XL Reunón de la Real Sociedad Española de Física

  2. Speakers

Speakers

Monika Aidelsburger 
 

German physicist whose research centers on analog quantum simulation with ultracold atoms in optical lattices. Her group explores strongly correlated many-body systems in and out of equilibrium, specifically quantum thermalization and its breakdown, topological phases of matter, and lattice gauge theories. More recently, she is developing new techniques for transforming neutral-atom systems from analog quantum simulators into programmable, computationally powerful architectures—paving the way for deeper understanding of complex quantum matter and the development of precision-controlled quantum technologies.

She studied physics at LMU Munich, where she received her PhD in 2015 for pioneering work on artificial gauge fields with ultracold atoms. After a postdoctoral appointment at the Collège de France, she returned to LMU in 2017 as a group leader. In 2018 she was awarded an ERC Starting Grant, and in 2019 she was appointed as professor for Synthetic Quantum Matter at LMU. Since 2023, she has also been a W2 Research Group Leader at the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics.

Her scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous distinctions, including the Alfried Krupp Award for Young University Teachers, the Klung-Wilhelmy Science Award, the TOPTICA Junior BEC Award, and the Princess Therese of Bavaria Award. She is a member of acatech – the National Academy of Science and Engineering – and contributes to national research policy as a member of the BMBF/BMFTR Program Committee for Quantum Systems.

 

Rafael Bachiller 
 

Astronomer and Director of the National Astronomical Observatory (IGN). He is a specialist in star formation and planetary nebulae, fields in which he has published around 350 scientific papers that have received more than 20,000 citations in the specialized literature (h-index = 80). Among his scientific achievements are the discovery of some of the youngest known protostars and the detection and characterization of molecular gas in planetary nebulae.

He is or has been involved in several projects for the development of major astronomical facilities, such as the Yebes radio telescope, the IRAM observatories, the HERSCHEL space telescope, and the giant radio telescopes ALMA and SKA. He has been a member of the governing boards of ALMA, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the SKA. He is currently a member of the IRAM Governing Board, Secretary of the National Astronomy Commission, and President of the National Commissions for the 2026, 2027, and 2028 eclipses.

Bachiller is deeply engaged in science outreach, both through the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Madrid and through his participation in various media outlets. He has received several awards, notably the Community of Madrid Award for the Communication of Science in Spanish and the CSIC–FBBVA Award for Scientific Communication. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain and has been awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Civil Merit.

 

Carmen García 
 

Research professor at the Institute of Corpuscular Physics, received the 2024 Blas Cabrera National Research Award in the category of Physical Sciences of Materials and Earth. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Valencia. Specializing in experimental particle physics, her work focuses on the construction and operation of large detectors and the analysis of vast amounts of data, always within the framework of major international collaborations. She completed her doctoral thesis on the Soudan-II experiment in Minnesota and later worked on the two major accelerators at CERN (Switzerland): the DELPHI experiment at the LEP accelerator and the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. Undoubtedly, her most notable contribution has been her involvement in the ATLAS experiment, where she contributed to the development and construction of the inner tracking detector, which stands at the forefront of technology.
In addition, Carmen García has held several leadership positions, including Deputy Director of IFIC, Coordinator of the Physics and Physical Technologies Area of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Deputy Coordinator of the Global Matter Area (also at CSIC), and member and Chair of the CSIC Commission on Large Scientific Infrastructures. From the field of basic science, she has contributed to various technological developments and is the founder of the technology-based company Alibava Systems. She is the author of several patents, numerous scientific publications, and has served as principal investigator on many research projects

 

Paula Heron 
 

Professor of Physics at the University of Washington.  She holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Western Ontario.  Dr. Heron’s research focuses on the development of conceptual understanding and reasoning skills.  Dr. Heron is co-Founder and co-Chair of the biannual “Foundations and Frontiers in Physics Education Research” conference series, the premier North American venue for physics education researchers.  She has held leadership roles in the American Physical Society (APS), the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), and the European Physics Education Research Group (GIREP) and serves as an Associate Editor of Physical Review – PER.  She co-edited the first International Handbook on Physics Education Research (AIP, 2023).  She is a Fellow of the APS, a co-recipient of the APS Education award, recipient of the Homer Dodge Citation for Outstanding Service to the AAPT and the International Commission on Physics Education of IUPAP Medal.

 

Alberto Loarte 
 

Head of the Science Division of the ITER Organization, a member of the European, Spanish, and American Physical Societies, and a Fellow of both the Institute of Physics (UK) and the American Physical Society.
He has served as co-chair of several International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) topical groups, including Peripheral Plasma Physics and Divertor Physics, Edge and Pedestal Plasma Physics, and Transport and Confinement. He also served as Secretary of the ITER Council Science and Technology Committee from 2008 to 2019. He played a key role in the development of the physical basis for the ITER tokamak design and in the planning of its scientific exploitation, notably the ITER Research Plan.
He carried out his doctoral research at the Joint European Torus, where he also completed his postdoctoral research. He later joined the Close Support Unit of the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) programme at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, where he was responsible for the EFDA Technology Programme in the area of plasma–wall interactions for ITER. In 2008, he joined the Science Division of the ITER Organization.
His research has focused on the characterization and control of steady-state and transient power fluxes to tokamak plasma-facing components, and on issues related to the integration of high-confinement plasmas with edge plasma requirements for power and particle exhaust. He has delivered 33 invited talks at international conferences and meetings and is co-author of 804 peer-reviewed publications, of which he is the lead author of 33. According to Web of Science, his publications have received 31,178 citations, and his h-index is 78.

 

Jairo Sinova 
 

Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Physics at Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz and director of the Spin Phenomenal Interdisciplinary Center (SPICE), and a Senior Professor at the Texas A&M University. He has received the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship Award, the Johannes Gutenberg Research Fellowship, the ERC Advance Synergy Grant, National Science Foundation’s Career Award, the Cottrell Scholar Award, and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Research highlights include the discovery of intrinsic spin Hall effect and development of a complete theory of anomalous Hall transport, prediction of the Néel spin-orbit torque for the electrical manipulation of antiferromagnets, and the discovery of altermagnetism (even-parity wave collinear magnetism), and unconventional odd-parity wave magnetism.