The IGFAE opens the selection process to fill the position of Director

The Instituto Galego de Física de Altas Enerxías (IGFAE) opens the selection process to fill the position of Director of the Institute. The expected incorporation would take place during the first semester of 2027. Deadline for applications is October 15, 2026.

All information about the process can be consulted at this link: https://igfae.usc.es/igfae/oferta/convocatoria-direccion/

---

Candidate profile

• Experience in leading teams, centers, scientific structures or major research projects.
• The ability to define and develop an ambitious scientific and strategic vision for the Institute.
• Experience in securing competitive research funding.
• Participation in the leadership of international projects, collaborations or consortia.
• The ability to foster cooperation among the Institute’s different scientific, experimental, theoretical and technological areas.
• Knowledge of the Galician, Spanish and European research systems.
• The ability to engage effectively with academic institutions, public administrations, funding bodies and other scientific and societal stakeholders, together with experience in knowledge transfer and relations with industry.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, scientific integrity, responsible research and the creation of an inclusive and collaborative working environment.

English is a customary working language at IGFAE. To perform the duties of Director effectively, functional knowledge of Galician or Spanish will be required, or a commitment to acquire it within a reasonable period after taking up the position.

The Director will be responsible for:

• Providing scientific vision and defining the strategic objectives of the Institute.
• Leading the development, updating and implementation of IGFAE’s strategic plan.
• Directing, coordinating and promoting the Institute’s scientific, technological, innovation and knowledge transfer activities.
• Promoting scientific excellence and collaboration among the different research areas and programmes.
• Representing IGFAE before the promoting institutions, funding agencies and other national and international entities.
• Promoting the recruitment, training and retention of scientific, technical and management talent.
• Driving the acquisition of competitive funding and contributing to the institutional and financial sustainability of the center.
• Presenting activity plans, strategic proposals, budgets and reports to the Institute’s governing bodies.
• Coordinating with the Institute’s governing bodies, the Governing Board and the Scientific Advisory Board, and directing and coordinating the internal scientific, technical and management structures.
• Promoting an inclusive, collaborative and respectful working environment, based on the principles of equality, diversity, scientific integrity and good practices.
• Fostering innovation, knowledge transfer and collaboration with other research centers, scientific infrastructures, institutions and companies.
• Promoting science communication, public engagement, scientific culture and the Institute’s relationship with society.
• Enhancing the collaboration, influence and international reputation of the Institute and its researchers, particularly within major international scientific infrastructures and the forums in which future strategies are determined.

About IGFAE

IGFAE is a joint research centre of the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Regional Government of Galicia, dedicated to research excellence in particle physics, nuclear physics, astroparticle physics and related areas, from theoretical, experimental and technological perspectives. The Institute is also opening a new research line in quantum information science and technologies, driven by a recent agreement with the Galician Supercomputing Centre (CESGA).

The Institute’s scientific activity is currently organised around three strategic areas: The Standard Model to its Limits; Cosmic Particles and Fundamental Physics; and Nuclear Physics from the Laboratory to Improving Human Health. IGFAE participates in major international collaborations, experiments and infrastructures, and its activities range from fundamental research on the elementary constituents of matter and the fundamental interactions to their technological applications.

Its mission also includes training new generations of researchers, attracting talent, knowledge transfer, innovation and the promotion of scientific culture, as well as fostering industrial returns from the major international infrastructures in which it participates—one of the Institute’s defining features. IGFAE was recognised as a María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence in 2017 and obtained a second accreditation for the 2024–2030 period. It is also part of CIGUS, the network of research centres of excellence of the Regional Government of Galicia. The IGFAE headquarters were inaugurated in 2025, significantly expanding both the available physical space and the Institute’s capabilities.

The opening of these premises marked the beginning of a new stage for the Institute, with enhanced experimental laboratory capabilities to address the major challenges facing physics in the coming years; a modern, open design aimed at strengthening internal integration and engagement with the wider community; and a layout that supports talent attraction and the creation and development of new research lines within the Institute.

The person appointed as Director will be expected to lead this new stage of the Institute, consolidate the progress achieved, strengthen its international standing, and promote an ambitious, inclusive and sustainable scientific vision for the coming years.