Hello, my name is Rubén Cruz. I hold a Physics diploma from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where I specialized in material science and completed an internship on solar materials at LMGP in Grenoble. After two years in IT operations at Accenture, I undertook a Physics Master’s at Freie Universität Berlin, focusing on Statistical Physics and Biophysics.

Since 2019, I have been a PhD student in Joachim Heberle’s group, studying the interactions of fluorinated molecules with various environments. These compounds, known for their strong C-F bonds and environmental persistence, separate from aqueous and lipidic phases, forming a distinct “fluorous” phase. My research combines vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR, SEIRAS, Raman, SNOM) and some theoretical modeling (DFT) to investigate these omniphobic properties.