Announcement of the 2025 Simons–Balseiro Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipients
It is with great pleasure that we announce the recipients of the 2025 Simons–Balseiro Postdoctoral Fellowships. We are sincerely grateful to all applicants for their interest in the program and for the exceptional quality of the proposals received.
The selection process was highly competitive, and many excellent candidates could not be accommodated despite the strength of their applications. We extend our appreciation to all who applied and contributed to making this call such a stimulating and rigorous process.
We are pleased to recognize the following six researchers, selected for their academic accomplishments and promising scientific trajectories:
Jesús Huertas Castellanos, Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM–CSIC), Spain
Tanay Kibe, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Luiz Menon Jr, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC–Rio), Brazil
Andrés Daniel Perez, Instituto de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM–CSIC), Spain
Tom Shachar, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Aleksandr Valov, Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
We warmly congratulate them on their achievements and look forward to welcoming them to the Balseiro Institute as they embark on this new stage of their scientific careers.
Simons-Balseiro postdoctoral positions open
SIMONS-BALSEIRO POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS
The Balseiro Institute, located in Bariloche, Argentina, invites applications for up to 6 postdoctoral positions, funded by the Simons Foundation through the Targeted Grants to Institutes program. The positions are open to candidates in all areas of theoretical physics, broadly defined, including condensed matter physics, high energy physics, and complex systems.
Appointments will begin in September 2025, with a duration of two years, with possible extensions to one more year. The stipend, free of taxes, will be approximately USD 2,000 per month.
Successful candidates should have expertise in one or more areas of theoretical physics; candidates working at the intersections of fields are also encouraged to apply. The selected postdoctoral scholars will work in collaboration with members of the theoretical physics groups at Balseiro Institute (see details below).
Applications should include a CV, a statement of research interests that identifies your preferred area(s) from the list below, a list of publications, and a minimum of two recommendation letters. The application deadline is April 10, 2025, and the results will be announced by April 30, 2025. The application materials should be sent to simons@ib.edu.ar.
For further information please contact simons@ib.edu.ar.
Theoretical Physics Groups at Balseiro Institute
The postdoctoral scholars will have the opportunity to collaborate with the following groups and researchers.
Condensed Matter Physics
The research activities carried out by this group include the description of topological phases of matter, strongly correlated electron systems, driven quantum systems and non-equilibrium statistical phenomena such as yielding and depinning.
Members of the group: Armando Aligia, Liliana Arrachea, Carlos Balseiro, Pablo S. Cornaglia, Daniel Dominguez, Jorge I. Facio, Ezequiel Ferrero, Daniel Garcia, Karen Hallberg, Alexander Hernandez Nieves, Eduardo Jagla, Alejandro Kolton, Cesar Proetto, María José Sanchez, Gonzalo Usaj, Cecilia Ventura.
Particles and Fields
The group’s main focus is to understand the fundamental constituents of matter and their interactions, encompassing research in high-energy physics, astrophysics, cosmology, quantum field theory, string theory, and quantum information theory.
Members of the group: G. Aldazabal, I. Allekotte, H. Casini, L. Da Rold, C. Fosco, G. Golup, M. Huerta, J. Magán, F.D. Mazzitelli, S. Mollerach, E. Roulet, G. Torroba, R. Trinchero.
More information: webpage of the group
Complex Systems
The research carried out by this group includes theoretical research on complex systems. The main lines of research are the following: Complex and out-of-equilibrium systems (Collective dynamics, Self-organization, Synchronization, Stochastic processes, Critical phenomena, Open quantum systems), Mathematical biology (Dynamics of ecosystems, Animal movement, Epidemic processes, Forest fires, Biological evolution, Modeling based on Machine Learning and Neural Networks), Socio-economic systems (Dynamics of social networks, Wealth distribution, financial markets, Opinion formation)
Members of the group: D. Zanette, G. Abramson, M. Kuperman, F. Laguna, S. Bouzat, L. Kazimierski, A. Budini, D. Schneider, K. Laneri.
More information: webpage of the group
Dirac Medal 2024 to Marina Huerta and Horacio Casini
From ICTP:
ICTP has awarded its 2024 Dirac Medal to four physicists who have made pioneering contributions to the understanding of quantum entropy in gravity and quantum field theory.
The winners are:
Horacio Casini, National Scientific and Technical Council (CONICET) and Bariloche Atomic Centre, Argentina
Marina Huerta, CONICET and Bariloche Atomic Centre, Argentina
Shinsei Ryu, Princeton University, United States
Tadashi Takayanagi, Kyoto University, Japan
The award cites “their insights on quantum entropy in quantum gravity and quantum field theories”.
One of the most surprising features of quantum physics is the ability of particles to continue being correlated even when far apart. This property, called "entanglement," is the focus of the work of the four scientists honoured by ICTP this year.
“The 2024 Dirac Medallists have made pioneering contributions to our understanding of different aspects of quantum entanglement," says ICTP Director Atish Dabholkar. "The work of Ryu and Takayanagi has revealed a fascinating and deep connection between quantum mechanics and information theory on one hand, and the geometry of space-time and gravity on the other," he explains, adding, "The work of Casini and Huerta uses the properties of quantum entanglement entropy to derive important general results about the structure of quantum field theories." The 2024 Dirac Medal therefore rewards research that brings together two aspects of physics - quantum mechanics and gravity - whose unified description has been the 'Holy Grail' of theoretical physicists for more than half a century.
"Their research was conducted in different corners of the world -- in Argentina, Japan and the United States -- as if there were some intellectual correlations between them," Dabholkar continues. "In fact, part of the work of Casini and Huerta was done while at ICTP in Trieste. To my mind this is a manifestation of the essential unity of physics and the notion that science is the common heritage and creation of all humanity, a founding belief of ICTP," says Dabholkar. "In these troubled times, this Dirac Medal underscores that science transcends boundaries, and offers a common language that can facilitate conversations across cultures and political differences."
Upgrade of Auger Observatory
From www.auger.org/news
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world-wide largest cosmic ray detector covering an area of 3000 km². It is operated by a collaboration of more than 400 scientists from 17 countries. The aim of the observatory is the study of the highest energy particles of the Universe – ultra-high energy cosmic rays. About 15 full-array-size-equivalent years of exposure have been accumulated up to the end of 2022 with the Auger Observatory in the old configuration, referred to as Phase I.
Data from Phase I of the Auger Observatory have revolutionized our understanding of high energy phenomena linked to the most violent processes in the Universe. Scientific breakthroughs have been achieved in several fields. The new perspectives opened by these results called for an upgrade of the observatory, with the main aim of collecting new information about the primary mass of the highest energy cosmic rays on a shower-by-shower basis. The full-efficiency data taking with the upgraded array will start in 2025 and will add data for 10 more years.
The extension of the International Agreement will provide the administrative foundation to continue the operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory in the upcoming Phase II, operating the upgraded detector.
On November 16, 2024, the representatives of the funding agencies signed the extension of the agreement in a formal ceremony, combined with a visit to the Pierre Auger Observatory the next day, which included a tour of the fluorescence detectors and the HEAT telescopes at the Coihueco site, and the infill array with the upgraded AugerPrime surface detectors.