Rosalía
Serna
Galán

Research Professor and leader of the Laser Processing Group at the Instituto de Óptica (CSIC) in Madrid, with over 35 years of research career spanning Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

My work sits at the intersection of applied physics, photonics, and nanotechnology, with a focus on light–matter interaction. The core strategy has been to integrate fundamental knowledge with advanced material synthesis to design novel nanophotonic structures and implement them in high-efficiency integrated devices.

My contributions have been particularly influential in four areas: advanced laser-based synthesis, silicon-integrated photonics, functional nanocomposites, and unconventional plasmonics. I have demonstrated the potential of bismuth nanostructures as a platform for interband plasmonics — a field I have helped open and establish.

Principal investigator on over 30 national, bilateral, and international projects, with extensive participation in European evaluation panels (FP5–HORIZON) and a strong commitment to public science communication.