Allan Johnson

“Ramon y Cajal” Group Leader

Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

About

I am a physicist with research interest in ultrafast optical physics, X-ray physics, and quantum materials. ERC Starting Grant Holder and recipient of the Spanish Royal Society Young Investigator Award.

Experience

  • Ramon y Cajal Group Leader at IMDEA Nanociencia
    Jan 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

    Head of the Ultrafast Dynamics in Quantum Materials group, made up of 9 researchers (2026). The group has two laboratories focused on femtosecond transient absorption, time-resolved magnetism and ultrafast XUV/attosecond science. PI of the ERC Starting Grant KnotSeen and recipient of the Spanish Royal Society-BBVA Foundation Young Investigator Award in 2025.

  • ICFO (5 yrs 2 mos)
    • "La Caixa" Postdoctoral Junior Leader
      Dec 2021 - Dec 2022 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Head a small femtosecond laser laboratory studying ultrafast dynamics in quantum materials.

    • Postdoctoral Fellow
      Nov 2017 - Dec 2021 · 4 yrs 2 mos

      Postdoctoral Fellow working on time-resolved studies of superconductivity and phase-change materials.

  • Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher at Imperial College London
    Oct 2013 - Jun 2017 · 3 yrs 9 mos

  • Research Assistant at University of Ottawa
    Sep 2012 - Apr 2013 · 8 mos

    Perturbative simulations of ultrafast quantum effects in photosynthetic energy transfer.

  • Visiting Researcher at University of Frankfurt
    May 2012 - Aug 2012 · 4 mos

    Worked on COLTRIMS (COLd Target Recoil Ion Momentum Spectroscopy) chamber. Performed Coulomb explosion imaging experiments of chiral molecules and developed new data analysis algorithms for multi-particle detection.