an unprecedented number of publications and exceptional quality Iñaki Juaristi Oliden, Vicedirector 2020 has been a complicated and strange year. For se- ce of large outbreaks of Covid-19 in the CFM. There have veral months, many of us looked around us with a fee- only been isolated cases that were quickly reported, the ling of disbelief, helplessness and sadness as we saw people involved swiftly confined in their homes, and the our certainties, routines and, ultimately our way of life possible transmission in the center was avoided. Fortu- tragically transformed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. nately, none of these cases had serious consequences. We have witnessed how many of our neighbors, friends For this civic, responsible and understanding attitude, I and family were affected and sadly some were unable want to warmly congratulate all the CFM staff. Finally, in to overcome it. We have felt fear and loneliness. We October 2020 the work shifts were definitively abando- have been away from our loved ones, whom we have ned, since they considerably hindered the activity in the not been able to comfort and help as we would have laboratories. However, to this day, part of the staff still liked. All this has left a trace of sadness that is only carries out part of their activities by teleworking. now beginning to dissipate thanks to the renewed hope brought by advances in the vaccination process and the Despite all these difficulties, 2020 has been a record slow return to normality. year in terms of the number of publications (217 arti- cles) and with exceptional quality, as can be seen in this However, from the point of view of science and research report. It is possible that the pandemic was partially activity, the year 2020 has been somewhat more ambi- responsible of this, giving us more time to reflect on the guous. Of course, the pandemic had a negative initial im- results we already had and to finish those manuscripts pact. The Centro de Física de Materiales (CFM), following that were resisting completion. Additionally, there were the regulation imposed by the University of the Basque 82 ongoing research projects (18 of them European and Country (UPV/EHU), remained closed and without fa- international ones, including one ERC Starting Grant ce-to-face activity for almost two months. During the and ERC Advanced Grant), with more than 3,8 million second half of May, we resumed our activity using a sys- euros granted to CFM researchers only in 2020 and 12 tem that combined teleworking with face-to-face activity PhD theses defended. in shifts, which allowed us to maintain a low occupan- cy of our facilities. Other measures were imposed, such During 2020 our CFM family grew with new members. as the mandatory use of the mask, the closure of com- In April 2020, during the general confinement, Amaia munal areas such as the cafeteria and the auditorium, González Azpeitia joined CFM as our new Administra- and courses, workshops and scheduled meetings were tion Manager. Despite this unusual start, and the can- suspended, etc. Thanks to these measures, and to the cellation of several of the training courses organized by discipline and stoicism with which all the staff adopted CSIC for new administrative personnel, she rapidly got these measures, it was possible to prevent the appearan- familiar with the center and is progressively taking the 06 We want to warmly congratulate all the CFM staff for the civic, responsible and understanding attitude shown during this difficult year Daniel Sánchez Portal, Director reins of CFM’s administration. We wish her the best in ther important event in Autumn 2020 was the official this certainly challenging task. retirement of our colleague and friend Pedro Echenique Landiribar, a teacher both in science and in life for many In summer 2020, with an unusually long delay after ob- of us. He is one the main personalities behind CFM and taining their permanent positions, three new CSIC per- had a key role in the creation and development of CFM manent researchers finally joined CFM scientific faculty: and its research environment (DIPC, nanoGUNE, etc.). He Marek Grzelczak, who brings his expertise in the synthesis continues with his research, science popularization and and characterization of nanomaterials for health care and science policy advising activities as an Emeritus Profes- energy applications to the “Nanomaterials and Spectros- sor at UPV/EHU. copy” group; Pedro Braña Coto, that applies quantum che- mistry methodologies to the field of optoelectronics and As mentioned at the beginning of this foreword, 2020 molecular physics, and has created the “Theoretical and was a year full of sad moments. For many of us at CFM, Computational Chemistry” group in CFM; and Rubén Este- a devastating event was the sudden death of our friend ban, an expert in the theory of nanoplasmonics, who has and colleague Juan Jose Saenz, Ikerbasque Professor at joined the successful “Theory of Nanophotonics” group. DIPC, an expert in photonics and optical forces. We miss Also in summer 2020, we could celebrate that one of our his kindness and friendly demeanor to all the members of postdoctoral researchers, Julen Ibañez Azpiroz, was awar- our DIPC-CFM-nanoGUNE community, his generosity, his ded an ERC Starting Grant in the 2020 call (that will start love of science, and all his good qualities. in June 2021) with CFM-MPC as its host institution. Julen will create his own group devoted to apply diverse ab ini- The brilliant trajectory and international visibility gained tio and theoretical tools to understand in depth the optical by CFM in the last years was only possible thanks to the and electronic properties of solids. Another reason to cele- commitment of all CFM personnel and to the decisive brate was that our colleague Javier Aizpurua Iriazabal was and continuous support of the three key institutions be- included for the fourth year in a row in the list of Highly hind CFM: CSIC, UPV/EHU and the Basque Government. Cited Researchers elaborated by Clarivate Analytics. We also count on the support from Gipuzkoa Province Government. With these allies we are fully confident that Autumn 2020 started with the replacement of Andrés Ar- we will keep producing basic science at the highest level. nau Pino as Deputy Director of CFM by Iñaki Juaristi Oli- den. We really want to thank Andrés for all his great work Thank you all for your commitment and support. during the last five years and particularly for his support during the last year, when he had to act both as CFM De- Daniel Sánchez Portal puty Director and Acting Administration Manager. Ano- Iñaki Juaristi Oliden 07 GOVERNANCE CFM Centro de Física de Materiales (CFM) is a joint center of the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientí- ficas (CSIC) and the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). The main Board of Governance of the Cen- ter is constituted by the Governing Board, where repre- sentatives from both CSIC and UPV/EHU designate a Direction Board which runs the daily administrative and scientific strategy of the Center. To that end, the Direc- tion Board is supported by the Center’s Board and the Scientific Board. CURRENT DIRECTION BOARD OF CFM SCIENTIFIC BOARD OF CFM Director: Daniel Sánchez Portal All scientific permanent staff of CFM participates in the Scientific Board. The board is thus made of UPV/EHU Vice director: Iñaki Juaristi Oliden staff, CSIC staff, as well as Ikerbasque staff. Secretary: Amaia González Azpeitia 08 CFM CSIC UPV/EHU Board of Governance Direction Board Center Scientific Management Board Board & Services Research Lines Chemical Physics Electronic Properties Photonics Polymers and Soft Matter of Complex Materials at the Nanoscale MPC-BERC MPC - BERC The association Materials Physics Center (MPC) is a non-profit organization declared as Basic Excellence Gipuzkoako Research Center (BERC) which is intrinsically united DIPC Foru Aldundia Ikerbasque to CFM, and shares its goals and scientific activity, serving as an instrumental body in a totally synergis- tic and combined activity. The body of governance of Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia the MPC-BERC is constituted by the Basque Founda- Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa tion for Science (Ikerbasque), the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council (Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia), and the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), who appoints the PRESIDENT MEMBER SECRETARY scientific director of the association. The combined and Pedro Miguel Jon Gurrutxaga Adolfo Morais united strategic activity of both CFM-MPC is ensured by Echenique Mongelos Ezquerro the joint appointment of the same person as director of both institutional bodies. DIRECTOR Daniel Sánchez Portal Management Non-perma- nent scientific & Services Staff 09 PROFILE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY Researchers in Action 194 18 Research Groups TRAINING
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