Angel Rubio

Angel Rubio is a distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Hamburg and holds concurrent roles as Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, and Distinguished Professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). He leads the Wolfgang Pauli Centre and the Nano-bio Spectroscopy group. His academic journey includes Full Professorships at UPV/EHU (2001–2014) and positions at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute, UC Berkeley, and the Fritz Haber Institute. Rubio is a global leader in computational quantum physics, particularly in TDDFT and nanomaterials.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Valladolid, 1991 (Summa Cum Laude)
• B.S. in Physics, University of Valladolid, 1988 (Summa Cum Laude)

Research Focus: Rubio’s work centers on electronic structure methods, time-resolved spectroscopy, and quantum many-body theory. He pioneered the open-source octopus code for ab initio simulations, widely used globally. His contributions span nanocapillarity, nanoplasmonics, and strong light-matter interactions, with applications in novel materials and energy systems.

Grants & Leadership: Holder of two ERC Advanced Grants (DYNamo and QSpec-NewMat), Rubio directs the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF). His research has garnered over 28,000 citations (H-index 82) and 65 papers with >100 citations. He is a vocal advocate for computational physics, organizing >50 international workshops and advising major institutes like the Psi-k Network.

Recognition:

• Top 0.3% in the American Physical Society’s Author Rank
• Honor Prize for Best Ph.D. Thesis (1992)
• Member of multiple national academies and advisory boards