Rubén Garcia Alia, CERN, received the IEEE NPSS Early Achievement Award

Citation: For contribution to the understanding of single-event effects in microelectronics used in accelerator and space applications.

Rubén García Alía is part of the “Radiation to Electronics” (R2E) project at CERN, which he has led since 2018. After studying nuclear and high-energy physics at the Complutense University in Madrid (Spain), he started his career in radiation effects as a Young Graduate Trainee at the European Space Agency, in the Netherlands. From there, he completed his Ph.D. with CERN and the University of Montpellier, focusing on the effect of highly energetic particles on Single Event Effects in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) accelerator. During this period, he was recognized with the “Best Student Paper” award at RADECS 2012 and the IEEE NPSS Paul Phelps Continuing Education Grant in 2015. Since then, he has kept a strong involvement in radiation effects research, focusing on high-energy accelerator applications, and has co-authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He has co-authored a RADECS Short Course, has been session chair at NSREC and RADECS, and was the technical chair for RADECS 2021. In 2020 he was elected Member-at-Large of the IEEE NPSS Radiation Effects Steering Group (RESG). He also received the NSREC 2022 Meritorious Paper Award for his work on high-energy ion fragmentation for SEE testing. 

At CERN, Rubén’s main task is managing the R2E project, which is responsible for all radiation effects in the LHC accelerator and its injector chair, with the mandate of ensuring successful operation with regards to stochastic failures and lifetime degradation induced by radiation. The project, which is composed of more than 50 members, embeds a rich variety of activities and expertise, ranging from the monitoring and calculation of radiation levels, the operation and upgrade of CERN radiation facilities, and testing for radiation effects at both component and system level. 

Between 2017 and 2022, Rubén coordinated the RADSAGA (RADiation and reliability challenges for electronics used in Space, Aviation, Ground and Accelerators), an innovative training Marie Curie Ph.D. network. Currently, he is leading the RADNEXT and HEARTS EU projects, the first related to a network of European irradiation facilities, and the second focusing on the development of European capabilities for high-energy heavy ion testing. 

For additional information contact Teresa Farris, RE vice chair for Publicity by E-mail at [email protected].