André F. V. Cortez

André Filipe Cortez is a Visiting Scientist (Adiunct) at Centrum Astronomiczne im. Mikołaja Kopernika (CAMK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw (Poland). His research interests focus on experimental physics, in particular in the development of novel techniques for radiation detection with the aim of providing adequate solutions to the existing technological challenges. Graduated in Engineering Physics from the University of Coimbra (Portugal) back in 2012. As a undergraduate student, he got his first research grant at the Univ. of Coimbra (CEMDRX group) characterizing the pigments of Portuguese royal tombs with powder X-ray diffraction. Soon after he finished his MSc degree, he joined Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), one of the most prominent research laboratories of Portugal in experimental physics, where he initially worked in the study of charge transport properties in gases, that originated the establishment of two RD51 Common Projects with important research centres that include CEA Saclay (France), VECC, (India), GSI (Germany), Uludag University (Turkey) and more recently the invitation to perform these studies for the ILC (International Linear Collider) experiment, more specifically for the LCTPC collaboration. In 2014, he received a PhD scholarship from FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia) to start his investigation work in high-pressure gas-filled radiation detectors. During his PhD he started his own research line in the group, for which he received some funding support from LIP and via RD51/CERN through their common fund. The research line was focused on the development of a new dual-polarity ion drift chamber that allows to measure both the positive and negative ion mobility, electron drift velocity and which is currently being adapted to provide data on electron and ion diffusion, following the interest of the scientific community in moving to NITPCs (Negative Ion TPCs). During his PhD, he was involved in the AHEAD consortium (H2020 project), where he worked in mass model and performance simulation of space instruments, more specifically of the e-ASTROGAM instrument (M5 – ESA Mission Proposal) and AMEGO instrument (NASA Mission Proposal). One of the main objectives was also to study gamma-ray polarimetry via pair production. After the completion of his PhD, he joined Laboratory of Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering and Radiation Physics (LIBPhys-UC) which is internationally known for its innovative detector development research and where he was involved in the development of new techniques for neutron detection using suspended nanoparticles, which has already made its way to the Nature magazine. This alternative method combines the larger energy released in the 10B reaction with the full energy collection of 3He proportional counters. In November 2019, André joined the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) as a postdoctoral researcher, being affiliated with the Laboratorio Nazionali del Gran Sasso (INFN-LNGS). His work within the CYGBNO collaboration focused mainly in the development and optimization of Time Projection Chambers (TPC) for directional Dark Matter searches at the 1-10 GeV mass range, which included the simulation of the most recent prototype (LIME) - expected to be installed underground at LNGS by Fall 2021. In August 2021, André joined the IEAP of the Czech Technical University in Prague, working in the development of novel modular spectrometers for light charged particles in the search for the proposed X17 Boson. The objective was to provide precise particle tracking, while addressing the technical issues of current and future particle physics experiments. In IEAP of the Czech Technical University in Prague, he is involved in the development of a trapezoidal TPC that will make use of the most promising MPGDs available and which will be dedicated to particle physics. Nowadays, his research is focused in the develop of alternative amplification structures for large volume liquid noble radiation detectors, with the objective of providing an improved sensitivity and lower background for dark matter searches. The purpose of these new detectors is to address the technical issues of current and future particle physics experiments. At AstroCeNT from the Polish Academy of Sciences, he is working on a promising amplification structure to convert the wavelength of the emission in noble liquids/gases into visible, providing at the same time signal amplification.