Dr. Elisabeth Gruber
Curriculum Vitae
Current and Previous Positions
- since 2024 Principal investigator (FWF - Elise-Richter), Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria
- 2020-2023 Principal investigator (FWF - Hertha-Firnberg), Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria
- 2017-2020 Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark
- 2013-2017 University Assistant, Institute of Applied Physics, TU Wien, Austria
Education
- 2017: Ph.D. Technical Physics (with distinction), TU Wien
- 2012: M.Sc. Technical Physics (with distinction), TU Wien
- 2009: B.Sc. Technical Physics (with distinction), TU Wien
Research interests
- Molecular Physics / Biophysics /Astrophysics: optical spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, photophysics of (bio)molecules, molecular dynamics, molecular relaxation processes, diffuse interstellar bands
- Cold physics: cluster formation, helium nanodroplets
- Atomic / Ion physics: highly charged ions, atomic relaxation processes, charge exchange and energy loss processes, atomic collisions (ion-atoms/molecules)
- Surface Physics: ion-surface interaction processes, surface-nanostructuring, 2D materials, high resolution imaging techniques (AFM, TEM, STEM)
Fellowships, honors and awards
- 2024: FWF-Elise-Richter Grant on "Messenger spectroscopy of C60 analogues"
- 2023: Grant of the Tiroler Wissenschaftsförderung on "Spectroscopy of He-tagged photoactive (metal)organic molecules"
- 2020: FWF-Hertha-Firnberg Grant on "Biomolecular Spectroscopy in Charged Helium Nanodroplets"
- 2017: Hannspeter-Winter Award 2017 (doctoral dissertation award), TU Wien
- 2017: Loschmidt-Prize 2017 (doctoral dissertation award), Austrian Chemical-Physical Society
- 2015, 2016: Scholarship grant of TU Wien for conference participation
- 2013: Scholarship grant of TU Wien for academic research
- 2010: Proexcellentia II: Honour for academic performance, South Tyrol, Italy
- 2007, 2010: Scholarship for academic excellence, South Tyrol, Italy
- 2006: Proexcellentia I: Honour of the 10 best high-school graduates of South Tyrol, Italy
Teaching experience
- WS2022/23 and WS2023/24: Lecture at Universität Innsbruck: "Einführung in die Material- und Nanowissenschaften"
- SS2023: Laboratory Course - Special Advanced Laboratory Class A: Ion Physics and Applied Physics at Universität Innsbruck
- SS2022: Laboratory Course at Universität Innsbruck (Fortgeschrittenen-Praktikum 1)
- WS2015/16: Laboratory Course Physics II at TU Wien (Laborpraktikum Physik)
Scientific stays abroad
- European XFEL, Hamburg, Germany (one week in June 2023) Research: Single-electron nanoplasma seeding probed by ultrafast X-ray coherent diffractive imaging. (PI: Dr. Oliver Gessner)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Germany, in total 10 weeks (2013-2016);
Research: Charge exchange and energy loss of highly charged ions interacting with 2D materials - Grand Accélérateur National D’Ions Lourds (Ganil) Caen, France, in total 6 weeks (2013- 2015);
Research: Surface nanostructuring by swift heavy and highly charged ions - University Duisburg-Essen, Germany (09/2014);
Research: Surface nanostructuring by highly charged ions; UHV-AFM measurements - University Bielefeld, Germany (02/2013);
Research: HIM (helium ion microscopy) measurements of irradiated carbon nanomembranes
Academic achievements and activities
- 44 publications in peer-reviewed journals (among them 2 Nat. Comm., 1 JACS, 2 PRL, 1 Adv. Sci.)
- 28 talks at international conferences (18 invited)
- Since 2012: (Co)-Supervision of Bachelor (9), master (7) and PhD (2) students
- Since October 2022: MC member of the COST Action CA21126 ’NanoSpace’
- Refereeing work for international scientific journals
- Outreach activities:
- Invited participant of the panel discussion: Graphen - der neue Wunderstoff in der Wissenschaft, TU Wien (March 16, 2017);
- Invited Talk at the Science Night 2019: Das Wunder des Sehens und der Fotosynthese - Wie die Physik Licht in die Biologie bringt, Algund, South Tyrol, (April 16, 2019);
- Evaluation and Awarding of the Dr. Hans Riegel Fachpreise 2022 for the discipline Physics at the Universität Innsbruck (2022)
- Links to press releases:
- Meteorite Impact on a Nano Scale | TU Wien
- Graphene able to transport huge currents on the nano scale | TU Wien
- Experimentalphysik mit hoher Teilchenenergie - Geistesblitz - derStandard.at › Wissenschaft
- What do you do at IFA when the institute is closed? (au.dk)
- Less than the Blink of an Eye (au.dk)
- Blick ins Innere von photoaktiven Molekülen – Universität Innsbruck (uibk.ac.at)
Ten representative publications
- Bergmeister, L. Ganner, M. Ončák*, E. Gruber*, Gas-Phase Electronic Structure of Phthalocyanine Ions: A Study of Symmetry and Solvation Effects, Adv. Sci. 2307816 (2024). DOI:10.1002/advs.202307816
- Bergmeister, L. Ganner, J. Locher, F. Zappa, P. Scheier, E. Gruber*, Spectroscopy of helium-tagged molecular ions – Development of a novel experimental setup, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 94, 055105 (2023). DOI: 10.1063/5.0144239
- S. Albertini, E. Gruber, F. Zappa, S. Krasnokutski, F. Laimer, P. Scheier, Chemistry and physics of dopants embedded in helium droplets, Mass Spectrom. Rev., 1-39 (2021). DOI: 10.1002/mas.21699
- E. Gruber, A. M. Kabylda, M. B. Nielsen, A. P. Rasmussen, R. Teiwes, P. A. Kusochek, A. V. Bochenkova, L. H. Andersen, Light Driven Ultrafast Bioinspired Molecular Motors: Steering and Accelerating Photoisomerization Dynamics of Retinal, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 69 (2022). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c10752
- E. Gruber, R. Teiwes, C. Kjær, S. Brøndsted Nielsen, L. H. Andersen, Tuning fast excited-state decay by ligand attachment in isolated chlorophyll a, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 24, 149 (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D1CP04356K
- H. V. Kiefer, E. Gruber, J. Langeland, P. A. Kusochek, A. V. Bochenkova, L. H. Andersen, Intrinsic photoisomerization dynamics of protonated Schiff-base retinal, Nat. Commun. 10, 1210 (2019). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09225-7
- E. Gruber, C. Kjær, S. Brøndsted Nielsen, L. H. Andersen, Intrinsic Photophysics of the Lightharvesting Chlorophyll a and b Pigments, Chem. Eur. J. 25, 39 (2019). DOI: 10.1002/chem.201901786
- R. Wilhelm, E. Gruber, J. Schwestka, R. Kozubek, T. Madeira, J. Marques, J. Kobus, A. Krasheninnikov, M. Schleberger, F. Aumayr, Interatomic Coulombic Decay - the mechanism for rapid deexcitation of hollow atoms, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 103401 (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.103401
- E. Gruber, R. A. Wilhelm, R. P´etuya, V. Smejkal, R. Kozubek, A. Hierzenberger, B. C. Bayer, I. Aldazabal, A. K. Kazansky, F. Libisch, A. V. Krasheninnikov, M. Schleberger, S. Facsko, A. G. Borisov, A. Arnau, F. Aumayr, Ultrafast electronic response of graphene to a strong and localized electric field, Nat. Commun. 7, 13948 (2016). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13948
- E. Gruber, P. Salou, L. Bergen, M. El Kharrazi, E. Lattouf, C. Grygiel, Y. Wang, A. Benyagoub, D. Levavasseur, J. Rangama, H. Lebius, B. Ban-D’ Etat, M. Schleberger, F. Aumayr, Swift heavy ion irradiation of CaF2 – from grooves to hillocks in a single ion track, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 28, 405001 (2016). DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/28/40/405001