Erwin Schrödinger Visiting Scientist 2026

With the kind support of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna (MA7), we will host this year Maria Belén Gavela as the Erwin-Schrödinger Visiting Scientist 2026.

Maria Belen Gavela studied physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where she also received her doctorate, following earlier studies at Université Paris-Sud. She held research positions in France, the United States, and at CERN, where she worked both as a fellow and later as a staff member. After holding a permanent position at the French CNRS, she returned to Madrid, where she has been Full Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid since 1996.

Prof. Gavela conducts research in the field of particle physics phenomenology and quantum field theory. Her work has had a broad impact on topics such as CP violation, neutrino physics, and physics beyond the Standard Model. She made seminal contributions to the study of weak matrix elements in lattice QCD and to the theoretical understanding of the neutron electric dipole moment, and has played a central role in the development of effective field theory approaches to physics beyond the Standard Model. Her theoretical work on leptonic mixing and CP violation has been particularly influential, setting the path for the present intense search for CP violation in neutrino oscillations. In recent years she has been actively contributing to the field of axion and axion-like particle physics.

Prof. Gavela has received several distinctions for her work, including the Julius Wess Award (2023) and the Beate Naroska Guest Professorship (2020). She has also played an important role in the international particle physics community through her service on numerous high-level committees, including the CERN Scientific Policy Committee, the CERN Research Board, and the Physics Preparatory Group for the European Strategy Update. She is currently a member of the Scientific Committees of the Future Circular Collider (FCC), DESY, and the INFN International Evaluation Committee.

The Erwin Schrödinger Visiting Scientist is funded by the City of Vienna's Department of Cultural Affairs. It aims to promote cultural exchange with scientific research and interaction. The Erwin Schrödinger Visiting Professorship has a long tradition, going back to Walter Thirring in the 1970s and has already been awarded more than 50 times to outstanding researchers in the field of particle physics.

Prof. Gavela will be a guest of the particle physics group between May 4 and 15 and again between October 12 and  23. Her lectures in May will take place May 5 and 12.