Biography
Dr. Remy Ávila Foucault
Remy Avila Foucat studied Physics at the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He graduated in 1993, and UNAM awarded him a scholarship to pursue graduate studies at the University of Nice, France, where he obtained his PhD in 1998 with the highest distinction (félicitations du jury).
In 1999, he joined UNAM as a researcher. He worked for ten years at the Center for Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics, UNAM Campus Morelia, and in 2010 moved to the Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology (CFATA), UNAM Campus Querétaro. He is currently a Senior Researcher (Investigador Titular C) and holds Level III in Mexico’s National System of Researchers (SNI).
Dr. Avila has carried out research stays at several leading international institutions, including the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and the University of Hawaiʻi. He has also served as Coordinator of the UNAM Bachelor’s Program in Technology and is currently the Graduate Studies Coordinator at CFATA.
Remy Avila’s area of expertise is applied optics. In his two main lines of research, he addresses phenomena at extreme scales: on the one hand, optical turbulence in the atmosphere and its impact on astronomical observations; on the other, biophotonics, the fascinating interaction between optics and cellular biology. Dr. Avila serves as editor and referee for internationally renowned scientific journals and has received major awards, including the UNAM National University Distinction for Young Academics and the Allen Award from the Optical Society of America.