Armando Rúa de la Asunción is an Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM). He holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Center and Hunter College of City University of New York, a Master’s degree in Physics, and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from UPRM. Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Rúa completed his B.S. in Math and Physics at the University of Atlántico. Dr. Rúa’s research focuses on the physics and applications of materials with Metal-Insulator Transitions (MITs), with a particular emphasis on vanadium oxides. His interests extend to other areas, including superconductors, low-dimensional materials, neuromorphic devices, and material characterization under extreme environmental conditions. Professor Rúa was named one of the 2023 Moore Foundation Experimental Physics Investigators