Nuria Jiménez joins ICMM as a new Juan de la Cierva Fellow

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Nuria Jiménez Arévalo is a new Juan de la Cierva Fellow at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid, where she is now part of the 2D Foundry Group. She completed her PhD at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in July 2023 within the MIRE group.

"My research focused on the synthesis of thin films, the characterization of their structure and composition using different techniques, and testing them as (photo)electrodes for hydrogen production from water," says Jiménez. After that, she moved to Sapienza University of Rome for a postdoctoral position. "In the first year I worked on alkali metal intercalation as a method to tune the electronic properties of various carbon-based and 2D materials. I investigated these modifications in ultra-high vacuum conditions using spectroscopy techniques. 
During my second year in Rome, I also began researching scalable techniques for van der Waals (vdW) materials, such as dry-abrasion and roll-to-roll methods, exploring their applications in energy storage (alkali metal-ion batteries) and optoelectronic devices, in particular memristors."

What will you work on? With whom?

I am joining the 2D Foundry group, under the supervision of Dr. Andrés Castellanos. In this group, I will continue my research in applied physics, focusing on scalable techniques to transfer vdW materials. My work will begin with the massive exfoliation of flakes using an innovative roll-to-roll system, which will be used to fabricate optoelectronic devices, investigating their properties and possible applications.

Why did you choose ICMM?

What I like the most about ICMM is its inclusivity and diversity, as I have always enjoyed being in international and dynamic environments. In addition, I am excited to join the 2D foundry group. I have never worked in such a large group before, and I believe this experience will offer me new teamwork insights, scientific collaboration and learning.

And a personal touch: any hobbies? What would you like to contribute to the institute?

I really enjoy urban rollerblading, hiking and doing any outdoors activity. I also love hanging out with my friends and meeting new people. For that reason, I think I can contribute on creating new connections with other researchers from the ICMM or any other research centre.