ICFO is offering two PhD positions to highly motivated students who wish to start their scientific career in a friendly and stimulating environment. The successful candidates will be joining the Atomic Quantum Optics group led by Prof. Dr. Morgan Mitchell. Our PhD-program brings together top-level training and teaching for young scientists, benefiting from the extensive course offerings of local universities and focused instruction by ICFO professors, in a stimulating, international and interdisciplinary environment. PhD-students have the opportunity to take advantage of our network of excellence, consisting in partners of national and international research institutes and universities, as well as industrial partners in the field. The successful candidate will be joining the Atomic Quantum Optics group led by Prof. Dr. Morgan Mitchell. The group uses the extraordinary coherence properties of atoms, together with an ever-increasing sophistication in optical manipulation and measurement, to study fundamental physics of light-matter interactions, quantum optical effects in advanced sensing, and new applications of extreme sensors. Main Tasks and Responsibilities The Atomic Quantum Optics group studies how quantum physics manifests in atomic systems and the optical systems that interact with them. The research ranges from fundamental studies such as the nature of quantum light-matter interactions, to technologies such as quantum sensors. The student will join a small team working on a specific experimental system, which may be a single-atom optical tweezer, spinor Bose-Einstein condensate, or atomic vapor. The student will play an active role in developing this science and technology, in collaboration with other students, post-doctoral researchers, and in some cases international research collaborations. The student will participate in summer schools and conferences, and is expected to produce and publish experimental discoveries. To be eligible for the position, candidates must:
Have an internationally-recognized Master-equivalent degreepreferably in physics. The degree must be completed by the start of your prospective PhD at ICFO, at the latest, and must be in a field of science and engineering related to the ICFO research activities. Degrees issued within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) must have an equivalent to 300 ECTS, out of which a minimum of 60 ECTS must have been obtained in postgraduate studies. Please, if in doubt regarding your academic eligibility, contact us at jobs@icfo.eu
Candidates who have already been awarded a PhD are not eligible to apply.
Have an excellent academic record, previous research experience and a strong commitment for scientific research.
Have a high working knowledge of English.
ICFO is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are selected exclusively on merit and potential on the basis of submitted application material. No restrictions related to disabilities, citizenship or gender apply to ICFO positions. ICFO abides by the principles of openness, efficiency, transparency, supportiveness, and international comparability as stated in the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Candidates with disabilities or other special needs are strongly encouraged to apply to the program. ICFO will provide all possible assistance to ensure the candidate’s application is fairly assessed. Conditions ICFO PhD positions are offered for a period of 4.5 years. The conditions of the positions awarded in the scope of the ICFO PhD fellowship program are as follows:
Initial contract for a period of up to 6 months (referred to as the “initial trainee period”), while being pre-admitted to the PhD program, with an explicit follow-up/ renewal procedure at the end of this first stage. Note that in certain circumstances the initial trainee period might be shortened or not offered. During this period, students already take part in the ICFO working environment, join a research group, and work with their supervisor to define a research project.
After the initial training period, students are formally enrolled in a PhD Program with a local university (as a general rule, the UPC PhD in Photonics program administered by ICFO), and the full PhD Fellowship activated. Fellowships are offered for periods of three years, renewable for an additional fourth year, and are formalized via a PhD-contract. Continuity and renewal are subject to satisfactory performance in the PhD studies and related research activities, evaluated annually by the Thesis Director and the ICFO PhD Committee.
ICFO offers a standard salary level for PhD Students of €27.257,83 gross annual salary. This applies to both the 6-months Trainee Period and the 4-years PhD Period.
The starting date will be discussed with the Group Leader by selected candidate.
All fellowships include medical care coverage and work accident insurance through the Spanish Social Security system, providing access to the Spanish public health care system.
As part of the fellowship, ICFO will provide budget as deemed necessary and with the corresponding approval from the corresponding Group/Team Leader to enable the PhD fellow to complete his/her assigned research project. This budget is managed by the Group/Team leader, and will include consumables and other materials, training and other related costs, such as registration fees, travel and subsistence costs for participation in national or international events, conference, meetings, schools, and/or other training activities.
Additionally, a family allowance is also available on request and after corresponding approval for people with family charges in the terms described in the corresponding policy.
Application deadline: 31st of August, 2026 Use the following URL:https://jobs.icfo.eu/?detail=1110
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The emergence of doctoral research roles specializing in atomic quantum optics and precision light-matter interactions signifies a vital nexus in the deep-tech ecosystem, bridging fundamental physics with the scalability of extreme sensors and computing architectures. As the global quantum market transitions from theoretical verification to engineering validation, the structural demand for specialized researchers who can manipulate single-particle systems with high coherence becomes a priority for mitigating hardware engineering bottlenecks. This category of role serves as an essential pipeline for translating academic innovation into repeatable technology assets within the broader quantum value chain. By resolving core issues related to phase stability and noise reduction at the physical layer, these specialized functions establish the scientific baseline required for long-term commercialization and fault-tolerant system integration.
The institutional research domain operates at the foundational tier of the quantum value chain, serving as the primary discovery engine for hardware components, atomic instrumentation, and precision control methodologies. Unlike commercial layers focused on immediate product deployment, academic and public-private research centers absorb the capital-intensive risk associated with early Technology Readiness Level (TRL) progression. The current industry landscape faces significant headwinds due to fragmentation across competing hardware modalities, such as neutral atoms, superconducting qubits, and photonics, which creates a critical demand for versatile researchers capable of engineering cross-system solutions.
Global technology trends highlight that while public investment funding cycles remain robust across Europe and North America, the primary rate-limiting factor for commercial quantum readiness is the translation gap between laboratory breakthroughs and industrial production protocols. Sector-wide efforts continue to address talent and integration challenges in quantum systems, particularly the lack of standardized benchmarking and testing infrastructures. Consequently, early-career researchers embedded within high-authority networks are required to stabilize the talent pipeline, ensuring that foundational discoveries in quantum optics are effectively formatted for subsequent systems-engineering and industrial scaling layers.
The capability architecture for this domain requires a synchronized mastery of precise physical manipulation and high-fidelity data capture tools. Proficiency in the configuration of optical assembly components, atom-trapping protocols, and laser stabilization methods is essential for ensuring the coherence times required to evaluate advanced sensing limits. These capabilities are critical for reducing systematic errors and background noise in experimental systems, directly influencing the accuracy and throughput of early-stage quantum hardware verification.
Furthermore, these skill sets act as an essential integration layer between localized laboratory experiments and global collaborative frameworks. Expertise in automated instrumentation interfaces and data processing infrastructure allows for the standardisation of experimental metrics, ensuring that published discoveries possess the high reproducibility needed by downstream corporate development partners. By maintaining a high technical standard at the interface of experimental physics and mechanical engineering, this capability profiles mitigate systemic validation risks, ensuring that academic outputs can be integrated into the emerging quantum-as-a-service market. - Accelerates the transition of foundational light-matter discoveries into reproducible industrial-grade quantum sensor frameworks
- Mitigates validation risks by introducing standardized experimental control and calibration methodologies at the physical layer
- Fortifies the deep-tech talent pipeline by providing high-level technical expertise suited for commercial hardware development
- Cultivates international research partnerships to accelerate the cross-border harmonization of atomic technology benchmarks
- Enhances the reproducibility of quantum data sets through the implementation of automated measurement instrumentation systems
- Optimizes the performance boundaries of extreme sensing applications by reducing systemic decoherence and laboratory environmental noise
- Facilitates the architectural convergence of classical optical systems with emerging atomic-scale quantum computing hardware
- Strengthens institutional research metrics via peer-reviewed experimental publications and data-sharing initiatives
- Shorter iteration cycles for verifying the theoretical limits of advanced quantum optics and atomic manipulation
- Supports the structural scaling of quantum information science by standardizing technical workflows for entry-level personnel
- Lowers integration friction between abstract scientific exploration and practical, high-value patent generation portfolios
- Directs capital-intensive public funding allocations toward deterministic validation pathways for critical infrastructure securityIndustry Tags: Quantum Optics, Atomic Manipulation, Quantum Sensing, Experimental Physics, TRL Progression, Precision Engineering, Light-Matter Interaction, Hardware Verification, Research Ecosystem
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