PhD Program
ICFO offers a focused PhD in Photonics program in partnership within the Doctoral School of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya • Barcelona Tech (UPC). All students admitted into the program are fully funded through competitive fellowships.
Our PhD program prepares students for leadership roles in both academia and industry. We place a strong emphasis on intensive research-based training. We also strive to create a multidisciplinary and international research environment, providing students with numerous opportunities to explore cutting-edge topics in optical sciences and technologies.
To date, ICFO has graduated over 200 PhD students. Currently, these alumni can be found worldwide, not only leading research groups and contributing to multinational companies, but also pursuing postdoctoral fellowships at prestigious universities or even launching innovative startups in tech hubs such as Silicon Valley and Barcelona.
Benefits of a PhD at ICFO include:
- Access to cutting-edge experimental infrastructures and research facilities
- Participation in scientific lectures, specialized courses and seminars
- Wide-ranging opportunities for personal and professional development
- Tailor-made ICFO+ Training and Development Program
- Active mentoring by experienced and world-class researchers
- Outstanding support from Academic Programs and Human Resources and Education
- Lively student community and ICONS Student Chapter
- Active social program and language training
- Participation in extensive outreach program
At ICFO, we prioritize merit, potential, experience, achievements, and fit when selecting students. Our aim is to draw in exceptional researchers eager to collaborate with leading scientists. We cultivate a diverse, talented, and international student community. Less than 10% of applicants gain admission, with over 70% hailing from beyond Spain. We welcome backgrounds in any scientific field connected to optics, photonics, and their applications, spanning physics, engineering, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.
To begin with, if you are seeking opportunities for PhD student positions, we encourage you to explore our Research pages. Furthermore, you can navigate to the Job Openings & Fellowships page to submit your application through the relevant calls.
Paola Mantilla
ICFO PhD Graduate (Project Development, Industry)
The PhD experience at ICFO is a joint venture of scientific challenges, with constant innovative ideas in photonics, and also a continuous opportunity to interact with your colleges through a complete agenda of extra activities.
Daan Brinks
ICFO PhD Graduate (PI, TU Delft)
I loved my time at ICFO. It felt like a startup, but in academia. Hard work and high standards, independence and excitement, great people and great friendships.
Available Projects
Research groups are always searching for talented and motivated researchers interested to join their groups to work on a wide range of cutting-edge research projects.
- Consult research group pages where some specific projects of interest may be posted.
- Reach out to Group Leaders who are conducting research in your area of expertise to open a conversation about potential collaborations.