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

• Casals Terre, Jasmina

• Cante Teran, Juan Carlos
• Casals Terre, Jasmina
• Gamez Montero, Pedro Javier

• Department of Mechanical Engineering (PROMOTORA)
• Department of Fluid Mechanics
• Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering

Doctoral Studies Support Unit
Tel: (+34) 934 016 562

UTGAEIB-ETSEIB (South Campus)
E-mail: doctorat.emfa.utgaeib@upc.edu

Agreements with other institutions

The research groups and professors involved in the doctoral programme in Mechanical Engineering, Fluids and Aeronautics collaborate with other universities under specific agreements for the doctoral programme as well as general agreements.

The most significant collaborations are with the following institutions:

Europe:
• Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland).
• University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Unimore, Italy), Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering in Reggio Emilia.
• Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU, Austria), Institute of Machine Design and Hydraulic Drives.
• INSA Toulouse (France), Department of Mechanical Engineering (education), Clément Ader Institute (research laboratory).
• Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT, Finland), Department of Mechatronics.
• Luleå University of Technology (Sweden), Department of Engineering Sciences and Mathematics. Divisions: Mechanics of Solid Materials and Fluid and Experimental Mechanics, co-supervision of doctoral theses (e.g. Dr Josep Farré Lladós).
• Co-supervision agreement with the Politehnica University of Bucharest (UPB, Romania).
• FEUP, University of Porto (Portugal), Faculty of Engineering.
• University of Barcelona, INEFC, Department of Sports Performance.

Americas:
• University of California, Irvine (UCI), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department.
• University of Colorado Boulder, Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences.
• McGill University, Montreal (Canada).
• University of Concepción (Chile), Mechanics Department.
• National Technological University (UTN, Argentina), Mendoza Regional Faculty, Department of Electromechanics.
• National Polytechnic School (EPN, Ecuador).

Asia:
• K. N. Toosi University of Technology (Iran).
• Iran University of Science and Technology (Tehran, Iran), School of Railway Engineering.
• Tsinghua University (Beijing, China),
• Southwest Jiaotong University (Chengdu, Sichuan, China).
• Jiangsu University (JSU), China. Two doctoral students with scholarships from the China Scholarship Council (Linlin Geng and Jian Chen) are currently enrolled in our programme.

Africa:
• Abdelmalek Essaâdi University (Tangier, Morocco).

Professors from the programme also participate in the RENE and SELECT master's programmes, which are organised within the framework of KIC InnoEnergy.

It is worth noting that some publications derived from theses (published in JCR indexed journals) were produced with professors at the universities where the students involved completed research stays.

Professors on the programme participate in committees and working groups at the national, European and international level:
1. CETOP Education Working Group.
2. European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET).
3. National Microfluidics Network.

Activities within the framework of KIC InnoEnergy:

Since January 2011, professors for the doctoral programme have been involved in various KIC InnoEnergy projects that focus on areas directly related to thermal engineering. KIC InnoEnergy SE is a European company that promotes the integration of education, technology, business and entrepreneurship and seeks to strengthen the culture of innovation – all with the strategic goal of becoming the main driver of innovation in sustainable energy. Erasmus Lifelong Learning Programme.

Activities within the framework of KIC Urban Mobility:

Since 2019, one of the research groups linked to the doctoral programme has actively participated in EIT Urban Mobility, a European initiative aimed at accelerating solutions that improve collective use of urban spaces by ensuring that they are accessible, safe, efficient and sustainable, with multimodal and economic mobility. Participation in the AntiTrash project 2020-2021.

Participation in the Erasmus K103 and K107 programmes as a receiver and sender of students. For example, Rudi Arief, from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, completed a doctoral stay at the MICROTECH LAB.

Active participation in the Industrial Doctorates Plan, a strategy of the Government of Catalonia (in collaboration with public and private universities), which has three key goals: to contribute to the competitiveness and internationalisation of the Catalan industrial fabric, to retain talent, and to train doctoral students to carry out RDI projects in companies.

Internal regulations

https://doctorat.upc.edu/ca/shared/programes/reglament-funcionament-pd-emfa-02-06-2025.pdf