Most relevant positions, most recent first:
01/09/2024 – 31/08/2026
Marie Curie European Fellow – Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, La Laguna, Spain). Project: TraNSLate. Abstract: Central regions of galaxies are inhabited by dense small structures, such as nuclear star clusters (NSCs) and nuclear disks and rings. These, at the bottom of the galactic potential well, are important tracers of the overall galaxy evolution, but the dominant mechanisms of their formation in galaxies of different masses and morphologies are still unclear. The TraNSLate project (Tracing galaxy evolution with Nuclear Structures in Late-type galaxies) will shed light on this issue, combining high-resolution zoom-in cosmological simulations with state-of-the-art integral-field spectroscopy observations. TraNSLate will be conclusive on the role of gas accretion and inflow followed by nuclear in-situ star formation, and stellar accretion and migration to the center of a galaxy. First, I will quantify the relative contribution of these processes in the central regions of 50 simulated galaxies. I will identify potential nuclear structures and unveil how they formed going back in time to previous snapshots of simulations. Secondly, I will focus on NSCs in observations of eight massive late-type galaxies (so far poorly studied), and their properties will be interpreted with the help of recipes provided by simulations. Finally, since higher resolution than current state of the art is needed to detect the smallest NSCs, TraNSLate will deliver one NSC-oriented pilot simulation, with a factor of 10 higher resolution, and a detailed plan for a future complete run of 20 more simulations.
01/08/2023 – 31/08/2024
Postdoctoral Researcher – Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, La Laguna, Spain). I joined the BEARD collaboration, leading the study of the stellar populations of nuclear star clusters in the BEARD sample, using MEGARA/GTC data.
15/10/2019 – 31/07/2023
Postdoctoral Researcher – Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA, Heidelberg, Germany)
I conducted my independent research and communicated my results through publications in refereed journals (see statistics here: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/public-libraries/AHGym0FbT72f9YzNeAaeBg) and international conferences and seminars (15 in total while at MPIA). I supervised/co-supervised BSc, MSc, PhD and Summer students (six at MPIA). I joined selection committees for postdoc positions and one PhD thesis committee. During two years, I was one of the Equal Opportunity Officers at MPIA and as such I monitored institute hires and drew the new MPIA gender equality plan for the next two years.
18/09/2018 – 17/09/2019
POP (Postdoctoral Orientation Period) Astrophysicist La Caixa-Severo Ochoa – Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, La Laguna, Spain)
During this year, I finished publishing my PhD work in two more papers, I presented them at two conferences and launched new research projects. I was very active within the core team of the Fornax 3D collaboration that I had recently joined (science and organization activity). I took new institutional commitments, such as joining the IAC Seminar Committee and organizing the conference “Our Science Day” (DNC). I proposed and supervised the Summer project: “Assessment and improvement of an analytical model to fit the stellar velocity ellipsoid of disks in galaxies” from 15/07 to 13/09/2019 as main advisor (student: Pablo Rodríguez-Beltrán). I joined several outreach activities, being the most relevant: “Talk to them: women in astronomy”, “Chatea con una astrónoma” and “Pint of Science”.
01/10/2015 – 17/09/2018
Predoctoral researcher, La Caixa-Severo Ochoa International Fellowship – IAC (La Laguna, Spain)
Description: “La Caixa-Severo Ochoa” was the most competitive and prestigious PhD position at the IAC at the moment when I applied for it. During my first year, I traveled to Barcelona to officially receive, from La Caixa Foundation, the prize associated to this fellowship (a diploma).
With this contract, I successfully conducted my PhD research, published in refereed papers in high-impact journals part of it (the rest during the POP phase), presented my work at two international conferences, visited two international institutes (for 3 months) and attended a Summer School.
I learned to write my own observing proposals and I was awarded 9 hours of MUSE observations in period P98 (oversubscription factor of 18.9).
01/05/2015 – 30/09/2015
Telescope Operator – Observatorios de Canarias (OOCC, Izaña, Tenerife, Spain)
Description: Full night operation of Carlos Sanchez (TCS) and IAC80 telescopes, and full day operation of Mark-I Solar Laboratory (SolarLab); additional small operations at OGS (ESA Optical Ground Station), QUIJOTE I (CMB experiment), MONS, SONG and GONG. Observations with the near-infrared camera CAIN at TCS, the optical camera CAMELOT at IAC80, and optical L3CCD cameras FastCam & Wide FastCam at TCS. Reduction of data from CAIN and CAMELOT. Fully in charge of operating instruments to measure sky quality (DIMMAs at both observatories at Teide, OT, and Roque de los Muchachos, ORM). Fully in charge of monitoring weather conditions and associated risk prevention.
I left this two-year position after only five months, to start my PhD with the prestigious “La Caixa-Severo Ochoa” position.
01/07/2014 – 15/09/2014
Summer student in technological development – Technology Division, Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC, La Laguna, Spain).
Description: With this short position of two months and a half, I carried out the project: “Modeling and characterization of EMCCD cameras used in adaptive optics, from a known stochastic model. Validation with real images”, under the supervision of Dr. H. M. Chulani, in the Technology Division of the IAC. Using a theoretical model, I designed and implemented a simulator of EMCCD (Electron-multiplication charged-coupled device) cameras, commonly used in adaptive optics. The method was verified in the laboratory with real cameras and led to some of the first successful measurements of the CIC (clock-induced charge) noise, challenging to be measured but dominating in EMCCD cameras. The simulator was later used by the IAC Technology Division for further projects (e.g., EDIFISE).
01/02/2011 – 31/01/2013
Collaboration Grant Student (two one-year positions) at the Unit of Nanometric Techniques, Universitat de Barcelona, Scientific and Technological Centers (CciTUB).
Description: I was responsible for user support for high-technology microscopes managed by this unit, in particular confocal-interferometric and atomic force (AFM) microscopes. I operated those microscopes and performed calibration and maintenance tasks, measurements for specific users and mechanical, electric and magnetic analyses in nanoscale with AFM, and characterization of nanoparticles, nanomaterials, and biomaterials. I gave short courses about optical-microscope operations (in particular confocal-interferometric techniques) to new users. I wrote nanotechnology reports and co-authored the “Handbook of instrumental techniques from CCiTUB” about “Advanced Optical Microscopies for Materials: New trends”. I organized (as one of the three LOC members) the first edition of the conference BCNano (’11).
01/11/2002 – 30/04/2014
For positions and grants previous to my career as an astrophysicist, see CV Summary.