Doing your PhD at IBEC

Doing your

at the Institute for Bioengineering of Cataloniadoctorate

Welcome to IBEC!

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opens doors

A career choice that

to a world of

opportunity...

At the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), a world-leading research centre in bioengineering and nanomedicine, you’ll have the chance to conduct stimulating, interdisciplinary research in a high-quality scientific environment.

n Science at IBEC 4-5

n Training, mobility and social activities 6-7

n Doing your PhD at IBEC: frequently asked questions 8-11

n PhD programmes open to IBEC students 12-13

n IBEC graduates: where are they now? 14-15

If you choose to do your PhD at IBEC, you’ll be joining a young and growing organization with a scientific staff of 250 researchers and expert technicians, with more than 30% coming from abroad. The institute is in the process of expansion, aiming to have 22 research groups by 2016, a growing rate that ensures opportunities for young researchers. As a student in one of IBEC’s labs, as well as the support of your group leader, you’ll benefit from mentoring and supervision from early career researchers who will advise you throughout your project.

One of IBEC’s main aims is to address key hurdles currently impeding the development of new, affordable medical technologies such as regenerative medicine therapies and point-of-care in vitro diagnostics. We do this by cultivating teams of researchers with very different backgrounds, including biology, chemistry, physics and the various fields of engineering. As a result, the fifteen research groups at IBEC cover such diverse fields as tissue engineering, nanobiotechnology, biomechanics, robotics and cellular biotechnology.

Our laboratory facilities are designed to foster interaction among researchers from different fields of expertise, with open labs and common scientific equipment, and our location in the Parc Científic de Barcelona means that IBEC’s researchers benefit from access to powerful technological facilities. In addition, the research environment in life sciences in Barcelona is of the highest quality, boasting international centres of excellence in biomedical research.

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at IBECScience

When you come to IBEC to do your PhD, you’ll join one of our fifteen friendly, open-minded and international research groups, most of which are headed by leading researchers in their field, including five recipients of Catalonia’s prestigious ICREA positions and three recipients of European Research Council (ERC) grants.

IBEC’s group leaders are carefully selected by its International Scientific Committee, which is composed of internationally renowned scientists from different bioengineering fields and top professionals from key areas related to IBEC’s activities. The rigorous selection process ensures the quality of research conducted at the institute and helps maintain the relevance of its activities to benefit health and society. It also helps to determine that new scientific projects are in alignment with IBEC’s goals and mission, ensuring that the institute remains the ideal choice for young researchers looking for a top-quality scientific environment in which to begin their careers.

According to current indicators on scientific performance*, on the strength of its number of publications, the impact factors of the journals they appear in and its citation record, IBEC displays remarkable results for a young institute. In recent years, IBEC groups have published articles in the most prestigious scientific publications in the world, including Science, Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), among others. With such a record, in just a few years the institute can expect to be positioned among the highest ranked research centres in Europe.

IBEC’s groups and their activities are organized into six research programmes:

n Cellular Biotechnology Microbial biotechnology, health biotechnology, processes of production of biomolecules, neurobiotechnology, axonal regeneration, prion biology, regeneration of complex structures, biotechnology of cell reprogramming and directed differentiation of stem cells.

n Biomechanics and cellular biophysics Cell mechanics and adhesion, cell-matrix interaction, cell motility and tissue dynamics, cytoskeletal fragility, respiratory bioengineering, mechanics and nanostructure of biomembranes, molecular mechanics and self-assembly, nanoelectrochemistry, optical switches and protein nanoengineering.

n Nanobiotechnology Nanostructures and surface functionalization, hybrid nanostructures, microfluidics, biosensors, bio-chips, lab-on-a-chip, microarrays and biomimetic systems, nanoscale bioelectricity; nanophotonics, single molecule fluorescence techniques, and superresolution optical nanoscopy.

* Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR) World Report 2010: Global Rankings

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at IBEC

See the IBEC website at www.ibecbarcelona.eu for complete details about the institute’s fifteen research groups.

n Biomaterials, implants and tissue engineering Development of materials and structures for biocompatible replacement, tissue formation and technologies for repairing or replacing tissues and organs.

n Medical signals and instrumentation Multichannel-multimodal biomedical signal processing, control and monitoring systems for both treatment and prevention; chemometrics, ion mobility spectrometry, odour perception.

n Robotics and biomedical imaging Support systems for minimally invasive surgery and surgical assistance. Obtaining and processing biomedical images at the level of organs, tissues and cells or biomolecules.

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n IBEC Seminars and PhD Discussions

In addition to your scientific work, you’ll benefit from our regular IBEC Seminars. The invited speakers, who are top names in bioengineering and nanomedicine from all over the world, help keep us up-to-date on the state-of-the-art of research in the field. IBEC seminars also offer the opportunity to network and discuss recent developments, fostering internal and external interaction and opening doors to future collaborations.

You’ll also have the chance to learn from your colleagues at the PhD Discussions series of talks and skills sessions, another training tool which serves to promote interaction among the different research groups. These sessions provide a forum for students to present the results of their research and discuss them with each other, as well as with more experi-enced researchers.

The institute also holds an annual symposium on bioengineering and nanomedicine, as well as hosting and organizing several other project-based or general scientific meetings and workshops throughout the year.

mobilityTraining,and social activities

n Practical training

Thanks to IBEC’s interdisciplinarity, the most recent technical and technological approaches developed for research in biology and the biomedical sciences are available at the institute. PhD students can acquire experience and practical training in both the classical approaches and new methodologies in imaging techniques, nanomaterials technology, nanofabrication, biosensors, biosignal interpretation, lab-on-a-chip approaches, and many more.

n Complementary training courses

Besides the mandatory scientific doctoral courses offered by the universi-ties (see page 9), IBEC offers several training courses specifically aimed at its PhD students and early postdocs on complementary and transfer-rable skills, designed to enhance future employability and career progress. These courses cover topics such as scientific writing, how to publish in high-ranking journals, preparing a PhD thesis and presentation skills in English, as well as employability, entrepreneurship or technology transfer.

n A strong social network

At IBEC we recognize that a friendly, supportive environment and strong camaraderie among colleagues is essential for pro-ducing confident, open-minded researchers. To help our young scientists get the head start that a welcoming environment brings, regular social and networking events are organized within the institute or by its hosting campus, the Parc Científic de Barcelona. IBEC has football clubs and a running team to help staff and researchers unwind, and it organizes events such as the IBEC music festival and an annual IBEC day. There’s also a mailing list for social announcements that helps the IBEC community get to know each other and welcome newcomers. Being registered at one of the universities, IBEC PhDs receive an identity card and are able to benefit from all the usual dis-counts available to students in Barcelona and beyond.

and social activities

n Research placements

As part of their training, young researchers are encouraged to take up research placements in other centres, and there is a special funding programme for this purpose. Thanks to these stays, students benefit from intense transnational and multidisciplinary mobility, as well as the expertise and facilities of the best institu-tions worldwide. Such mobility provides them with multicultural skills including languages and proves highly beneficial in crossing cultural borders and enhancing their future employability in a globalised job market.

Placements take place in any of the many institutions with which our researchers collaborate, including but not restricted to centres linked to IBEC by strategic research agreements or funded exchange programmes such as Marie Curie or the Networks of Excellence. These stays have the added value of enabling PhD students to obtain an international PhD, a recognised distinction which significantly improves their chances of a successful career.

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How long will it take to complete my PhD? The typical duration of study for a PhD at IBEC is four to five years, depending on whether you enter before or after the Formation Period (see opposite).

Who is eligible to apply to complete a doctorate at IBEC?IBEC encourages applications from national and international candidates from many different disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics and many fields of engineering. One of IBEC’s unique assets is its strongly collaborative environment, with researchers with complementary skills working across very different groups and research programmes. Such cross-discipline discussions invariably come up with the best ideas and solutions to problems, but such an environment can only be achieved through the convergence of talented researchers with diverse backgrounds.

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How are PhD programmes organized in Spain?In order to obtain a PhD in Spain, students have to enrol in and pass a doctoral (PhD) programme. This consists of one or two periods, depending on the previous training of the student:

i. During the Formation Period, students have to obtain a master’s degree (or at least 60 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits at master level) recognised by their chosen doctoral programme. The master’s degree finishes with the defence of a thesis which is very often the embryo of the PhD thesis. The duration of the formation period is normally one year (in some cases, two years).

ii. In the Research Period, students already holding a master’s degree are trained as researchers by developing an original individual research project. During this period, PhD students also undertake specific training activities in complementary and transferrable skills. The duration of the research period is normally three years and ends with the preparation and defence of the doctoral thesis.

Does IBEC award its own PhD degrees?No. The awarding body of your PhD will be the university at which you enrol as a doctoral student.

Doctoral programmes in Spain are managed administratively by universities, which establish specific agreements with research centres in order to allow students to carry out their Research Period there. IBEC is currently recognized as one of these centres by the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. BarcelonaTech (UPC), which are also two of its founding members. In particular, all senior researchers at IBEC are recognized as potential thesis supervisors within the doctoral programmes of these universities that are linked to IBEC’s research activities.

This means that IBEC’s PhD students can carry out their Formation Period in a master’s programme at either the UB or the UPC. Several of IBEC’s research staff teach in the master’s programmes of these universities.

The Research Period of your doctoral studies will be carried out at IBEC. During this time, your thesis supervisor will be a staff member from IBEC, and eventually you will also have a tutor, a staff member from the UB or UPC, who will assist you in administrative issues. During this period you will be considered an IBEC researcher while being administratively registered as doctoral student at one of the universities.

See pages 12-13 for detailed information about the different UB and UPC doctoral programmes available to IBEC PhD students.

How will my doctoral studies be financed?In order to develop your thesis project at IBEC you will need to have been awarded a PhD grant that provides you with an allowance, typically around €1200 per month. There are two types of grants available:

(i) You may apply to external national or international PhD grant programmes such as those of the European Commission, the Generalitat de Catalunya or the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN), among others.

(ii) Alternatively, each year IBEC will offer complementary economic support to a number of its best applicants. These are offered by IBEC through its internal PhD grant programme.

Doing your PhD at IBEC:frequently asked questions

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Doing your PhD at IBEC: frequently asked questions

What kind of degree will I need when I apply?There are two situations in which you can apply to be a PhD student at IBEC:

(i) After completing your undergraduate degree. In this case, you will first have to go through the Formation Period of your doctorate by enrolling in one of the master’s courses at UB or UPC. Your thesis supervisor from IBEC will assist you in selecting the appropriate master’s studies for your future research project. Note that a large part of your Formation Period is devoted to your initiation into research activities by developing and defending a master’s thesis. This part of your Formation Period can be done at IBEC and it can constitute the initial part of your PhD thesis. In some cases you need only complete part of the UB or UPC master’s studies if some of the ECTS credits you have done elsewhere are validated.

(ii) After completing a master’s degree. Completing your master’s degree or gaining a minimum of 60 master’s credits allows you to directly access the Research Period of your doctorate in the UB or UPC doctoral programmes and become a IBEC PhD researcher. If you did your master’s degree or obtained 60 master’s credits at a university or institution other than the UB or UPC, check with your IBEC thesis supervisor, as further evaluation may be required before you may access the Research Period of your selected doctoral programme.

I fit into one of these situations, and I know I want to come to IBEC. What do I do now?Once you have decided that you would like to pursue your doctoral studies at IBEC you can already contact us, even if you have not yet finished your undergraduate degree or master’s studies. Contact IBEC’s Human Resources unit at [email protected], or alternatively write directly to the group leader of the IBEC research group you would like to join. More information about IBEC’s areas of research and contact details for all the groups can be found at www.ibecbarcelona.eu.

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Doing your PhD at IBEC: frequently asked questions

How will my scientific progress be evaluated at IBEC?In addition to the day-to-day supervision by your IBEC thesis supervisor, every IBEC PhD student has a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), consisting of three staff members from their UB or UPC doctoral programme, which offers guidance and support during the preparation of the thesis.

In order to ensure that high standards of excellence continue at IBEC, the institute also monitors the quality of the work of its PhD students.

What is the relationship between IBEC and the universities?They are two of the founding institutions of IBEC. Together, the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. BarcelonaTech (UPC) coordinate the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), a recognized ‘Campus of International Excellence’ which includes the Parc Científic de Barcelona where IBEC is located. IBEC PhD students and other researchers benefit from this close relationship with both the UB and the UPC and the convenient access to their facilities, such as libraries and scientific services.

The UB also coordinates another Campus of International Excellence, the Health Universitat de Barcelona Campus (HUBc), with IBEC as founder member. The HUBc alliance comprises four teaching centres and six hospitals with nearly 12,000 health science professionals and a network of 8,000 students engaged in different degree programmes.

Will IBEC help me find accommodation and deal with paperwork?IBEC’s Human Resources department provides advice, support and assistance to national and international staff who are relocating to Barcelona, including finding temporary and long-term accommodation, opening a bank account, applying for health insurance, obtaining a Spanish identity number (NIE) and paperwork related to work permits and any necessary visas.

For further information, or if you have any other questions, please contact IBEC’s Human Resources unit at

[email protected]

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a. Awarding body: University of Barcelona (UB)

Doctoral programme in Biomedicine

Multidisciplinary training to university graduates with degrees in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, pharmacy, physics, medicine, dentistry, chemistry, veterinary and engineering in the field of biomedical research.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 60 ECTS postgraduate credits within the master’s courses linked to the Doctoral Program in Biomedicine: Biomedical Engineering, Bioinformatics, Biomedicine, Immunology or Neuroscience.

Received the Commendation for Quality from Spain’s General Directorate of Universities (MCD2006-00544).

For more information visit www.ub.edu/doctorat_biomedicina/eng/index.htm

Doctoral programme in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Knowledge and control of the fundamental structure of matter at the nanoscale and its ex-ploitation for the design and development of new products and systems, with applications in a wide range of fields such as medicine and pharmacy, the food and agricultural industries, and information technology.

Following the completion of a masters degree, PhD studies can be carried out in one of the following research areas at with IBEC: modelling and simulation of material properties at the nanoscale; nanobiotechnology; nanopharmacotherapy.

Recipient of the quality award for doctoral programs, assessed by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and awarded by the Ministry of Education.

For more information visit www.ub.edu/in2ub/doctorat_nanociencia/index_en.php

Doctoral programme in Engineering and Advanced Technologies

Students undertaking research in engineering will be able to address challenges in areas such as computer science, electronic engineering and chemical and material engineering. The programme aims to train high-level researchers with the potential to become involved in R&D activities in the public and private sectors.

Research possibilities in engineering in IBEC labs include pattern recognition and image analysis, bioelectronics and nanobioengineering and intelligent signal processing for sensor systems.

Received 91 points out of 100 in the ‘Mención de Excelencia’ evaluation of the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA).

For more information visit http://ita.el.ub.es

IBEC studentsPhD programmes open to

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b. Awarding body: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. BarcelonaTech (UPC)

Doctoral programme on Biomedical Engineering

Modern health systems involve the use of advanced technology and demand close interdisciplinary collaboration in R&D between industry and research centres. The courses which make up this programme enable students to study in depth such areas as biomaterials, biomedical instrumentation, biomedical signal analysis, biosystem modelling and simulation, medical robotics and radiation dosimetry.


For more information visit http://doctorat.upc.edu/estudis/programa.php?idprog=253&id=3

Doctoral programme on Materials Science and Engineering

Most students of the doctoral programme on Materials Science are engineers, physicists or biologists. The programme offers a specific education in materials (plastics, ceramics, biomaterials) as well as complementary training on the advanced techniques involved in the characterization of materials, their properties and structure.


For more information visit http://doctorat.upc.edu/estudis/programa.php?idprog=250&id=3

Other UB programmes include:

Biotechnology (www.ub.edu/farmacia/doctorat/biotecnologia/angles/presentation.htm)

Materials Science and Technology (www.ub.edu/CITMAT)

Advanced Microbiology (www.ub.edu/masteroficial/microbiologia)

Neurosciences (www.ub.edu/masteroficial/neurociencies/)

Other UPC programmes include:

Automatic Control, Robotics and Computer Vision (https://www.ioc.upc.edu/docencia/darv)

Mechanical Engineering (http://doctorat.upc.edu/estudis/programa.php?idprog=314)

Joint programmes include: Biomedical Engineering (http://www.ub.edu/masteroficial/enginybiomed/)

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graduatesIBEC

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Javier G. Fernandez Nationality: Spanish

Javier was in the Nanobioengineering group at IBEC from 2004 until 2008. Now he’s a research fellow at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Boston.

Javier was studying solid state physics in Lund, Sweden, when he started collabo-rating with a group looking at cell/surface interactions, which became the subject of his PhD. “IBEC was a very young institute when I joined, and its Nanobioengi-neering laboratory was one of the first in Spain,” he says. “They were very focused on making big steps in the field and trying new things. For me it was a great opportunity to enter a completely new discipline with a lot of things to learn, and I was also free to drive and build my own project.”

Javier’s PhD thesis, ‘Fabrication and characterization of nanostructures on chitosan biocompatible surfaces’, was awarded the prize for best thesis by the University of Barcelona in 2008. “The best thing about IBEC was the people,” he says. “We were all from very different backgrounds, building scientific projects together from scratch. I met really good researchers and made great friends.”

Now, as a research fellow at Harvard, Javier is achieving great results in his work on the boundary of material sciences and biology. “I’m interested in moving towards exploring the integration of living systems in technological applications, and the development of new materials and technologies inspired by natural concepts.”

Clara Sandino Nationality: Colombian

Clara was in the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology group at IBEC from 2005 to 2010, with an FI grant from the Generalitat of Catalonia. She is now a postdoc at the University of Calgary, Canada.

“When I was doing my master in statistics, I started studying the microstructure of bone tissue and its relation to bone strength, then got a PhD position in the modelling of the mechanoregulation of bone tissue differentiation,” explains Clara. “Joining the institute was a great opportunity due to the high quality of the multi-disciplinary research performed there. IBEC provided the necessary support for improving my knowledge and developing my research skills.

“Without a doubt, the human factor was the best part for me. Researchers, students, technicians and administrative staff worked together to build a really pleasant environment that made it easy and fun to work at IBEC.”

Nowadays, Clara applies computational modeling of bone properties to predict bone strength in her work as a postdoc at the Bone Imaging Laboratory of the Schulich School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in Calgary.

The IBEC International PhD Programme encourages applications from national and international candidates from many different disciplines.

Please send your CV to [email protected]

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Martin Koch Nationality: German

Martin was in the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology group at IBEC from 2005 until 2009, with an FI grant from the Generalitat of Catalonia. He is now a Research Technician at the Centre Tecnològic de Manresa (CTM), Spain.

Before doing his PhD, Martin was a biomedical engineer. “After working in a medical devices company, I was interested in pursuing my academic career further,” he says.“IBEC offered an impressive platform for research and develop-ment, with access to state-of-the-art equipment. By providing such tools and by putting effort into the education of its workers, IBEC has established an out-

standing and attractive institute for researchers at all career levels.

“Another outstanding point about being at IBEC was the work at an international level and the possibility of working with specialists of different disciplines. This was especially important in such a interdisciplinary field as biomedical engineering, where cell biology, materials science and mechanical engineering meet.”

Martin defended his thesis, ‘Development of in vitro and in vivo bioreactors for bone tissue engineering’ in April 2010. In his current position as research technician in the Bioengineering Division of CTM, he works in R&D in biomechanics and biomaterials to support companies in the development of new products for the medical sector.

Thomas van Zanten Nationality: Dutch

Thomas joined the Single Molecule Bionanophotonics group in 2007 and was finishing his PhD thesis on ‘Nanoscale mosaics on the cell membrane: Mapping organization and function with near-field optical nanoscopy’ in 2011.

“I trained as a chemical engineer, and at the end of my masters in polymer science I got specifically interested in nanoscale membrane organization,” explains Thomas. “I found an interesting PhD position at IBEC using cutting-edge optical techniques to uncover the basic principles.”

Like many of the first generation of IBEC PhD students, the institute did not exist in its present form when he arrived. “With the availability of advanced state-of-the-art equipment and a vision that spanned fundamental research to clinical trials, IBEC became an increasingly stimulating environment,” he says. “From a professional point of view I really appreciated the range of help given by PhD students and group leaders alike, from filling us in on a new paper to teaching us how to transfect.”

As he finishes his thesis, Thomas is thinking about his next steps. “There are many options for after my PhD,” he says. “I’m keeping an eye on both Harvard and Berkeley, but at the same time there are interesting institutes such as the Spatio Temporal Modeling Center in Albuquerque and the Centre for Vascular Research in Sydney which might also be a great move in order for me to continue my research in this direction.”

UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONAU

BUNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICADE CATALUNYA

UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICADE CATALUNYA

Baldiri Reixac, 10-12 08028 Barcelona, Spain Tel. +34 934 039 706 Fax. +34 934 039 702

www.ibecbarcelona.eu

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Doing your PhD at IBEC