Essential Insights
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First Cohort of Fellows: Three Spanish postdocs from MIT—Luis Antonio Benítez, Carolina Cuesta-Lazaro, and Fernando Romero López—were named the inaugural Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation Fellows by the Department of Physics.
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Research Funding: Each fellow receives a one-year stipend and research funding to explore their specific interests, with plans for a collaborative visit to the Botton Foundation in Madrid this summer.
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Innovative Research Focus: The fellows’ research areas include quantum materials (Benítez), cosmology and AI (Cuesta-Lazaro), and quantum chromodynamics (Romero López), all aiming to advance their respective fields significantly.
- Foundation’s Mission: The Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation, established in 2017, promotes scientific research and supports training for future physicists at leading universities, as well as organizing international physics conferences in Spain.
Three Spanish MIT Physics Postdocs Receive Botton Foundation Fellowships
Three Spanish postdoctoral researchers from MIT’s Department of Physics recently received prestigious fellowships from the Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation. They are the first cohort of Botton Foundation Fellows. The selected researchers, Luis Antonio Benítez, Carolina Cuesta-Lazaro, and Fernando Romero López, each obtain a one-year stipend and a research fund. Moreover, they will travel to Madrid to visit the Botton Foundation this summer.
Luis Antonio Benítez, a dual citizen of Spain and Colombia, focuses on the electronic properties of advanced quantum materials. He investigates two-dimensional materials like graphene. Through his research, Benítez aims to unlock new technologies. He completed his PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he deepened his understanding of spin and electronic properties.
Meanwhile, Carolina Cuesta-Lazaro specializes in cosmology and artificial intelligence. She develops machine-learning models that advance physics. Her work on cosmological inference seeks to explain the universe’s accelerated expansion. Cuesta-Lazaro completed her PhD at the Institute for Computational Cosmology and now holds positions at both MIT and Harvard University. She proudly hails from Cuenca, known for its exceptional Manchego cheese.
Fernando Romero López, who earned his PhD from the University of Valencia, studies the strong interactions among quarks and gluons. His research combines effective field theories with lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) simulations. This work aims to clarify how protons and neutrons form, as well as the properties of atomic nuclei. Romero López also investigates exotic hadrons identified at the Large Hadron Collider.
In addition to the fellowships, the Botton Foundation recently funded scholarships for two PhD physics students at MIT. Oriol Rubies Bigorda explores interacting quantum particles for future quantum technologies. Miguel Calvo Carrera focuses on applying physics to renewable energy sources.
Established in 2017, the Mauricio and Carlota Botton Foundation aims to foster scientific research and train young physicists at leading global universities. The foundation supports conferences that connect experts in cutting-edge physics fields, enhancing technological development in the process.
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