Born in 1973 in Zagreb, Croatia
Education
2003 Ph.D. in solid state physics, University of Zagreb
1997 Diploma in physics, University of Zagreb
Affiliation
Institut za fiziku, Zagreb, Croatia
e-mail: mkralj@ifs.hr
Employment
Jan 2023-present Tenured Senior Scientist, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Dec 2016-Dec 2022 Senior Scientist, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Jun 2017-Jun 2021 Director, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Jun 2013-Jun 2017 Assistant Director, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Dec 2009-Dec 2016 Senior Research Associate, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Oct 2006-Nov 2009 Research Associate, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Sep 2003-Dec 2006 Postdoc/AvH Fellow, Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, University of Bonn
Sep 1997-Aug 2003 Research Assistant, Institut za fiziku, Zagreb
Scientific interests
Condensed matter physics; Surface physics; Physical chemistry; Nanoscience; Graphene; Novel 2D materials; Heterostructures; Self-assembly
Skills
Scanning probe microscopy and spectroscopy (SPM/STS); Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES); Surface preparation; 2D materials synthesis
Mentorship
I have served as an advisor and mentor for numerous diploma theses and successfully guided four PhD candidates to completion (M. Petrović [won AvH Fellowship], I. Šrut Rakić [won L’oreal UNESCO For Women in Science award], I. Delač, B. Pielić [won MSCA Fellowship]). I am active as a postdoctoral advisor, in particular for individual MSCA projects OSE-Ferroelectrics of N. Štrkalj, 2D-NanoHyb of M. Lihter, 2DSFSO of R.S. Mathew, and DIGIT project HSTVPM of. C.R Paul Inbaraj. Additionally, I have mentored seminar works and internship students and am dedicated to helping young researchers establish their independent research careers. I have also contributed as a committee member and president for PhD evaluations and defenses for candidates from various universities.
Honors
2017 Award of the Croatian Academy of Sciences for the Highest Scientific and Artistic Accomplishments in the Republic of Croatia
2014 Annual Croatian State Award for Science
2005 Humboldt Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
1994 Scholar of the Institute of Physics
Teaching
2022– Member of the Council of the Doctoral Study in Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Rijeka
2023– “Physics of Surfaces and Interfaces“, for graduates in Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Rijeka
2015– “Nanotechnology“, for graduates in Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Zagreb
2015– “Scanning probe microscopy“, for graduates in Biophysics, Physics Department, University of Zagreb
International collaboration
Prof. Kazuya Watanabe & Prof. Yoshiyasu Matsumoto, Department of Chemistry, Kyoto University
Prof. Carsten Busse, Fakultät IV – Physik, Universität Siegen
Prof. Christian Teichert & Prof. Aleksandar Matković, Institut für Physik, Montanuniversität Leoben
Prof. Thomas Michely, II. Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln
Prof. Richard M. Osgood, Electrical Engineering Department, Columbia University
Prof. Thomas Fauster, Institut für Physik der Kondensierten Materie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
Prof. Klaus Wandelt, Clausius-Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Bonn
Professional Societies
European Physical Society
Croatian Physical Society (vice-president 2017-2018, president 2019-2020)
Croatian Vacuum Society
Croatian Microscopy Society
Professional activities:
Referee for journals: Nature (Nature Materials, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, Scientific Reports), ACS (Nano Letters, ACS Nano, ACS Applied Nano Materials, JACS, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal of Physical Chemistry C), APS (Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, Physical Review Materials), Wiley (Advanced Science, Small) RSC (Nanoscale), IoP (Nanotechnology, Chinese Physics Letters), AIP (Applied Physics Letters), Elsevier (Carbon, Applied Surface Science, Surface Science [Elsevier Reviewer Recognition: recognized reviewer & outstanding reviewer], FlatChem, Vacuum), Frontiers in Physics, Optics Letters, Optical and Quantum Electronics, Croatica Chemica Acta, EPJ Plus
Referee for funding agencies: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), European Research Council (ERC), Department of Energy (DOE), French National Research Agency (ANR), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF),The Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia (SFRS), Croatian Science Foundation (HrZZ), Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (NAKVIS), Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia (MZO)
Editorial board member: npj 2D Materials and Applications (Nature partnering journal) , Grand Challenges in Physics for Society in the Horizon 2050 (published by European Physical Society)
Conference organization: head of organizing committee (EWEG/2D-2 ‘2014), member of organizing and/or scientific committee (ECOSS-38 ‘2025, ECOSS-36 ‘2023, HFD-10 ‘2017, MCM-13 ‘2016, ECOSS-32 ‘2016, JVC-16 ‘2016, ICTF-16 ‘2014, CroSloVST-21 ‘2014, CroSloVST-20 ‘2013, HFD-6 ‘2009)
Selection committees: Head or a member in committees for scientific positions and titles (Institute of Physics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Physics and Chemistry Departments at Faculty of Science at Zagreb University)
President of the Scientific Council: Institute of Physics (2024-)
Publications
80+ scientific publications in refereed journals
1 book chapter with K. Wandelt, Surface and Interface Science (Wiley, 2012)
1 editorial book with J. Coraux and H. Buljan, European workshop on epitaxial graphene and 2D materials: Booklet of abstracts (Institut za fiziku, 2014)
2 articles on popular science
1 international patent