The electronic band structure of a material can acquire interesting topological properties in the presence of a magnetic field or as a result of the spin-orbit coupling [1][2][3] . We study graphene on Ir, with Pb monolayer islands intercalated between the graphene sheet and the Ir surface. Although the graphene layer is structurally una ected by the presence of the Pb islands, its electronic properties change markedly, with regularly spaced resonances appearing. We interpret these resonances as the e ect of a strong and spatially modulated spin-orbit coupling, induced in graphene by the Pb monolayer. As well as confined electronic states, the electronic spectrum has a series of gaps with non-trivial topological properties, resembling a realization of the quantum spin Hall e ect proposed by Bernevig and Zhang 4

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Surface engineering of nanomaterials is a promising tool towards the design of new materials for conversion of solar energy into chemical energy.