Conrado Rillo

My professional career has been centered around technological development, resulting in innovations with significant impact on national and international industries and institutions. Notably, these innovations have led to the creation of strategic applications, including highly successful commercial products such as the revolutionary helium recovery technologies, which have been globally deployed in laboratories and hospitals since 2012.

Specific highlights of my career include:

i) Pioneering the development of scientific instrumentation for material study and characterization, exemplified by a transfer project involving industrial magnetism for the shielding of high-speed train signaling cables (in collaboration with CABLES DE COMUNICACIONES).

ii) Spearheading the design and implementation of electric quantum standards, leveraging quantum Josephson and Hall effects, and transferring them to the national metrological center (TPYCEA).

iii) Leading the design, testing, and transfer of cryostats and superconducting magnets for diverse applications, including energy storage (ASINEL-RED ELÉCTRICA-UNESA, ANTEC) and particle accelerators (DURO FELGUERA-CERN(LHC)).

iv) Innovating new helium recovery, purification, and liquefaction techniques tailored for hospitals and research centers. This groundbreaking technology, safeguarded by six families of patents (27 national applications, all granted), and licensed by CSIC and UNIZAR to Quantum Design International (San Diego, USA), has been instrumental in addressing a global problem posed by molecular hydrogen impurities in helium, with concentrations lower than 1:10^9. This technology has not only generated over 3 million euros in royalties but has also mitigated significant economic losses incurred by hospitals and laboratories worldwide. 

Furthermore, it's worth noting that during the period 2020-2024, I served as the director of the newly established Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragón (INMA), a joint venture between CSIC and the University of Zaragoza. This institute, comprising over 300 individuals including researchers, technicians, and administrative personnel, received the prestigious “Aragón Investiga” Award from the Government of Aragón in 2021. Additionally, in March 2024, INMA has been recognized as a "Severo Ochoa" Center of Excellence, marking it as the first Aragon's institution to achieve this esteemed recognition.