África Castillo Morales

My research career began in 1999 at the Astrophysics Research Institute in the Liverpool John Moores University, studying the distribution of gas in clusters of nearby galaxies through X-ray observations (ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Chandra). The development of my doctoral thesis (2001-2005, Univ. Granada) also included the detailed study of the dynamics of central regions of star-forming galaxies as a useful tool for the study of gas flows (and therefore magnetic field) and stellar material to and from the intergalactic environment.

My postdoctoral research has focused on the study of populations of nearby star-forming galaxies using advanced 2D spectroscopy techniques in the visible: (1) understanding the interaction between galaxies and the intergalactic medium has been a topic to which I have dedicated part of my postdoctoral research, with the detection and analysis of galactic winds (INTEGRAL in WHT), (2) study of luminous, compact and blue galaxies: their kinematics, current rhythm of stellar formation, dust distribution and metallicity (PPAK in 3.5m@CAHA), to understand the mechanisms that give rise to intense star formation in this type of galaxies, (3) two-dimensional study of the rate of stellar formation based on the corrected H emission of extinction in the sample of CALIFA galaxies.

My research area has also an important instrumental component, participating since 2010 in the scientific and instrumental team of MEGARA (Multi-Spectrograph in High Resolution GTC for Astronomy, currently installed in the telescope and with the commissioning period successfully completed) led by the UCM (IP: Armando Gil de Paz), in which I led the work related to the control package of this instrument. Among the responsibilities of the position that I have occupied in this instrumental project, is the coordination and management of the different tasks within this work package such as: the development of data reduction software, instrument simulator, exposure time calculator, positioning tool for MOS, control of mechanisms and control system of the instrument.
I am a researcher collaborating in activities related to the Advanced Scientific Instrumentation Laboratory (LICA), a strategic action of the Moncloa Campus of Excellence of the Faculty of Physical Sciences of the UCM. Since its creation at the end of 2010, the LICA has generated several direct university-company contracts through research projects under Art. 83 of the L.O.U. I have participated in four projects of this type leading one of them.
I am a member of the scientific and instrumental team of the UCM that participates in the international collaboration for the design and construction of the multi-object optical spectrograph MOSAIC for the E-ELT telescope of the ESO.