Advent calendar - December 22nd -Sergio Alvarruiz Campos

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, support staff and technicians of our research groups and team - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 22 meet Sergio Alvarruiz Campos, PhD resea rcher in the Computational Materials Science group of prof. Jagoda Slawinsk a .

I am a PhD student in the Theory of Condensed Matter group at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials. My research focuses on the computational study of materials with novel physical properties and potential technological applications. A central goal of my work is to bridge theory and experiment by providing accurate predictions and physical insight that can guide the design of future spintronic devices.

My days usually begin by checking the status of ongoing calculations running on the computer cluster. This is followed by a cup of coffee, during which I organize my schedule and update my list of tasks for the day. The rest of my time depends on the stage of the project and may range from literature review and pen-and-paper derivations to performing first-principles calculations and developing computational tools. An equally important part of my routine consists of frequent discussions with colleagues, my supervisor, and collaborators, where we exchange ideas and address challenges together.

My work mainly centers on the study of van der Waals materials and their properties, spanning topics from thermoelectric effects to charge-to-spin interconversion mechanisms. In particular, I am interested in magnetic van der Waals materials, where reduced dimensionality and weak interlayer coupling give rise to rich and highly tunable magnetic phenomena. These systems offer unique opportunities to control magnetic order through stacking, electric fields, or proximity effects, making them especially attractive for spintronic applications. In the future, I plan to further investigate these materials to understand the interplay between magnetism, electronic structure, and symmetry, and to identify promising platforms for efficient spin manipulation at the nanoscale.

See all Advent Calendar items 2025 here!