Access profile

The ideal entrance qualification is a master’s degree that covers areas related to the subject areas of the programme: automatic control, robotics and computer vision. (Degree names vary depending on the applicant's country of origin and the university where they completed their previous studies.) Applicants who have completed the master's degree in Automatic Control and Robotics offered by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya qualify for direct admission to the doctoral programme in Automatic Control, Robotics and Vision. Applicants who hold a science degree (e.g. in industrial engineering, electronics, mechanics, electromechanics or informatics) may also be admitted to the programme. Students admitted with these qualifications may be required to complete bridging courses, which will be specified by the academic committee for the programme.

Output profile

Doctoral candidates who complete a doctoral degree will have acquired the following competencies, which are needed to carry out quality research (Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies):

a) A systematic understanding of the field of study and a mastery of the research skills and methods related to the field.
b) An ability to conceive, design or create, put into practice and adopt a substantial process of research or creation.
c) An ability to contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge through original research.
d) A capacity for critical analysis and an ability to assess and summarise new and complex ideas.
e) An ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general as regards their fields of knowledge in the manner and languages that are typical of the international scientific community to which they belong.
f) An ability to foster scientific, technological, social, artistic and cultural progress in academic and professional contexts within a knowledge-based society.

The award of a doctoral degree must equip the graduate for work in a variety of settings, especially those requiring creativity and innovation. Doctoral graduates must have at least acquired the personal skills needed to:

a) Develop in contexts in which there is little specific information.
b) Find the key questions that must be answered to solve a complex problem.
c) Design, create, develop and undertake original, innovative projects in their field.
d) Work as part of a team and independently in an international or multidisciplinary context.
e) Integrate knowledge, deal with complexity and make judgements with limited information.
f) Offer criticism on and intellectually defend solutions.

Finally, with respect to competencies, doctoral students must:
a) have acquired advanced knowledge at the frontier of their discipline and demonstrated, in the context of internationally recognised scientific research, a deep, detailed and well-grounded understanding of theoretical and practical issues and scientific methodology in one or more research fields;
b) have made an original and significant contribution to scientific research in their field of expertise that has been recognised as such by the international scientific community;
c) have demonstrated that they are capable of designing a research project that serves as a framework for carrying out a critical analysis and assessment of imprecise situations, in which they are able to apply their contributions, expertise and working method to synthesise new and complex ideas that yield a deeper knowledge of the research context in which they work;
d) have developed sufficient autonomy to set up, manage and lead innovative research teams and projects and scientific collaborations (both national and international) within their subject area, in multidisciplinary contexts and, where appropriate, with a substantial element of knowledge transfer;
e) have demonstrated that they are able to carry out their research activity in a socially responsible manner and with scientific integrity;
f) have demonstrated, within their specific scientific context, that they are able to make cultural, social or technological advances and promote innovation in all areas within a knowledge-based society;
g) have demonstrated that they are able to participate in scientific discussions at the international level in their field of expertise and disseminate the results of their research activity to audiences of all kinds.

Number of places

20

Duration of studies and dedication regime

Duration
The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is four years, counted from the date of first enrolment in the relevant programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is seven years from the date of first enrolment in the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. To calculate these periods, the date of deposit is considered to be the date on which the thesis is made publicly available for review.

If a doctoral candidate has a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%, the maximum period of study is six years for full-time students and nine years for part-time students.

For full-time doctoral candidates, the minimum period of study is two years, counted from the date of an applicant's admission to the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited; for part-time doctoral candidates it is four years.

When there are justified grounds for doing so, and the thesis supervisor and academic tutor have given their authorisation, doctoral candidates may request that the academic committee of their doctoral programme exempt them from the requirement to complete this minimum period of study.

Temporary disability leave and leave for the birth of a child, adoption or fostering for the purposes of adoption, temporary foster care, risk during pregnancy or infant feeding, gender violence and any other situation provided for in current regulations do not count towards these periods. Students who find themselves in any of these circumstances must notify the academic committee of the doctoral programme, which must inform the Doctoral School.

Doctoral candidates may request periods of temporary withdrawal from the programme for up to a total of two years. Requests must be justified and addressed to the academic committee responsible for the programme, which will decide whether or not to grant the candidate's request.

Extension of studies
If a doctoral candidate has not applied to deposit their thesis before the expiry of the deadlines specified in the previous section, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may, at the request of the doctoral candidate, authorise an extension of this deadline of one year under the conditions specified for the doctoral programme in question.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate not having completed their annual enrolment or applied for a temporary interruption.
• The doctoral candidate not having formalised annual enrolment on the day after the end of the authorisation to temporarily interrupt or withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate receiving a negative reassessment after the deadline set by the academic committee of the doctoral programme to remedy the deficiencies that led to a previous negative assessment.
• The doctoral candidate having been the subject of disciplinary proceedings leading to their suspension or permanent exclusion from the UPC.
• A refusal to authorise the extensions applied for, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.3 of these regulations.
• The doctoral candidate not having submitted the research plan in the period established in Section 8.2 of these regulations.
• The maximum period of study for the doctoral degree having ended, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.4 of these regulations.

Dismissal from the programme means that the doctoral candidate cannot continue studying at the UPC and that their academic record will be closed. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission, and the committee must reevaluate the candidate in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

A doctoral candidate who has been dismissed due to having exceeded the time limit for completing doctoral studies or due to an unsatisfactory assessment may not be Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Page 17 of 33 admitted to the same doctoral programme until at least two years have elapsed from the date of dismissal, as provided for in sections 3.4 and 9.2 of these regulations.

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

Organization

• Puig Cayuela, Vicenç

• Casals Gelpi, Alicia
• Catala Mallofre, Andreu
• Doria Cerezo, Arnau
• Griño Cubero, Roberto
• Olm Miras, Josep Maria
• Puig Cayuela, Vicenç
• Rosell Gratacos, Jan
• Sanfeliu Cortes, Alberto

• Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Automatic Control
• Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics

Doctoral Area - Barcelona Industrial Engineering Management and Support Unit (UTGAEIB)
Av. Diagonal, 647
08028 Barcelona

Tel.: 934 016 654
E-mail: doctorat.arv@upc.edu

Agreements with other institutions

• IMT Lille Douai, France (http://imt-lille-douai.fr/)
• Buenos Aires Institute of Technology, Argentina (https://www.itba.edu.ar/)
• Tuxtla Gutierrez Institute of Technology, Mexico (https://www.tuxtla.tecnm.mx/)
• Normandy University, France (http://www.normandie-univ.fr/)
• University of the Andes, Colombia (https://uniandes.edu.co/)

• Aigües de Barcelona (https://www.aiguesdebarcelona.cat/)
  
• Aingura IIoT (http://www.ainguraiiot.com/)
• BROSE (https://www.brose.com/de-en/)
• FICOSA (https://www.ficosa.com/es/)
  
• INLOC Robotics, S.L. (https://inlocrobotics.com/es/)
• KIVNON (http://agvkivnon.com/)
• Pal Robotics (http://pal-robotics.com/es/)
• Rücker Lypsa (https://www.rueckerlypsa.es/)
• SEAT (https://www.seat.es/)
• Wide Eyes Technologies (https://wideeyes.ai/)
  

• National University of Colombia (https://unal.edu.co/). Aims: to facilitate mobility of academic staff participating in joint research activities; to facilitate mobility of master’s and doctoral students. Start year: 2009. Term: 2009-2013
  
• Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), Mexico (https://www.buap.mx/). Aim: to facilitate mobility of academic staff and graduate students from BUAP to the UPC. Start year:  2011. Term: 2011-2014
  
• University of Guadalajara, Mexico (http://www.udg.mx/). Aims: to provide training for doctoral degree holders and researchers; to facilitate mobility of students and academic staff between the two institutions. Start year: 2010. Term: 2010-2013
• University of Naples Federico II, Italy (http://www.unina.it). Aim: to facilitate mobility of students and academic staff for doctoral studies within the framework of the Erasmus programme. Start year: 2011. Term: 2011-2013
• University of Split, Croatia (https://www.unist.hr/en/). Aim: to facilitate mobility of students and academic staff for doctoral studies within the framework of the Erasmus programme.  Start year: 2011. Term: 2011-2013

Access profile

The ideal entrance qualification is a master’s degree that covers areas related to the subject areas of the programme: automatic control, robotics and computer vision. (Degree names vary depending on the applicant's country of origin and the university where they completed their previous studies.) Applicants who have completed the master's degree in Automatic Control and Robotics offered by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya qualify for direct admission to the doctoral programme in Automatic Control, Robotics and Vision. Applicants who hold a science degree (e.g. in industrial engineering, electronics, mechanics, electromechanics or informatics) may also be admitted to the programme. Students admitted with these qualifications may be required to complete bridging courses, which will be specified by the academic committee for the programme.

Access requirements

As a rule, applicants must hold a Spanish bachelor's degree or equivalent and a Spanish master's degree or equivalent, provided they have completed a minimum of 300 ECTS credits on the two degrees (Royal Decree 43/2015, of 2 February).

Applicants who meet one or more of the following conditions are also eligible for admission:

a) Holders of official Spanish degrees or equivalent Spanish qualifications, provided they have passed 300 ECTS credits in total and they can prove they have reached Level 3 in the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.
b) Holders of degrees awarded in foreign education systems in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), which do not require homologation, who can prove that they have reached Level 7 in the European Qualifications Framework, provided the degree makes the holder eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded.
c) Holders of degrees awarded in a country that does not belong to the EHEA, which do not require homologation, on the condition that the University is able to verify that the degree is of a level equivalent to that of official university master's degrees in Spain and that it makes the holder eligible for admission to doctoral studies in the country in which it was awarded.
d) Holders of another doctoral degree.
e) Holders of an official university qualification who, having been awarded a post as a trainee in the entrance examination for specialised medical training, have successfully completed at least two years of training leading to an official degree in a health sciences specialisation.

Note 1: Regulations for access to doctoral studies for individuals with degrees in bachelor's, engineering, or architecture under the system prior to the implementation of the EHEA (CG 47/02 2014).

Note 2: Agreement number 64/2014 of the Governing Council approving the procedure and criteria for assessing the academic requirements for admission to doctoral studies with non-homologated foreign degrees (CG 25/03 2014).

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

Admission criteria and merits assessment

There are no specific admission requirements for the doctoral programme in Automatic Control, Robotics and Vision beyond those that apply under current legislation. However, bear in mind that the academic committee for the programme reviews the academic records of all applicants to assess how well their academic background matches the ideal entrance qualifications indicated above. Applicants should have training equivalent to that which students receive on the UPC master's degree in Automatic Control and Robotics. Graduates of this UPC master’s degree qualify for direct admission to the doctoral programme in Automatic Control, Robotics and Vision.

The academic committee for the programme will issue an assessment of applications for admission. The main criteria considered are:

a) Relevance of previous studies and the applicant's academic record (50%)
b) Other merits (experience in research work, publications, proficiency in languages, motivation and reasons for embarking on the doctoral degree) (50%)

When appropriate, the academic committee may require that a student take bridging courses as a condition of admission.

Training complements

The academic committee for the programme determines what bridging courses applicants will have to take if admitted. When an applicant seeks admission with the backing of a professor on the programme who will act as their thesis supervisor, the professor concerned may recommend to the academic committee the bridging courses that they consider most appropriate to direct the doctoral student specifically towards topics related to their doctoral thesis work.

Additional training will be based primarily on subjects of the master's degree in Automatic Control and Robotics. However, if there is sufficient justification, a student may take subjects included on other master's programmes or postgraduate courses. This may be deemed appropriate if there are subjects that are particularly relevant to the thesis work an applicant plans to undertake (when this work has been defined at the time of admission). Applicants who have completed a UPC master's degree in Automatic Control and Robotics qualify for direct admission to the doctoral programme in Automatic Control, Robotics and Vision and will not be required to take any bridging courses.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

The enrolment period for new doctoral students will be in September.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

After the first year, the enrolment period for doctoral students will run from September to mid-October.

More information at the general registration section

Procedure for the preparation and defense of the research plan

Doctoral candidates must submit a research plan, which will be included in their doctoral student activity report, before the end of the first year. The plan may be improved over the course of the doctoral degree. It must be endorsed by the tutor and the supervisor, and it must include the method that is to be followed and the aims of the research.

At least one of these annual assessments will include a public presentation and defence of the research plan and work done before a committee composed of three doctoral degree holders, which will be conducted in the manner determined by each academic committee. The examination committee awards a Pass or Fail mark. A Pass mark is a prerequisite for continuing on the doctoral programme. Doctoral candidates awarded a Fail mark must submit a new research plan for assessment by the academic committee of the doctoral programme within six months.

The committee assesses the research plan every year, in addition to all of the other activities in the doctoral student activity report. Doctoral candidates who are awarded two consecutive Fail marks for the research plan will be obliged to definitely withdraw from the programme.

If they change the subject of their thesis, they must submit a new research plan.

Formation activities

Activity: Tutorial.
Hours: 288.
Type: compulsory.

Activity: Mobility.
Hours: 480.
Type: optional.

Activity: Assessment based on doctoral student activity report (DAD) and research plan.
Hours: 4.
Type: compulsory.

Activity: Training in information skills.
Hours: 1.5.
Type: optional.

Activity: Research methodology.
Hours: 12.
Type: optional.

Activity: Innovation and creativity.
Hours: 8.
Type: optional.

Activity: Language and communication skills.
Hours: 18.
Type: optional.

Activity: Courses and seminars.
Hours: 30.
Type: optional.

Activity: Publications.
Hours: 80.
Type: optional.

Procedure for assignment of tutor and thesis director

The academic committee of the doctoral programme assigns a thesis supervisor to each doctoral candidate when they are admitted or enrol for the first time, taking account of the thesis supervision commitment referred to in the admission decision.

The thesis supervisor will ensure that training activities carried out by the doctoral candidate are coherent and suitable, and that the topic of the candidate’s doctoral thesis will have an impact and make a novel contribution to knowledge in the relevant field. The thesis supervisor will also guide the doctoral candidate in planning the thesis and, if necessary, tailoring it to any other projects or activities undertaken. The thesis supervisor will generally be a UPC professor or researcher who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience. This includes PhD-holding staff at associated schools (as determined by the Governing Council) and UPC-affiliated research institutes (in accordance with corresponding collaboration and affiliation agreements). When thesis supervisors are UPC staff members, they also act as the doctoral candidate’s tutor.

PhD holders who do not meet these criteria (as a result of their contractual relationship or the nature of the institution to which they are attached) must be approved by the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee in order to participate in a doctoral programme as researchers with documented research experience.

The academic committee of the doctoral programme may approve the appointment of a PhD-holding expert who is not a UPC staff member as a candidate’s thesis supervisor. In such cases, the prior authorisation of the UPC Doctoral School's Standing Committee is required. A UPC staff member who holds a doctoral degree and has documented research experience must also be proposed to act as a co-supervisor, or as the doctoral candidate’s tutor if one has not been assigned.

A thesis supervisor may step down from this role if there are justified reasons (recognised as valid by the committee) for doing so. If this occurs, the academic committee of the doctoral programme will assign the doctoral candidate a new thesis supervisor.

Provided there are justified reasons for doing so, and after hearing any relevant input from the doctoral candidate, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may assign a new thesis supervisor at any time during the period of doctoral study.

If there are academic reasons for doing so (an interdisciplinary topic, joint or international programmes, etc.) and the academic committee of the programme gives its approval, an additional thesis supervisor may be assigned. Supervisors and co-supervisors have the same responsibilities and academic recognition.

The maximum number of supervisors of a doctoral thesis is two: a supervisor and a co-supervisor.

For theses carried out under a cotutelle agreement or as part of an Industrial Doctorate, if necessary and if the agreement foresees it this maximum number of supervisors may not apply. This notwithstanding, the maximum number of supervisors belonging to the UPC is two.

More information at the PhD theses section

Permanence

The maximum period of study for full-time doctoral studies is four years, counted from the date of first enrolment in the relevant programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. The academic committee of the doctoral programme may authorise a doctoral candidate to pursue doctoral studies on a part-time basis. In this case, the maximum period of study is seven years from the date of first enrolment in the programme until the date on which the doctoral thesis is deposited. To calculate these periods, the date of deposit is considered to be the date on which the thesis is made publicly available for review.

If a doctoral candidate has a degree of disability equal to or greater than 33%, the maximum period of study is six years for full-time students and nine years for part-time students.

If a doctoral candidate has not applied to deposit their thesis before the expiry of the deadlines specified in the previous section, the academic committee of the doctoral programme may, at the request of the doctoral candidate, authorise an extension of this deadline of one year under the conditions specified for the doctoral programme in question.

Dismissal from the doctoral programme
A doctoral candidate may be dismissed from a doctoral programme for the following reasons:

• The doctoral candidate submitting a justified application to withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate not having completed their annual enrolment or applied for a temporary interruption.
• The doctoral candidate not having formalised annual enrolment on the day after the end of the authorisation to temporarily interrupt or withdraw from the programme.
• The doctoral candidate receiving a negative reassessment after the deadline set by the academic committee of the doctoral programme to remedy the deficiencies that led to a previous negative assessment.
• The doctoral candidate having been the subject of disciplinary proceedings leading to their suspension or permanent exclusion from the UPC.
• A refusal to authorise the extensions applied for, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.3 of these regulations.
• The doctoral candidate not having submitted the research plan in the period established in Section 8.2 of these regulations.
• The maximum period of study for the doctoral degree having ended, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.4 of these regulations.

Dismissal from the programme means that the doctoral candidate cannot continue studying at the UPC and that their academic record will be closed. This notwithstanding, they may apply to the academic committee of the programme for readmission, and the committee must reevaluate the candidate in accordance with the criteria established in the regulations.

A doctoral candidate who has been dismissed due to having exceeded the time limit for completing doctoral studies or due to an unsatisfactory assessment may not be Academic Regulations for Doctoral Studies Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Page 17 of 33 admitted to the same doctoral programme until at least two years have elapsed from the date of dismissal, as provided for in sections 3.4 and 9.2 of these regulations.

Legal framework

• Royal Decree 99/2011, of 28 January, which regulates official doctoral studies (consolidated version)
• Academic regulations for doctoral studies (CG/2023/09/08)

List of authorized thesis for defense

Last update: 24/04/2024 04:45:31.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 24/04/2024 04:30:29.

List of defended theses by year

Select a year: 2015201620172018201920202021202220232024

Last update: 24/04/2024 05:00:43.

Research groups

UPC groups:

• ACES-Advanced Control of Energy Systems
• CoDAlab-Control, Dynamics and Applications
• CS2AC-UPC-Supervision, Safety and Automatic Control
• GREC-Knowledge Engineering Research Group
• GRINS-Intelligent Robots and Systems
• ROBiri-IRI Robotics Group
• SAC-Advanced Control Systems
• SCOM-Supply Chain and Operations Management
• SEPIC-Power and Control Electronics Systems
• SIC-Smart Control Systems
• SIR-Service and Industrial Robotics
• VIS-Artificial Vision and Intelligent Systems

Teachers

Doctoral Programme teachers

• Alenyà Ribas, Guillem
• Alquezar Mancho, René
• Andrade Cetto, Juan
• Angulo Bahon, Cecilio
• Aranda Lopez, Joan
• Basañez Villaluenga, Luis
• Batlle Arnau, Carles
• Benitez Iglesias, Raul
• Biel Sole, Domingo
• Blesa Izquierdo, Joaquim
• Bolea Monte, Yolanda
• Casals Gelpi, Alicia
• Catala Mallofre, Andreu
• Cembrano Gennari, M.Gabriela Elena
• Climent Vilaro, Joan
• Costa Castello, Ramon
• Doria Cerezo, Arnau
• Escobet Canal, Teresa
• Fossas Colet, Dr. E.
• Grau Saldes, Antoni
• Griño Cubero, Roberto
• Jimenez Schlegl, Pablo
• Marti Colom, Pau
• Morcego Seix, Bernardo
• Moreno Noguer, Francesc d'Assis
• Nejjari Akhi-Elarab, Fatiha
• Ocampo Martinez, Carlos
• Olm Miras, Josep Maria
• Pastor Moreno, Rafael
• Peña Pitarch, Esteban
• Perez Magrane, Ramon
• Porta Pleite, Jose Maria
• Puig Cayuela, Vicenç
• Quevedo Casin, Joseba
• Rodellar Benede, Jose
• Ros Giralt, Lluis
• Rosell Gratacos, Jan
• Ruiz Vegas, Francisco Javier
• Sanfeliu Cortes, Alberto
• Sarrate Estruch, Ramon
• Serra Prat, Maria
• Suarez Feijoo, Raul
• Thomas Arroyo, Federico
• Tornil Sin, Sebastian
• Torras Genis, Carme
• Velasco Garcia, Manel

Other teachers linked to the Doctoral Programme

• Agudo Martínez, Antonio
• Borràs Sol, Júlia
• Colomé Figueras, Adria
• Cuguero Escofet, Josep
• Delgado Prieto, Miquel
• Diaz Boladeras, Marta
• Dimiccoli, Maria
• Fernandez Ruzafa, Josep
• Foix Salmeron, Sergi
• Garrell Zulueta, Anais
• Guerra Paradas, Edmundo
• Guzman Sola, Ramon
• Hernansanz Prats, Alberto
• Husar, Attila
• Jevtic, Aleksandar
• Nadeu Camprubi, Climent
• Ponsa Asensio, Pere
• Sánchez Riera, Jordi
• Santamaria Navarro, Angel
• Sola Ortega, Joan
• Vidal Segui, Yolanda