The ICREAs

ICREA Research Professors form a vibrant community of scientists and researchers in all areas of knowledge that contribute to the advancement of humankind by exploring, interpreting and questioning. Have a look and learn about their amazing discoveries and findings here:

Mitchell, Morgan W.

Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)

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Mitchell, Morgan W.
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

Prof. Mitchell leads the Atomic Quantum Optics group at ICFO, which uses experimental quantum optics and atomic physics for quantum technology and quantum foundations. The group works with single neutral atoms as single quantum systems, spinor Bose-Einstein condensates and high-density atomic vapors as extreme sensors, and has invented several sources of atom-resonant squeezed and entangled light. Major projects include chip-scale atomic magnetometers for magnetic brain imaging (Quantum Technologies Flagship project macQsimal), quantum enhancement protocols for state of the art optical lattice atomic clocks, quantum random number generators for loophole-free Bell tests and device-independent quantum technologies, and coordination of The BIG Bell Test, a world-wide collaboration in foundations of physics. In 2017 Prof. Mitchell co-founded the Quside Technologies to deliver state of the art quantum random number generation for communications and data security applications.

Key words
Quantum Optics, Atomic Physics, Quantum Sensing, Quantum Information

ORCID
: 0000-0001-8949-9407

RESEARCHER ID
: I-9027-2012
Montón Subías, Sandra

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

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Montón Subías, Sandra
Research Professor at
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Humanities
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Research interests

I am an archaeologist with broad interests in social and theoretical archaeology. My fields of research include the Archaeology of Colonialism, the Archeology of Globalization, and the Archaeology of Gender. I am investigating the consequences that Jesuit missions had on native Chamorro (Guam, western Pacific). This research challenges conceptual dichotomies among disciplines and within disciplines (i.e. prehistoric and historic archaeology), and addresses issues of high scientific and social relevance such as the construction of gender and the value of dynamics related to cultural continuity, cooperation, and interdependence to human societies. I am PI in GenderGlobal, ABERIGUA, and MAR; scientist in charge in two ERC IF-MSCAs; and co-director of archaeological campaigns at Humatak. I believe that research must result in a more equitable and sustainable future, which in my case implies diluting divides between popular and academic understandings of colonialism and gender.

Key words
Archaeology of Colonialism; Archaeology of Gender and Maintenance Activities; Archaeology of Globalization; Bronze Age Societies; Social Inequalities; Funerary Behaviour; Identity

ORCID
: 0000-0001-7466-4959

RESEARCHER ID
: B-5262-2012
Moth-Poulsen, Kasper

Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC - ICMAB)

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Moth-Poulsen, Kasper
Research Professor at
Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (CSIC - ICMAB)
Experimental Sciences & Mathematics
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Research interests

My research in nanomaterials chemistry has focused on 3 research topics, the most prominent is the development of solar energy storage in molecular photoswitches, so-called MOST systems. This class of materials offers an emission free way to capture and store solar energy.Thompson reuters and more. In a second research area, I've been developing nanomaterials for molecular electronics, catalysis and sensing. Notable achievements are the development of the plastic plasmonics concept where we combine nanoparticle based sensors with functional polymers. Another outcome is the use of flow chemistry to produce large amounts of nanoparticles with specific surface facets. The flow chemistry allows for a high degree of automation, reaction optimization and quality monitoring using artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts. This research has lead to the formation of the startup Nano Scientifica Scandinavica AB.

Key words
Organic Chemistry, Materials, Energy Storage, Organic Synthesis, Nanomaterials

ORCID
: 0000-0003-4018-4927

RESEARCHER ID
: A-6178-2009
Motta, Massimo

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

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Motta, Massimo
Research Professor at
Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Social & Behavioural Sciences
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Research interests

Massimo has been working on a number of issues related to the welfare effects of business practices. In particular, he has been studying exclusionary practices - such as predation, rebates, exclusive contracts, tying, refusal to deal - that dominant firms may adopt to exclude rivals from the market; and the effects of mergers and acquisitions. Both sets of issues are very important in today's digital economies, and his current research focuses on the conduct of the big digital platforms: with C Fumagalli and C Tarantino (respectively at Bocconi Univ. and at LUISS, Rome) he studies the acquisition of start-ups by big firms, with M Peitz (Mannheim) the policy aspects of "big tech mergers" in general, with S Shelegia (UPF) large firms' decisions not to allow access to their platforms, or to imitate products and applications of complementors, to prevent the possibility of being challenged by them and with A Penta (ICREA-UPF) the market effects of online advertising auctions.

Key words
Applied microeconomics, Industrial organisation, antitrust, competition policy

ORCID
: 0000-0003-1848-8713

RESEARCHER ID
: A-8866-2013
Moyà Solà, Salvador

Institut Català de Paleontologia (ICP)

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Moyà Solà, Salvador
Research Professor at
Institut Català de Paleontologia (ICP)
Life & Medical Sciences
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Research interests

The main aim of my research is the study of the origin and evolution of hominoids (Primates) from a paleontological perspective. It forms part of a wider research scope, embracing the evolutionary history of primates including Paleogene and Pleistocene primates. A major goal is the study of the paradox existing between the ancestral crown-hominoid (and hominid) morphotypes reconstructed on the basis of derived features shared by extant taxa and the more primitive morphotype found in the fossil record. This suggests that homoplasy plays a role in hominoid evolution, suggesting that orthograde adaptations could be convergent in the three hominoid lineages, gibbons, orangutans and African Apes. Morphofunctional analysis of complex structures or the application of proteomics to fossil hominoids, would help to identify homoplastic characters. Field work on the Vallès-Penedès Neogene basin with the objective to increase the current hominoid fossil record, is a priority action of my research.

Key words
Paleoprimatology, human evolution, evolution insular ecosystems
Mugarza Ezpeleta, Aitor

Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)

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Mugarza Ezpeleta, Aitor
Research Professor at
Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)
Engineering Sciences
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Research interests

The research interests of Aitor Mugarza focus on the atomic-scale engineering of the quantum properties of novel nanomaterials. At the nanoscale, the properties of materials are dominated by quantum effects and interfacial phenomena, which impose strong limitations on the control and reproducibility of device performances, but also open up avenues for engineering new physical properties. The aim of Aitor Mugarza and his group is to understand and control quantum phenomena with atomic precision by chemical and structural manipulation, nanostructuring and interfacing materials that are identified as strategic in the roadmap for new technologies (hybrid metal-organic heterostructures, graphene-based 2D materials, topological insulators...).

Key words
nanoelectronics and nanospintronics, quantum confinement, single-molecule spectroscopy and manipulation, scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy

ORCID
: orcid.org/0000-0002-2698-885X

RESEARCHER ID
: B-6871-2012