Postdoc in Design of Integrated Photonic Waveguides, ICFO (Barcelona)
Job Description
This postdoc in integrated photonics at ICFO in Castelldefels (Barcelona) is for a theorist and simulator who wants to design waveguides that couple light in and out efficiently. The position is in the Nanophotonics Theory group led by Prof. Dr. Javier García de Abajo.
At a glance
- Position: Post-doctoral researcher (ICFO reference 1046)
- Where: ICFO, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
- Group: Nanophotonics Theory, led by Prof. Dr. Javier García de Abajo
- Duration: One year
- Pay: Set by the selection committee within ICFO’s postdoctoral range
- Apply by: Open until the position is filled
About the integrated photonics postdoc project
The project designs waveguides in a planar geometry with efficient in- and out-couplers that interface with external light sources, as a platform for optical sensors and optical signal processors. ICFO says the approach deliberately builds on mature, commercially available photonic integration technology so that the result stays scalable, compatible and affordable.
The work is simulation-heavy. It calls for extensive electromagnetic modelling to optimise waveguide structures for low loss, efficient confinement and mode matching with external optical components, with particular attention to couplers that allow low-loss injection and extraction of light.
Beyond the waveguides themselves, the successful candidate will simulate the functions the platform is meant to perform: detecting analytes through optical absorption and through phase modulation read out with on-chip interferometers such as Mach-Zehnder configurations, and evaluating the same platform for filtering, switching and modulation in signal processing.
Who can apply
- An internationally recognised PhD (or evidence that it will be completed shortly), preferably in photonics.
- Experience with electromagnetic simulations and their application to practical problems.
- In particular, experience applying simulation to explain sensing experiments.
Why this role matters
A photonic sensor is only as good as the light that reaches its guided mode, and coupling losses are where most integrated designs quietly lose their sensitivity. Getting the couplers and mode matching right on a commercially available platform is what decides whether a compact, fast optical sensor can be built at all rather than remaining a simulation.
Pay and duration
The contract is offered for a period of one year. As with other ICFO postdoctoral positions, the salary is assigned by the selection committee on the basis of the applicant’s experience and seniority and the tasks assigned within the group; no figure is published in the advertisement.
A family allowance is available on request, after approval, for candidates with dependants.
How to apply
Apply through the ICFOjobs platform with a presentation letter declaring your interest, a curriculum vitae including contact details, and the contact e-mail addresses of two potential referees.
ICFO states that candidates will be assessed as they apply and that the call remains open until a suitable candidate is identified. ResearchJobs.in has set a provisional date of 16 October 2026 and will re-check the opening then. Formal enquiries go to jobs@icfo.eu; scientific enquiries go to javier.garciadeabajo@icfo.eu.
Read the official ICFO opening (reference 1046) in full before applying. You can also browse postdoctoral fellowships and more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Official advertisement: jobs.icfo.eu
How to prepare for this application
- Name the solvers you use and why: FDTD, FEM, eigenmode expansion or your own code, and where each one broke down in your past work.
- Include one worked example where your simulation was checked against a measurement — the group wants modelling that explains sensing experiments, not modelling in isolation.
- Show grating or edge coupler design experience if you have it, with the coupling efficiency and bandwidth you achieved.
- Say which commercial platform you have designed for (silicon, silicon nitride, lithium niobate) and what its process design kit allowed or forbade.
- Keep the presentation letter concrete about the first three months: which structure you would model first and what you would compare it against.
About ICFO and the Nanophotonics Theory group
ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences is a photonics research centre in Castelldefels, near Barcelona, covering fundamental and applied optical science.
The Nanophotonics Theory group, led by Prof. Dr. Javier García de Abajo, works on the theory of light–matter interaction at the nanoscale, including plasmonics, two-dimensional materials and electron–light interaction, and collaborates with experimental groups inside and outside ICFO.
