
Summary
After completing my BSc and MSc degrees in nanotechnology (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain), I obtained my PhD degree in materials science for the high-throughput optimization of organic solar cells by combinatorial methods (Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona [ICMAB-CSIC], Spain). Soon after, I enrolled as postdoctoral researcher on laminated organic photovoltaics for building integration (Linköping University, Sweden). Following, I earned a Humboldt postdoctoral fellowship that I executed at the Institute for Physical Chemistry in Heidelberg University, Germany. Since July 2024, I am UDC-Inditex InTalent fellow (associate researcher) at University of A Coruña (Spain). My main research interests include organic and sustainable electronics for energy harvesting: photovoltaics and thermoelectrics. You can read more about me here.
Education
IES Álvaro Cunqueiro – Vigo, Spain
Scientific-technological baccalaureate, 2010
Graduated with honors
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) – Spain
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2014
Mention in Physics and Chemistry of Nanosystems
10 subjects passed with honors
BSc thesis: ‘Fabrication of polymer thin films with thickness gradients’
Master of Science (MSc) in Advanced Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2015
Specialization in Nanomaterials
Granted scholarship by ‘Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera‘
MSc thesis: ‘Fundamental studies on thin films of conjugated polymers by Raman spectroscopy’
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) – Spain
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Materials Science for the ‘Development of organic solar cells by combinatorial methods’, 2020
Cum laude distinction and Special Award for Doctoral Studies
Postdoctoral experience
Linköping University, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM) – Sweden
Principal Research Engineer in Electronic and Photonic Materials, January 2021 – September 2022
Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Heidelberg University – Germany
Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, November 2022 – June 2024
Centro de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Navais e Industriais (CITENI), University of A Coruña – Spain
UDC-Inditex InTalent Fellow & Associate Researcher, July 2024 – Present
Scientific skills
- Ink formulation and thin film solution-processing: dip, spin, blade and slot-die coating
- Hot rubbing of polymeric thin films
- Lamination of flexible organic electronic devices
- Doping methodologies: charge-transfer, ion-exchange and proton-coupled electron transfer
- Thermoelectric characterization of thin films (in-plane): electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient
- Thermal characterization of thin films: 3w-method (out-of-plane) and Raman thermometry (in-plane)
- Advanced Raman spectroscopy: organic semiconductors, polymers and perovskites
- Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry
- Light-beam induced current imaging
- Operation and design of microfluidic devices
- Optical modelling through transfer matrices (Python)
- Big data analysis and machine-learning (Python)
- Quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models
- Thermal and fluidic modelling with COMSOL Multiphysics and Elmer FEM
Additional skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Proficient in Python
- 3D design in Blender and AutoCAD
- Programming and electronic circuitry based on Arduino and Raspberry Pi
Selected publications
‘On The Thermal Conductivity of Conjugated Polymers for Thermoelectrics’, Advanced Energy Materials (2024)
‘Air Processing of Thick and Semitransparent Laminated Polymer:Non-Fullerene Acceptor Blends Introduces Asymmetric Current–Voltage Characteristics’, Advanced Functional Materials (2023)
‘Laminated Organic Photovoltaic Modules for Agrivoltaics and Beyond: An Outdoor Stability Study of All-Polymer and Polymer:Small Molecule Blends’, Advanced Functional Materials (2023)
‘Identifying structure–absorption relationships and predicting absorption strength of non-fullerene acceptors for organic photovoltaics‘, Energy & Environmental Science (2022)
‘Accelerating organic solar cell material’s discovery: high-throughput screening and big data‘, Energy & Environmental Science (2021)
‘Predicting the photocurrent–composition dependence in organic solar cells‘, Energy & Environmental Science (2021)
‘Microfluidic-Assisted Blade Coating of Compositional Libraries for Combinatorial Applications: the Case of Organic Photovoltaics’, Advanced Energy Materials (2020)
‘Efficient Exploration of the Composition Space in Ternary Organic Solar Cells by Combining High-Throughput Material Libraries and Hyperspectral Imaging’, Advanced Energy Materials (2020)
Prices, awards, distinctions and fellowships
2010 – Baccalaureate passed with honors
2010 – Price ‘A ponte entre o Ensino medio e a USC‘, awarded by Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
2014 – Scholarship Màsters Excel·lència, awarded by Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera
2018 – Best poster award at the International Conference on Science and Technology of Synthetic Metals 2018 (ICSM 2018), Busan, South Korea
2018 – Inside front cover in Advanced Electronic Materials
2020 – Cover picture in Advanced Energy Materials
2020 – PhD cum laude in Materials Science
2020 – Special Award for Doctoral Studies
2022 – Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship
2024 – HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship – European Fellowship 2023 (not executed)
2024 – Distinguished UDC-Inditex InTalent Fellow
Contact
xabi (at) xabirodriguez (dot) com
Centro de Investigación en Tecnoloxías Navais e Industriais (CITENI), Universidade da Coruña
Campus de Esteiro, s/n
15403 Ferrol (A Coruña), Spain
Phone: +34 881 01 3489
xabier (dot) rodriguez (at) udc (dot) es