Cristóbal González Díaz is a physicist whose work spans instrumentation, automation, signal processing, data analysis and active control, applied to space, astrophysics, sound and vibration. He combines laboratory research with R&D project management, writes European research proposals and serves as an expert evaluator for the European Commission.
Space instrumentation at INTA
Since February 2025 he has been an instrumentation engineer in the Space Payloads Department of INTA (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial). As AIV and systems test engineer for the ATHENA X-IFU instrument and the FICS (Full Spectral Isolation for Cryogenic Systems) project, he leads the integration and verification of ground-support cryostats, runs leak-tightness and vacuum verification, and develops cryogenic thermal test protocols and LabVIEW data-acquisition software.
Laboratory astrophysics at the Centro de Astrobiología
From 2017 to 2024 he worked at the Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA). He measured the thermal conductivity and calorimetry of frozen salt solutions for ESA’s JUICE mission, built a compact high-vacuum chamber to estimate ice porosity with ultrasound, and automated the ISAC ultra-high-vacuum chamber (base pressure 10⁻¹¹ mbar, cold finger at 8 K) used to study the photodesorption of interstellar ice analogues.
He works in Spanish, English and French.
A decade of Marie Curie research in Europe
Between 2004 and 2016 his career was built on four Marie Curie projects, which took him from Southampton to Leuven, Luxembourg and Madrid.
Southampton, UK (EDSVS, 2004–2008). He completed his PhD at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research within the European Doctorate in Sound and Vibration Studies, a programme that trained 126 PhD students across eight European institutions. His thesis developed a smart panel with small-scale proof-mass actuators for active structural acoustic control, and he applied decentralised velocity feedback to a Bombardier Dash-8 fuselage section. He also helped run the programme’s reporting to the European Commission.
Leuven, Belgium (SMART STRUCTURES, 2009–2010). In this research training network of KU Leuven and 14 partners, including EADS, CIRA, Centro Ricerche Fiat and Fraunhofer ITWM, he designed and built a transmission suite for the vibro-acoustic characterisation of lightweight panels between 50 and 10 000 Hz.
Luxembourg (TIRE-DYN, 2010–2012). At the Goodyear Innovation Center, in an industry–academia partnership with KU Leuven and LMS International, he built a new test set-up for rolling-tyre dynamics, combined experimental and numerical analyses and organised the first Tire-Dyn public workshop (Leuven, 2011). In 2012 he received the Superior Paper Award at the 31st Conference on Tire Science and Technology.
Madrid, Spain (ACOCTIA, 2013–2016). He wrote and won a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Intra-European Fellowship and led it at CSIC as principal investigator and coordinator. The project tackled the tones radiated by landing-gear cavities, combining micro-perforated linings with active control, in support of ACARE’s goal of 10 dB less noise per aircraft operation. In 2015 he was named Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions “IF fellow of the week”.