IMPRESS School

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IMPRESS School on
Operando and Correlative Experiments


DATES: MAY 5-9, 2025
LOCATION: ALBA Synchrotron, Barcelona, Spain
CAPACITY: Limited to 20 participants

The IMPRESS School on Operando and Correlative Experiments, organized and hosted by ALBA Synchrotron, offers an immersive learning experience for early-stage researchers to explore advanced operando and correlative techniques. This School combines in-depth lectures by renowned experts and hands-on training at state-of-the-art beamlines and laboratories at ALBA.


Aligned with the aims of the IMPRESS Project, which focuses on developing an innovative interoperable platform for TEM and advancing in-situ and operando approaches, especially in combination with synchrotron techniques, this School will equip participants with the skills necessary to tackle complex research challenges in different scientific fields.


Apply

Format

Lectures

Delivered by leading researchers in the field.

Hands-On Sessions

Practical experience in small groups of 4-5.

Poster Sessions

Share and discuss research challenges.

Student Presentations

Showcase solutions on the final day.


Program Highlights


Lectures

Participants will learn about operando synchrotron and (S)TEM experiments, multi-lengthscale imaging, and advanced multimodal and correlative workflows.

These sessions will provide foundational knowledge and application examples of synchrotron and electron microscopy techniques.

Practical Sessions

Participants will gain experience in various ALBA beamlines and laboratories: Operando X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction, (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscopy, Operando Synchrotron Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Macromolecular Crystallography, Operando Small Angle X-ray Scattering.

Student Sessions

Throughout the School, participants will share their research challenges and engage with peers and experts during poster sessions and guided discussions.
On the last day, they will deliver a brief presentation, proposing solutions to these challenges based on the skills they have gained throughout the School.


Key Topics and Tools

The lectures and practicals are mostly centered on applications in energy materials (catalysis, electrocatalysis, batteries, etc.) but there will also be contributions on spintronics and on life sciences.

The techniques covered in this School include:

  • X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS)
  • X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
  • Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)
  • Synchrotron FTIR
  • Macromolecular Crystallography
  • Scanning and Full Field Transmission X-ray Microscopy
  • X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  • X-ray Photoemission Electron Microscopy (XPEEM)
  • X-ray Fluorescence
  • 3D Structured-illumination Microscopy
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
  • Scanning and Full-field Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM/TEM)

Preliminary List of Lecturers and Session Topics


INTRODUCTION TO SYNCHROTRON RADIATION & ALBA
Salvador Ferrer, Emeritus Scientific Director, ALBA Synchrotron - Spain

MULTIMODAL OPERANDO STUDIES IN CATALYSIS
Jordi Llorca, Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya - Spain

CORRELATIVE IMAGING OF BIOLOGICAL CELLS
Ana Pérez-Berná, ALBA Synchrotron - Spain

OPERANDO TEM AND STXM IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY
See Wee Chee, Fritz Haber Institute - Germany

CORRELATIVE MAGNETIC IMAGING FOR SPINTRONICS
Sandra Ruiz-Gómez, ALBA Synchrotron - Spain

OPERANDO ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION BY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPIES AND SEM
Juan Velasco-Vélez, ALBA Synchrotron - Spain

IN-SITU / OPERANDO STEM ON CATALYTIC SYSTEMS
Sarah Haigh, University of Manchester - UK

OPERANDO CHARACTERIZATION OF BATTERY MATERIALS
Ashley Black, ICMAB - Spain

OVERVIEW OF THE INCAEM PROJECT (IN SITU CORRELATIVE FACILITY FOR ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS)
Lucìa Aballe, ALBA Synchrotron - Spain

Who Should Apply?

The IMPRESS School on Operando and Correlative Experiments is especially designed for early-stage researchers, such as PhD candidates or early post-doctoral researchers working in fields related to the School topics and with some experience in operando or correlative experiments or at least in one of the covered techniques.

Participants should have a clear research challenge that operando and/or correlative techniques can help address. This School is particularly suited for those eager to deepen their understanding of advanced synchrotron techniques and related tools and to integrate them into their research.

The IMPRESS Project will cover registration expenses, as well as lunches, coffee breaks and the social dinner.

How to Apply

APPLICATIONS DEADLINE:
31 January 2025

SELECTION NOTIFICATION:
By mid-March 2025

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Complete the online application form providing an outline of your current work, your motivation for attending the school and a specific challenge in your research activity that operando or correlative workflows could help solve, along with your CV (PDF format).

Maximum Participants: 20 (with small groups of 4-5 students during the practical sessions to ensure a personalized hands-on experience).


Apply

Contacts

For more information, contact the organizers at the following email addresses.


LUCÍA ABALLE    laballe@cells.es

JORDI ARBIOL    arbiol@icrea.cat

ALBA GARZÓN    alba.garzon@icn2.cat

CARLOS ESCUDERO    cescudero@cells.es