My trajectory

After finishing my degree in Physics (Universidad de Granada, Spain, 2010), I started a MSci. program in Mathematics (Universidad de Salamanca, Spain), where I learnt advanced mathematical methods for theoretical physics. Later, in 2011, I joined the IFISC institute for interdisciplinary research and complex systems in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) to study the dynamics of localized structures (LSs) in spatially extended systems driven out of thermodynamic equilibrium. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 064103].

In 2013, I was awarded with a Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) PhD fellowship, and in October the same year, I started a joint PhD between the Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB, Spain) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, Belgium). My research project focused on nonlinear spatiotemporal phenomena arising in driven dispersive Kerr cavities, with special attention to LSs formation and dynamics for frequency comb (FC) generation. In 2014, I spent two months working with E. Knobloch at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). This fruitful collaboration led to unveiling the bifurcation structure (BS) and stability of LSs arising in these systems, and thus to a better understanding of their dynamics and features for optical applications. I showed, for the first time, that dark states undergo a BS known as collapsed snaking [Op. Lett. 41, 2402 (2016); Phys. Rev. A 93, 063839 (2016)], while bright ones suffer a complex transition leading to the destruction of the so-called homoclinic snaking [Phys. Rev. E 97, 042204 (2018)]. These results were key to explain/guide different experimental observations [e.g., Optica, 7, 1195 (2020)]. In March 2017, I obtained my European PhD diploma in Physics by the UIB and my PhD diploma in Sciences by the VUB, both with honors (Cum Laude). By that time, I was the first author of 10 peer-review articles.

In September 2017, I was awarded a one-year postdoctoral grant at KU Leuven and a FNRS postdoctoral fellowship of three years at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). This financial stability allowed me to pursue further my research in nonlinear phenomena in different disciplines. At KU Leuven, I started to investigate emergent nonlinear spatiotemporal dynamics in different reaction-diffusion systems describing, for example, plant population dynamics [Phys. Rev. E 101 (5), 052214 (2020)], and the cell-division cycle [MBC.E22-11-0527 (2023)]. These studies are essential for understanding catastrophic events in ecology and biology including desertification and cancer diseases. At ULB, my work focused on the theoretical characterization of LS formation in quadratic optical cavities. This research led to prolific scientific production [e.g., Op. Lett. 44, 2004 (2019), Phys. Rev. A 101, 063817 (2020); Op. Lett. 45, 20, 5856 (2020)], including two Nature Photonics publications [Nat. Phot. 15, 536 (2021), Nat. Phot. 15, 857 (2021)], where my theoretical findings were key to guide the experimental work carried out by the research group. These works find broad technological applications including optical processing, better FC sources and Ising machines.

In 2021, I was awarded with an individual Marie Curie fellowship to study the formation and stability of 3D spatiotemporal solitons in multimode waveguide systems, and in November the same year I joined the research group of S. Wabnitz at La Sapienza (Italy). These states may provide fundamental breakthroughs for structure light applications such as spatial multiplexing in telecommunications and multidimensional FC generation. This research period yielded a prolific scientific production (> 20 peer-review publications) including a PRL [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 137201]. In my current position, I continue studying these states but in a dissipative context.

During these last years, I have developed strong leading skills and independence, which I have demonstrated by mentoring, training and leading junior and senior researchers which includes two PhD students (Yelo-Sarrion, Akakpo) at the ULB [e.g., Chaos 32, 083103 (2022); Phys. Rev. E, 108, 014203 (2023)] and several postdocs (e.g., F. Talenti, Y. Sun) at la Sapienza [e.g., Op. Comm. 546, 129773 (2023), Op. Lett. 47, 6353 (2022)].

Currently, I have an h-index of 17 and >1200 citations (Google Scholar), 53 publications in peer-reviewed journals (26 as first, 2 as co-first, 5 as leading, and 1 as single author; 30 without PhD supervisors) and a collaboration network of > 50 researchers from 5 continents. Furthermore, my research is strongly disseminated at international conferences and workshops (>50 peer-reviewed proceedings, >20 oral contributions, 7 invited). Besides, I have been teaching different Bachelor and Master courses (approx. 200h) and participated in several events/talks for popularizing science.       

Ongoing         Master in Education, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain         

2017           Joint PhD program between Universitat de les Illes Balears and Vrije Universiteit Brussel

                        PhD in Physics, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Spain

                        PhD in Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

                        Thesis:  Dynamics of dissipative localized structures in driven nonlinear optical cavities Link 

                      Supervisors: Jan Danckaert, Lendert Gelens, Damia Gomila

2011             Master in Mathematics, Program in advanced mathematical methods in Physics

                     University of Salamanca, Spain

         Thesis: Variational Formulation of Gauge Field Theories

2010             Bachelor and Master in Physics (Licenciatura en Física)

                     University of Granada, Spain            

2023 – 2024     AddSapiexcellence Fellow, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

2021 – 2023     Marie Sklodowska Curie Research Fellow (European commission)

                        Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

2018 – 2021      Post-doctoral research fellow (Chargé de Recherche, FNRS fellowship) 

             Service Opera-Photonique, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

2017 – 2018    Post-doctoral research fellow (PDM Internal fonds KU Leuven)

Laboratory of Dynamics in Biological Systems, Department of Cellular and Molecular  medicine, 

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium

2013 – 2017    Pre-doctoral research fellow (FWO fellowship)                                           

                    Applied Physics Research Group (APHY), Sciences and bioengineering faculty,

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

2011 – 2013      Pre-doctoral research fellow (CSIC)                                                          

                      Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos, IFISC, Palma de Mallorca

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain