Matej Jergel, Dipl. Ing., D.Sc.

Curriculum vitae

Born:

• 1954, Bratislava, Slovakia

Education and scientific degrees:

• 1972–1977 — studies at Slovak University of Technology — Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bratislava
• 1977 — Dipl.Ing. diploma work "Electrical conductivity of chalcogenide glasses", Slovak University of Technology — Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Solid State Physics, Bratislava
• 1985 — PhD. thesis "Study of the structure of amorphous Ti-based alloys and its changes after a low temperature annealing", Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava
• 2004 — D.Sc. thesis "Application of X-ray scattering to interface studies in planar and patterned multilayers for soft X-EUV optics", Comenius University — Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Bratislava

Professional career:

• since 1977 — Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava
• 1977–1980 — assistant
• 1981–1984 — PhD student
• 1985–1990 — research fellow
• 1991–1996 — independent research fellow
• since 1997 — senior research fellow
• since 1991 — Head of the Laboratory of X-ray structural analysis
• since 1997 — Deputy Head of the Department of multilayers and nanostructures
• since 2018 — Head of the Department of multilayers and nanostructures

Research scope

• before 1992
  materials — amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys prepared by rapid quenching of the melt
  experimental techniques — X-ray diffraction; EXAFS spectroscopy (at synchrotron); magnetostriction measurements; densitometry; dilatometry
  problems studied — structure solution — radial distribution analysis; thermal stability and structural relaxation
  
• 1992–2003
  structures — planar multilayer mirrors and multilayer gratings for X-ray and UV optics; magnetic multilayers and granular films with giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect; semiconductor thin films for solar cells; ionic conductor films for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs); high-k dielectric thin films; high-temperature superconducting thin films; optical and protective coatings
  experimental techniques — specular and non-specular X-ray reflectometry; interface X-ray diffuse scattering; reciprocal space mapping; X-ray diffraction including grazing incidence and non-ambient conditions; X-ray magnetic resonant scattering and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (at synchrotron)
  problems studied — complex interface characterization in nanometer-scale artificial multilayer structures; dependence of interface quality on preparation conditions with the aim to maximize GMR or reflectivity; thermal stability and radiation hardness of multilayer structures; studies of non-coplanar X-ray scattering effects in multilayer gratings; defect passivation in semiconducting films for solar cells; phase composition, surface morphology and microstructure of various thin films with the aim to enhance their funcionality (SOFCs, high-k dielectric and MgB₂ superconducting thin films, optical and protective coatings)
  
• 2003–2010
  structures — soft X-ray ultrashort period and aperiodic multilayer mirrors; planar spin valves; patterned spin valves (nanopillars) with current–induced magnetization switching; hybrid spintronic nanostructures with magnetic nanoparticles; nanoparticle 3D structures prepared by solvent evaporation or spin coating of colloidal nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides; mono- and multilayer nanoparticle assemblies prepared by Langmuir-Schaefer technique; supported and self-standing nanoparticle membranes
  experimental techniques — small-angle X-ray scattering and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering
  problems studied — ISO standardization of X-ray reflectometry (ISO standard 16413:2013); thermal stability of multilayer mirrors for X-ray microfocus sources and FEL; induced magnetism in magnetic multilayers; Néel coupling in spin valves; current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS); Coulomb and spin blockade in hybrid spintronic structures; nanoparticle self-assembly phenomena at the liquid/air interface; nanoparticle lift-off lithography; nanoparticle photolysis and ozonolysis; utilization of nanoparticle membranes for sensors
  
• since 2010 the research has been extended by
  structures — organic solar cells and hybrid perovskite solar cells; Langmuir films and nanofilms of nanoparticles and 2D nanomaterials (metal oxide nanoparticles, carbon quantum dots, nanoflakes of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides); functionalized nanoflakes of 2D nanomaterials for biomedicine; van der Waals heterostructures of organic molecules and 2D nanomaterials; tailored V-shaped channel-cut crystal monochromators for X-ray nanometrology and X-ray imaging
  experimental techniques — time-resolved small- and wide-angle non-coplanar X-ray scattering at grazing incidence (GISAXS and GIWAXS); coplanar grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD); UV visible NIR spectroscopy; confocal Raman microscopy; multimode atomic force microscopy; stylus profilometry; laser scatterometry; spectroscopic and imaging ellipsometry
  problems studied — application of plasmonic nanoparticles, quantum dots and 2D nanomaterials in organic and hybrid perovskite solar cells for efficiency and stability improvement; development of functionalized 2D nanomaterials (graphene oxide, MoS₂) for diagnostics and targeted treatment of cancer cells; application of 2D nanomaterials to the orientation control of small organic molecules in van der Waals heterostructures; development of nanomachining technology for the next generation of X-ray crystal optics; tailored design of new elements and setups of X-ray crystal optics for X-ray nanometrology and X-ray imaging

Publication activity (author and co-author)

• chapters in books — 11
• papers in international journals — more than 300
• papers in conference proceedings — more than 250
• patents — 2
• invited lectures — 40
• presentations at conferences — more than 300

Publication response (without self-citations)

• SCI, WOS — 1600
• Others — 70
• H index — 23

Stays abroad (3 months and more)

• Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor (HASYLAB) am DESY, Hamburg (1989)
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste (1991, 1993, 1995)
• Laboratoire pour l’utilisation du Rayonnement Electromagnétique (LURE), Paris-Orsay (1992)
• Laboratoire de Cristallographie du CNRS, Grenoble (regularly each year 1993–2000)
• Centro de Investigaciónes y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City (1997, 1999, 2001–2003)

Membership in Scientific Bodies and Expert Activities

• Council of the Slovak Society for Chemistry and Physics of Solids (1993–2001)
• Council of the European Synchrotron Radiation Society — National Representantive (1995–2001)
• Scientific Board of the Czech and Slovak Crystallographic Society (1996–2001)
• National grant agency VEGA (1996–2001, 2012–2021)
• Scientific Board of the Institute of Physics of SAS (1996–2001 — Deputy Chairman, 2010–2018 — member)
• Management Committee of the COST P7 Action "X-ray and Neutron Optics" (2002–2006) — Working Group 3 Leader
• Expert Guarrantee of IP SAS for PhD study in the subject 5.2.13 Electronics (since 2008–2016)
• Common Domain Commission for PhD study in the domains 4.1.3 Solid State Physics and Acoustics and 4.1.4. Quantum Electronics and Optics and Optical Spectroscopy (FMPI CU — IP SAS) (since 2009)
• Collegium of SAS for Mathematics, Physics and Informatics (2010–2018)
• European Academy of Sciences and Arts in Salzburg (since 2010)
• Management Committee of the COST MP1203 Action "Advanced X-ray Spatial and Temporal Metrology" (2012–2016)
• National Committee of IUPAP (since 2013)
• Permanent member of the Examination Board for the national PhD study final examinations in study programmes Physical Engineering and Solid State Physics and Acoustics at FEEI SUT (since 2013)
• Board for Natural Sciences of the Slovak Research and Development Agency (2014–2018)
• National delegate of Slovakia in European Synchrotron and FEL Users Organization (2014–2023)
• Learned Society of Slovakia (since 2016)
• SAS Commission for evaluation of international projects (since 2017)
• Expert of the European Union in the 6^th and 7^th Framework Programmes and Horizon 2020 (Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences, Information and Communication Technologies)
• Strategic Expert Group of M-ERA.NET Call 2019
• Administrative Board of the Insitute of Physics SAS (since 2022)
• European Crystallographic Association
• Slovak Physical Society
• Union of Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists
• Slovak Vacuum Society

Participation in research projects

• international (FP of EU, COST, VAMAS, ERA-Net, bilateral) — 36 (5× principal investigator)
• projects of Structural Funds of EU and Block Grants of EEA — 15 (2× principal investigator)
• national (VEGA, APVT, APVV, CE, state order) — 35 (4× principal investigator, 1× deputy principal investigator)

Organization of scientific events

• Member of Programme or Organization Committees of 18 international and 3 national conferences

Awards

• Prize of the Union of the Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists 1985
• Medal of of the Slovak Academy of Sciences for young scientists 1986
• SAS Prize for infrastructure development for science 2011
• Member of the research team identified as top team by an audit of the Academic Ranking and Rating Agency (www.arra.sk) 2011
• Honorary Plaque SAS of Dionýz Ilkovič for merits in physico-chemical sciences 2014
• Principal investigator of the APVV-0308-11 project that was selected for a representative publication of SRDA Agency on the most successful completed projects of the VV 2011 call

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