About the institute

The Instituto Galego de Fı́sica de Altas Enerxı́as (Galician Institute of High Energy Physics, IGFAE) is a joint research centre of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and Xunta de Galicia (regional government). The IGFAE performs frontier research in High Energy Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Astroparticle Physics and related areas, both theoretical and experimental.
Earlier this year, IGFAE has been recognised with “Marı́a de Maeztu” Unit of Excellence accreditation from the Spanish Government, the highest and most competitive distinction in Spain. Consequently, IGFAE is integrated in the Spanish “Severo Ochoa” Centres and “Marı́a de Maeztu” Units of Excellence Alliance (SOMMa).
The IGFAE theoretical section is internationally reputed. Its staff ranks among the best European centers in their research fields according to their size, achieving three ERC projects (2 Starting Grants & 1 Advanced Grant) and several MSCA in recent years. This is a significant opportunity to boost the scientific performance of the institute in the quest for some of the most fundamental questions in Physics. On the experimental field, one of the IGFAE cornerstones is a coordinated and long-term planned participation in the international experiments carried out in large international infrastructures, obtaining top-quality results in facilities such as LHCb (CERN), LIGO, Pierre Auger Observatory or GSI, among others.
In the framework of the Strategic Plan 2023-2026, endorsed by the international plan that evaluated the María the Maeztu proposal, the IGFAE is developing a renewed talent strategy for attraction, training and retention (Global Talent-GT), with stronger focus on earlier stages of the scientific career. According to this, increased effort is being made to consolidate junior staff. Specifically, one of the actions within the Global Talent Programme is a 2-year extension of MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows with the commitment to apply to ERC and Ramón y Cajal grants. This work will be accompanied by a renewed International Postdoctoral Training Program and Career Development Plan.
From mid-2024, the IGFAE has a new headquarters, which will increase its size by 70% and significantly improve its capacities and the services it provides to the staff. Within these new facilities, the institution will provide MSCA fellows with office space on campus, computational resources, and scientific software access and support. IGFAE will give the usual ICT assistance to access all necessary online communication tools to collaborate with local and international colleagues. The candidate’s research will be aided by full access to books and journals, via IGFAE’s physical and electronic library infrastructure.