ICFO News

Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology Group: Post-doctoral researcher in synthetic ...

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:00:00 +0100

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher to develop next-generation neuronal actuators based on light-gated ion channels. The ideal candidate will have experience in protein engineering, preferably involving membrane proteins and channelrhodopsins. The project will combine in silico mutagenesis with structure-guided design to identify key residues that enhance light sensitivity and photocurrent amplitude, inspired by naturally occurring photoreceptors in photosynthetic organisms. Engineered variants will be functionally characterized using in vitro reconstitution and automated patch-clamp electrophysiology. The goal of this position is to engineer novel light-gated actuator with unprecedented photon-sensitivity for use in non-invasive, translational neurotherapies. The position offers strong opportunities for scientific leadership and career development. The position is placed at the interface between the Prof. Dr. Michael Krieg and Prof. Dr. Nicoletta Liguori labs at ICFO and the candidate will collaborate with the two teams and thus benefit from a cutting-edge interdisciplinary environment. The candidate will be mentored by the PI and collaborators with the goal of developing the skills required to become an independent researcher. Key Responsibilities The successful candidate will lead a team of bioengineers, protein biochemists, and ultrafast spectroscopists to develop, deploy, and elucidate the mechanisms of novel light-gated ion channels. Working closely with team members and collaborators specializing in rational protein engineering, protein reconstitution, ultrafast spectroscopy, and C. elegans neurobiology, the candidate will:

Engineer new channelrhodopsin variants incorporating secondary light-absorbing groups.
Design and execute in vitro reconstitution experiments with purified proteins and targeted mutants.
Perform electrophysiological measurements using automated patch-clamp systems to characterize photocurrents of engineered channels in heterologous expression systems.
Collaborate with cell biologists and electrophysiologists to translate in vitro findings to heterologous cells and C. elegans neurons.

The candidate is expected to communicate results in group meetings, conferences, and peer-reviewed publications, and to provide regular updates to the PI and collaborating partners. A proven track record of effective teamwork is essential.

Suport Financer - Finance Support

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 22:00:00 +0100

DESCRIPCIÓ DE LA POSICIÓ ICFO ofereix una posició de Suport Financer - Finance Support per incorporar-se a l’equip de finances. La persona seleccionada donarà suport al departament de viatges en tasques relacionades amb els reemborsaments de despeses de viatge i els processos administratius. Aquesta és una excel·lent oportunitat per adquirir experiència pràctica en l’administració financera d’un centre internacional de recerca dinàmic. La missió de la posició de Suport Financer - Finance Support és proporcionar suport administratiu al departament de viatges, ajudant l’equip a gestionar les seves tasques i responsabilitats d’acord amb la càrrega de treball i els terminis establerts en diferents moments de l’any. La persona seleccionada estarà orgànicament assignada a l’equip de finances i reportarà funcionalment a la persona responsable de finances. Si tens una mentalitat orientada al servei i reuneixes els requisits descrits en aquesta convocatòria, volem saber de tu! PRINCIPALS RESPONSABILITATS

Revisar la documentació justificativa de viatges presentada pel personal d’ICFO.
Assegurar el compliment de la política de viatges d’ICFO.
Processar els reemborsaments de viatge mitjançant SAP i les eines utilitzades per ICFO per a la gestió de despeses de viatge.
Donar suport en altres tasques administratives i financeres del departament segons sigui necessari.

PICs@ICFO Strategic Initiative: Process Engineer or Research Scientist in PIC Packaging

Sat, 30 May 2026 22:00:00 +0100

As part of the PICs@ICFO Strategic Initiative, ICFO is currently coordinating the European Chips JU Pilot Line PIXEurope and the Catalan PhotonChip project—two flagship programs aimed at advancing Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) in Europe. As part of our expanding efforts, we are reinforcing our leadership in the full PIC value chain—including design, fabrication, advanced packaging, testing, and application development. We are seeking up to two Process Engineers or Research Scientists with hands-on experience in packaging and assembly of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The selected candidates will play a key role in the experimental development of advanced PIC technologies within the PICs@ICFO strategic initiative. The position is hands-on and lab-oriented, suited for candidates with a solid technical background and a passion for practical work with integrated photonic devices. Key Responsibilities:

Development and optimization of Photonic Packaging technologies (e.g. die bonding, wire bonding, optical coupling, hybrid integration) on semi-automated assembly machines – including process programming and setup.
Support on suppliers and material selection to ensure quality and process compatibility.
Closely work with cross-functional team (including PIC, optical, mechanical and RF designers) to implement manufacturable and scalable packaging processes.
The candidate will be expected to collaborate closely with design, fabrication, and testing teams to ensure performance consistency across the development cycle.

This position will report to the Prof. Dr. Valerio Pruneri, Scientific Coordinator of the PICs@ICFO Strategic Initiative encompassing the European Chips JU Pilot Line PIXEurope and the Catalan PhotonChip project. Aquest contracte està cofinançat amb el Fons Europeu de Desenvolupament Regional (FEDER) de la Unió Europea, en el marc del Programa del FEDER de Catalunya 2021- 2027.

Optoelectronics Group: Research Engineer in quantum communication technologies

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

ICFO is offering a Research Engineer position to a motivated and talented young scientist who wishes to start and develop their scientific career in a stimulating and collaborative environment. The successful candidate will be joining the Optoelectronics group led by Prof. Dr. Valerio Pruneri. The candidate will contribute to the development of new protocols for quantum communication, both in fiber and free space. More specifically, the candidate will carry out experiments in the lab using entanglement as a resource. The candidate will also collaborate in photonic processing of signals, both classical and quantum.

Nanophotonics Theory Group: Post-doctoral position in design of integrated photonic waveguides ...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

ICFO is offering a postdoctoral position to a well-qualified, highly motivated and dynamic young scientist who wishes to enhance his/her scientific career in a friendly and stimulating environment. The successful candidate will be joining the Nanophotonics Theory group led by Prof. Dr. Javier Garcia de Abajo. We aim to design waveguides integrated within a planar geometry, incorporating efficient in- and out-couplers to interface with external light sources. This architecture will serve as a platform for developing both optical sensors and optical signal processors, leveraging existing integrated photonics technologies. The approach focuses on using mature and commercially available photonic integration solutions to ensure scalability, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness. The project requires extensive electromagnetic modeling to optimize the waveguide structures for minimal loss, efficient confinement, and effective mode matching with external optical components. Particular attention will be given to the design of couplers that enable low-loss light injection and extraction, which are critical for device performance. In addition to waveguide optimization, the work involves comprehensive simulations of the proposed functionalities, including the waveguide ability to detect the presence of analytes. These sensing capabilities will be explored through both optical absorption mechanisms and phase modulation effects, which can be interrogated using on-chip interferometric configurations such as Mach-Zehnder interferometers. By quantifying changes in the guided mode due to the interaction with analytes, we aim to establish a foundation for compact, sensitive, and fast photonic sensing devices. The same waveguide platform will also be evaluated for use in signal processing applications, where phase-sensitive elements can enable filtering, switching, or modulation functionalities within an integrated photonics framework.

Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology Group: Post-doctoral position in advanced optical ...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

ICFO is offering postdoctoral positions to a well-qualified, highly motivated and dynamic young scientists who wish to enhance their scientific career in a friendly and stimulating environment. The successful candidate will be joining the Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology group led by Prof. Dr. Michael Krieg who is searching for highly motivated researcher to join his team and investigate how intracellular pH changes regulate the mechanical properties and phase transitions of biomolecular condensates. The position is part of the funded project pHACE.transitions, an interdisciplinary initiative combining biophysics, molecular biology, optical trapping, NMR spectroscopy, microfluidics, and neurophysiology to uncover a fundamentally new mechanism of sensory adaptation in neurons. Biomolecular condensates are dynamic, membraneless organelles formed through phase separation. Their material properties—fluidity, elasticity, and internal architecture—can shift dramatically in response to subtle biochemical cues. Our recent findings show that MEC-2 stomatin, a protein involved force transmission during the sense of touch, undergoes a viscoelastic phase transition upon binding to UNC-89, a neuronal titn homolog. These changes affect intermolecular interactions and ultimately reshape condensate mechanics to facilitate neuronal mechanotransduction. The goal of this position is to unravel how pH-dependent molecular interactions translate into macroscopic mechanical behaviors of condensates, both in vitro and in living cells. The successful candidate will lead optical tweezer microrheology experiments to quantify the viscoelastic properties and phase transitions of MEC-2 and related protein condensates. Working closely with team members and collaborators in NMR spectroscopy, and C. elegans neurobiology, the candidate will:

Perform optical tweezer–based force microrheology to measure condensate mechanics (elasticity, viscosity, relaxation dynamics) using existing technology of the lab.
Quantify pH-dependent changes in condensate material properties and relate them to specific molecular interactions.
Design and execute in vitro reconstitution experiments with purified proteins and targeted mutants.
Collaborate with cell biologists and electrophysiologists to extend in vitro findings to heterologous cells and C. elegans neurons.
An optional asset is the integrate the optical measurements with microfluidics-based buffer handling and automation of the optical rheology assays.

Medical Optics Group: Post-doctoral position in speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) ...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

Quantum NanoElectronics and NanoMechanics Group: Post-doctoral position in nanotube electromechanics

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

Phortify Student Research Fellowships Program

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

Phortify - Photonics Education Network for Next-Gen Innovation and Digital Skills Excellence for Industry and Society is a European initiative dedicated to strengthening photonics education across Europe. Phortify brings together Europe’s leading photonics institutions in a unique education and training network that provides harmonised quality assurance and certification, while enabling flexible and mobile learning pathways for both students and industry professionals. Through targeted support measures, Phortify promotes inclusion, mobility, and excellence in photonics education and training. As part of this initiative, three fellowships are available to support outstanding Phortify students in undertaking a research stay (internship or Master’s thesis project) at ICFO. Internship opportunities are available across several of ICFO Research Groups. Their projects and current research activities can be consulted here. Selected students will participate in ICFO’s rich scientific life, benefit from the experience of ICFO researchers, cutting edge facilities, industrial projects, the institute’s stimulating and interdisciplinary environment, and receive high-level training as well as extensive admin and tech support.

CO2 Mitigation Accelerated by Photons Group: Post-doctoral positions in advanced water ...

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0100

ICFO is offering postdoctoral positions to well-qualified, highly motivated and dynamic young scientists who wish to contribute advance technologies that drive the clean energy transition. The CO2 Mitigation Accelerated by Photons group led by Prof. Dr. Pelayo García de Arquer is searching for exceptional researchers and engineers, with an excellent proven track record, to develop efficient water electrolyzers systems that can operate with non-ideal water streams within the framework of an EU-funded project. The candidate(s) will lead the design and implementation of anodic catalysts and electrodes for the generation of clean H2 from non-ideal water streams, looking at oxygen evolution and parallel purification reactions. The candidate(s) will also work with the team to scale-up of the system in area, number of cells, and power. The postdoctoral candidate(s) will have the opportunity to work in an EU-funded vibrant project at the intersection of chemical engineering, electrochemistry, material sciences; utilize state-of-the-art fabrication and characterization facilities; in a highly multidisciplinary environment at the group and institutional levels. For more details, please visit the group website at: https://arquerlab.com. Financiado por el Programa de Incentivos Cadena de Valor Innovadora e Hidrógeno IDAE/MITERD y por la Unión Europea – NextGenerationEU en el marco del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia Financiado.