Ana
Pérez Rodríguez

For the past 7 years I have been dedicated to study the correlation of the phenomena occurring at the nanoscale with the macroscopic performance of semiconductor based devices. First, through a PhD in the Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces group at the Institute of Material Science of Barcelona under the supervision of Dr. Esther Barrena and Prof. Carmen Ocal in which I focused on the impact of the structural and electronic properties at the nanoscale on the electronic performance of macroscopic devices. Due to the nature of the project, I became familiar in both growth and structural characterization techniques of thin organic and inorganic films, such as molecular beam epitaxy of both organic and inorganic materials in ultrahigh vacuum conditions, magnetron sputtering, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope based techniques, GIWAXs, transmission X-ray microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy at synchrotron facilities. Through internships with collaborators in the Light Technology Institute in Karlsruhe (Germany), I fabricated full devices with the studied materials in their state-of-the art Cleanroom. Afterwards, as a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory for Nanostructured Solar Cells (LaNaSC) at INL lead by Dr. Sascha Sadewasser, I was the main investigator in a FCT founded project developing CIGSe micro-concentrator solar cells. This project allowed me to become familiar with the CIGSe growth and its characterization at the nanoscale by a wide range of techniques such as magnetron sputtering, and with all the processes involved in the design and fabrication of solar cells stacks in the sub-millimetre range in Cleanroom facilities, including the design, fabrication and test of microlenses. I have also been given the opportunity to start developing independent researcher skills, such as the project management and implementation and PhD and master students supervision. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Nanotechnology group (Universidad de Salamanca), under the supervision of Prof. Enrique Diez Fernandez, where I am applying my knowledge on fabrication and characterization to optoelectronic devices based in stacked structures of 2D materials in cleanroom facilities by e-beam lithography. This group has also offered me the opportunity to expand my characterization knowledge with optical spectroscopy techniques, optoelectronic measurements and magneto-transport at cryogenic temperatures. During my career, I have authored 17 papers in diverse peer-reviewed, high-impact journals and a book chapter. I have also presented my work in more than 11 international conferences in the form of oral communications and scientific posters. In summary, all the works carried out during my scientific career have provided me with a solid background in the fabrication of organic and inorganic semiconductor based devices and the characterization of both their nanoscale properties and their macroscopic performance. I have also gained a fundamental experience in experiment planning and design, training undergrad and new PhD students. Since I consider outreach a fundamental activity, I have also participated in different initiatives aimed at bringing science to the general public, giving talks to non-specialized audiences with the goal of explaining scientific advances in different fields.