Sofía Hernanz, new PhD at BioQMat and Photonics groups

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Sofía Hernanz Montes comes from Alcobendas (Madrid), a town very close to the ICMM. She has joined our institute on last January as a predoctoral researcher. She will be working with two groups, the Bioinspired Quantum Materials Laboratory (BioQMat), part of the SUPREMA Group, and the Photonic Crystals group. Apart from the research, she does almost any kind of activity. Read until the end...

What have you worked on so far?

I studied Physics and I did the Condensed Matter Physics Master at the UAM.

After finishing my Master, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a PhD, and I didn't want to get trapped in something that I would regret later, so I started working at a software company, Doymus Software e Ingeniería, in nothing related to science. I'm very happy that I made this decision, because otherwise I could have started a computational PhD that wouldn't match my current interests. I'm a little indecisive, and for that reason, I prefer taking my time until I feel that I'm going to make the right decision.

After a year working in the software company, I missed Physics and I was getting tired of working on the computer all day on a topic that didn't motivate me much, so the idea of doing an experimental PhD started growing in my head. I had the luck to find a perfect match for me, a project that will combine computational simulations with laboratory work.

What will you work on? With whom?

My supervisors will be Sol Carretero Palacios and Sara Núñez Sánchez.
I will be working on the design and optimization of organic photonic hyperbolic metamaterials based on J-aggregate supramolecular systems for controlling the light emission at the nanoscale. My research will include the theoretical design of nanodevices through numerical simulations, and structural optimization in the "computer" side. In the "laboratory" side, I will investigate how different nanostructured geometries modify the intensity, polarity and chirality of the optical emission through several experimental techniques.

Why ICMM?

Because it's full of scientists, which is the people that I belong to. Also, this is a place that leaves space for community, personal growth and transversal activities, not just (good) science. I will take advantage of the environment to grow as a scientist and as a person.

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

I'm a very creative person, and I need to feed my brain with almost constant activities and creation. I play viola and I'm learning to play cello. I like sports, and I'm currently doing archery at UAM. I also like painting, playing games, watching birds, juggling, and basically any weird activity that you can think of. I'd like to help the creativity and the interest in fields not related to our work expand in the ICMM.