Access profile

The doctoral programme in Photonics is designed for students with outstanding academic records at the international level who wish to complete a doctoral project in a field related to photonics.

With respect to entrance qualifications, it should be noted that photonics is a very broad discipline and that the ICFO is made up of a number of research groups that work in the various branches of the photonic sciences. Accordingly, the doctoral programme in Photonics is open to applicants with a wide range of qualifications, including degrees in physics; electronic, electrical, materials and telecommunications engineering; mathematics, chemistry, biology, bioengineering and biophysics.

As for language skills, the ICFO is a research institute with a strongly international character and English is the language used for everyday communication. Students admitted to the doctoral programme in Photonics must therefore have a high level of written and spoken English.

As for career goals, the doctoral programme in Photonics admits both students who wish to pursue academic careers and those aiming to become future leaders in knowledge and technology transfer or R&D in the business environment.

When it comes to personal characteristics, we are looking for students with high potential, motivation and the drive to carry out a project of excellence at the highest international level.

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

30

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

• Sewell, Robert

• Acin Dalmaschio, Antonio
• Artigas Garcia, David
• Garcia-Parajo, Maria
• Konstantatos, Gerasimos
• Sewell, Robert
• Van Hulst, Niek
• Winkler, Pamina

• Institute of Photonic Sciences (PROMOTORA)

Natalia García Tusquellas
The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
Av. Carl Friedrich Gauss, 3
08860 Castelldefels

Tel: (+34) 93 554 22 10
E-mail: academicaffairs@icfo.eu

Agreements with other institutions

The ICFO has collaboration agreements in effect with a significant number of companies, including Leica Microsystems, Corning, Nikon-Izasa Grupo Sorigué, Accelerate Diagnostics, S.L., Fyla All-Fiber Ultrafast Lasers and GRAPHENEA. The Institute also participates in networks of excellence (Euro-BioImaging, Laserlab Europe, Corbel, etc.) and coordinates various Graphene Flagship and Quantum Flagship projects under the EU's Horizon 2020 Programme.

Access profile

The doctoral programme in Photonics is designed for students with outstanding academic records at the international level who wish to complete a doctoral project in a field related to photonics.

With respect to entrance qualifications, it should be noted that photonics is a very broad discipline and that the ICFO is made up of a number of research groups that work in the various branches of the photonic sciences. Accordingly, the doctoral programme in Photonics is open to applicants with a wide range of qualifications, including degrees in physics; electronic, electrical, materials and telecommunications engineering; mathematics, chemistry, biology, bioengineering and biophysics.

As for language skills, the ICFO is a research institute with a strongly international character and English is the language used for everyday communication. Students admitted to the doctoral programme in Photonics must therefore have a high level of written and spoken English.

As for career goals, the doctoral programme in Photonics admits both students who wish to pursue academic careers and those aiming to become future leaders in knowledge and technology transfer or R&D in the business environment.

When it comes to personal characteristics, we are looking for students with high potential, motivation and the drive to carry out a project of excellence at the highest international level.

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

Applications for admission to the doctoral programme in Photonics must be submitted through the website http://jobs.icfo.eu/, to which interested students are directed. Detailed information on specific vacancies available for doctoral students at any given time in each of the ICFO's research groups is published on this web page.

Finally, measures are taken to ensure that the principles of transparency, efficiency and international compatibility set out in the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers are followed throughout the admission process for the doctoral programme in Photonics. The process will also be free of any discrimination based on gender or nationality.

Training complements

Students who hold one of the following UPC master’s degrees, which are linked to the doctoral programme, will not be required to complete bridging courses: Erasmus Mundus master's degree in Photonics; master's degree in Photonics Engineering, Nanophotonics and Biophotonics; master's degree in Engineering Physics; and master's degree in Quantum Science and Technology.

Neither will students who have completed a master's degree in photonics or physics from another university be required to complete bridging courses.

In the case of students who have completed a master's degree in another field – such as a master's degree in biomedical sciences or a multidisciplinary master's degree in experimental sciences – the applicant’s academic record and the project they propose to work on will be assessed, and the academic committee will determine on a case-by-case basis whether specific bridging courses must be completed. If the academic committee so determines, these students will be required to take one of the following subjects as a bridging course:

• Introduction to Photonics. Optics and Lasers (5 ECTS credits), from the master’s degree in Photonics
• Applied Photonics (5 ECTS credits), from the master's degree in Enabling Technologies for the Food and Bioprocessing Industry.

Enrolment period for new doctoral students

Enrolment is open year round, subject to the calendar established by the Doctoral School.

More information at the registration section for new doctoral students

Enrolment period

In September.

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

The doctoral programme in Photonics does not specify any minimum requirements with respect to number of papers published, conferences attended, or other activities. However, the academic committee for the programme will seek to ensure that each thesis meets the highest international standards before it is accepted for oral defence.

The training activities that make up the programme (including details of their duration and whether they are compulsory or optional) are listed below.

Mobility, 3 months (optional)
Preparation and initial defence of research plan, 50 hours (compulsory)
Training in information skills, 1.5 hours (optional)
Research Methodology, 12 hours (optional)
Innovation and Creativity, 8 hours (optional)
Language and Communication Skills, 18 hours (optional)
Scientific seminars, 25 hours/year (optional)
ICONS seminars, 40 hours/year (optional)
Coffee sessions with prominent researchers, 2 hours/year (optional)
Programme-specific workshops, 1 day/year (optional)
Publications, 50 hours (compulsory)
PhD lectures, 65 hours/year (optional)
Outreach activities, 18 hours (optional)
Training in technical skills, 5 hours for each technique (optional)
Effective Oral Presentations, 10 hours (optional)
ICFO-ESADE: From Science to Business, 24 hours (optional)
Introduction to Patent Engineering and Management, 7.5 hours (optional)
Language courses, 40 hours (Spanish, Catalan and English; optional)
Research Integrity, 3 hours (compulsory)
Career Development, 10 hours (optional)
Resilience and Well-Being, 6 hours (optional)
Essential Transferable Skills for Early Career Researchers, 12 hours (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: 12/03/2025 10:10:41.

List of lodged theses

Last update: 12/03/2025 10:08:02.

List of defended theses by year

Select a year: 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

Last update: 12/03/2025 10:08:19.

Research groups

UPC groups:

• FOTONICA-Photonics Research Group

ICFO groups:

• Atomic Quantum Optics
• Attoscience and Ultrafast Optics
• CO2 Mitigation Accelerated by Photons
• Functional Optoelectronic Nanomaterials
• Medical Optics
• Molecular Nanophotonics
• Nanophotonics Theory
• Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology
• Nonlinear Optics
• Optical Parametric Oscillators
• Optoelectronics
• Organic Nanostructured Photovoltaics
• Quantum Engineering of Light
• Quantum Information Theory
• Quantum NanoElectronics and NanoMechanics
• Quantum Nano-Optoelectronics
• Quantum Optics Theory
• Quantum Photonics with Solids and Atoms
• Photon Harvesting in Plants and Biomolecules
• Single Molecule Biophotonics
• STM on 2D quantum materials
• Super-resolution Light Microscopy & Nanoscopy Facility
• Theoretical Quantum-Nano Photonics
• Thermal Photonics
• Ultracold Quantum Gases

Teachers

Doctoral Programme teachers

• Acin Dalmaschio, Antonio
• Artigas Garcia, David
• Bachtold, Adrian
• Biegert, Jens
• Chang, Darrick
• de Riedmatten, Hugues
• Durduran, Turgut
• Ebrahim-Zadeh, Majid
• Garcia de Abajo, Javier
• García de Arquer, Francisco Pelayo
• Garcia-Parajo, Maria
• Konstantatos, Gerasimos
• Koppens, Frank
• Krieg, Michael
• Lewenstein, Maciej
• Liguori, Nicoletta
• Loza Alvarez, Pablo
• Martorell Pena, Jordi
• Mitchell, Morgan
• Papadakis, Georgia
• Perez Torres, Juan
• Pruneri, Valerio
• Rubio Verdú, Carmen
• Sewell, Robert
• Tarruell, Leticia
• Torner Sabata, Lluis
• Van Hulst, Niek
• Wall, Simon