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4 December 2025 - Barcelona (CosmoCaixa)

The Photonics Careers Symposium

9:00 to 9:30

Registration at CosmoCaixa

9:30 to 9:40

Welcome words

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Head of Outreach at ICFO

9:40 to 10:10

The Photonics landscape

Verònica Ahufinger

Verònica Ahufinger

Head of Academic Affairs at ICFO

10:10 to 11:00

Photonics Careers in Academia - Panel moderated by Verònica Ahufinger

Carmen Rubio Verdú

Carmen Rubio Verdú

Group Leader and Professor at ICFO

Heather Lewandowski

Heather Lewandowski

Professor at University of Colorado Boulder (UCB)

Marilu Chiofalo

Marilu Chiofalo

Professor at University of Pisa

Pelayo García de Arquer

Pelayo García de Arquer

Group Leader and Professor at ICFO

11:00 to 11:30

Coffee break*

11:30 to 11:50

Hot topics: Photonics for Personalized Medicine

Ariadna Martínez Marrades

Ariadna Martínez Marrades

Senior Innovation Manager (Health) at ICFO

11:50 to 12:40

Photonics Careers in Industry - Panel moderated by Ariadna Martínez Marrades

Barbara Buades

Barbara Buades

CEO & Co-founder at MEETOPTICS

Joan Cano

Film characterization engineer at QURV

Lucia Garbini

Community Builder at Pasqal

Francesco Benfenati

Francesco Benfenati

Senior Quantum Application Engineer at IQM Quantum Computers

Sergi Cuesta Arcos

Sergi Cuesta Arcos

CTO at Vitsolc Technologies S.L.

12:40 to 13:00

Hot topics: Trends in Photonic Integrated Chips

Miquel Rudé

Miquel Rudé

Lead Photonics at Quside Technologies

13:00 to 14:30

Lunch & Networking*

14:30

End of the CARLA camp

* Provided by ICFO

Organised by

In the framework of

In collaboration with

With the support of

Trustees

Bio

Carmen Rubio Verdú embarked on her academic journey studying Chemistry, but midway through her bachelor’s studies, she discovered her true passion for physics. This realization led her to relocate to San Sebastián (Spain) to pursue her PhD at CIC nanoGUNE. During her doctoral research, she delved into the study of the smallest magnets: magnetic atoms, exploring the energy scales that govern these minute magnets and strategies for their manipulation.

Her academic pursuits expanded as she explored two-dimensional superconductors, eventually leading her to undertake a postdoctoral position in the United States at Columbia University. During her time there, she focused on researching the electronic properties of twisted graphene structures and investigated the role of electronic correlations. In 2023, Carmen started her own research group at ICFO with the objective of understanding the origins of superconductivity in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. Her group utilizes low-temperature Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy and Spectroscopy to examine correlated states with atomic precision and ultra-low energy resolution.

About the Institution

STM on 2D quantum materials research group focuses on studying the correlated phases emerging in two-dimensional systems using low-temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy (STM/STS). Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, are ideal for engineering materials with atomic-plane precision. Their layered structures allow exfoliation to the monolayer limit and the creation of heterostructures with novel properties by stacking and twisting layers. Recent advancements highlight that both the choice of materials and the rotational angle between their atomic lattices are crucial for their properties, as exemplified by magic-angle graphene. This system displays a range of behaviors, from correlated insulating states to superconductivity, depending on band occupancy.

Using STM/STS at temperatures around 300 mK, the group investigates atomic and electronic structures with high spatial and energy resolution. This approach allows them to explore mechanisms behind phenomena like superconductivity in magic-angle graphene. They are also interested in other systems with complex phase diagrams, such as rhombohedral graphene and twisted transition metal dichalcogenides, which exhibit intriguing phases like Mott insulators, Wigner crystals, and spin liquids. These studies aim to unravel the fundamental mechanisms driving these exotic states.

Bio

Marilù Chiofalo is a PhD at the Scuola Normale and condensed-matter professor at the Pisa University, teaching elementary physics for life sciences and physics, advanced quantum liquids and quantum biology, and the physics of everyday life for teachers’ training. Her way is interdisciplinary, on quantum metrology and simulators for condensed-matter and fundamental physics, biology and neurosciences, and on physics education research. She authors radio and video formats, in magazines about science and society, and engages the general public, combining the synthetic languages of arts and science. Omnivorous reader and videogame player (for next frame advancement), she learned from volleyball to score in three touches (one being her, as setter) and from soccer with overhead kicks, from bicycle to crash when necessary. She plays tenor sax in UNIPI Orchestra, Filarmonica, and Clown Doctors band. Deputy mayor of the Pisa municipality contributing to National policies planning (2008-2018), she is part of Labodif and of Women4Quantum.

About the Institution

The University of Pisa is a public higher-education institution counting 52000+ students in a town of 90000 residents, 20 departments, 17 libraries, 60 bachelor’s and 80 master’s, 35 PhD, and 120 specialization programmes, high-level research centres in agriculture, fundamental physics and astrophysics, computer science, engineering, medicine and veterinary medicine sectors. Formally founded in 1343, when it was proclaimed a ‘Studium Generale’ to prepare university teachers, the University of Pisa nowadays represents a modern centre for teaching and advanced research, with locations disseminated over a campus that is diffused throughout the whole of Pisa. It is tied to the legacy of Galileo Galilei, who was born, studied and became professor in Pisa in 1589, Nobel laureates including Giosuè Carducci (1906, Literature), Enrico Fermi (1938, Physics), Carlo Rubbia (1984, Physics), and Fields medalists Enrico Bombieri (1974) and Alessio Figalli (2018). Nowadays, it stands every year in the top positions of the most prestigious international rankings both by universities and subjects. The University of Pisa is also a driver of innovation with strong ties to local industry. It is strongly committed with studies and practices for peace building and human rights, gender policies, sustainable development and 2030 Agenda.

Bio

Barbara Buades is the co-founder and CEO of MEETOPTICS, an AI-assisted search platform designed to simplify sourcing and procurement in the optics and photonics industry. With a background in Physics from the University of Barcelona, a Master’s in Photonics from Imperial College London, and a PhD in Photonics (Attoscience) from ICFO (Barcelona), she has led MEETOPTICS’ evolution from a research-driven startup to the largest product database in the photonics industry, helping thousands of researchers and engineers every day to understand and find the products they need to build their setups.

Driven by the vision of making photonics easy and accessible for everyone, she is currently leading the development of Louis, the scientific AI assistant that helps engineers and researchers find products when requirements are not fully defined, perform calculations and simulations, detect incompatibilities, and suggest alternatives.

Barbara is passionate about problem-solving, developing tools that empower deep-tech innovation, and bridging the gap between research and industry.

About the Institution

MEETOPTICS makes photonics accessible to everyone.
MEETOPTICS is the first AI-assisted advanced search for Optics and Photonics components and equipment, connected to the world’s largest database of products in the Photonics industry, featuring over 100,000 products from 150+ suppliers and 1.6 million standardized specifications. It simplifies the search and acquisition of equipment, enabling engineers and researchers to understand what they need for the setups and find solutions in minutes instead of weeks. Its Scientific AI assistant, Louis—specialized in photonics—answers technical questions such as “What laser do I need to cut 3 millimeters of metal?”, finds products when requirements are not fully defined, performs calculations and simulations, detects incompatibilities, and suggests alternatives.

Growing at a rate of 10% per month in users, MEETOPTICS has already helped companies like ASML, MIT, Cisco, and Apple streamline complex projects and accelerate decision-making, transforming the way photonic technologies are discovered and acquired.