Is it hard to get a postdoctoral stay in Mexico?

Post author:Jesus Capistran
Post published:November 17, 2019

Coffee cup at IFUAP-BUAP (From MIT) In Mexico, 2019 is a hard year for Science and technology due to two main reasons: a) Change of Mexican president followed with a change of political flagship and b) Corruption priority besides economical aspects. This year I had the opportunity to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship from Conacyt-International to spend one year at EMPA-Switzerland. In August, the results came out, and I was not selected. These results are followed by a reduction of federal funds for Conacyt and the government bet on carbon-based fuels. Fortunately, I had a plan B. I applied for…

Fabrication of Titanium dioxide as a compact layer for Perovskite and thin-film solar cells

Post author:Jesus Capistran
Post published:October 3, 2019

Special thanks for Dra Hailin Zao Hu at IER-UNAM who let me collaborate and learn from their group the methodology for TiO2 compact layer deposition. All the training was possible with the assistance of Ph.D. student Fabian and undergraduate Ing. Gabriela Abrego from UTEZ. Preparing TCO with magic tape for HRT layer deposition Spin coater and micropipette are the essential tools for TiO2 deposition First heating of the compact layer over a hot plate : low temperature Second and final heating - Sintering TiO2 on a muffle furnace : high temperature Compact TiO2 layer deposited over a TCO for thin-film…

IFUAP – Physics Institute BUAP (POSDOC)

Post author:Jesus Capistran
Post published:August 26, 2019

In April 2019, I wrote a project for a postdoctoral stay at IFUAP, which will be founded by PRODEP-SEP. The goal is to strengthen the photovoltaic area by developing thin-film solar cells based on novel materials. The application specifies a 3-month deadline for a response (late July). However, when the deadline arrives, IFUAP said that this response can take up to 5 months with no compromise. Therefore, this project can not be started. All of this is happening due to political reasons. When the Mexican government changed, most of the funds for public scientific research were frozen until politics…