• PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

IQS proudly offers an appealing and relevant doctoral programme for students who are interested in research and innovation in the fields of Chemistry and Chemical and Industrial Engineering. The programme offers an interdisciplinary approach that aims to address the professional needs of the industry and provide scientific education for academic and industrial research.

IQS celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of its founding during the 2005-06 academic year. IQS has always been characterised by its spirit of innovation, its ongoing contact with the business world, and for being a leading educational centre for chemistry professionals and engineers whose graduates are appreciated in all areas of the field.

Doctoral studies in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering began at IQS in 1964 and have continued uninterrupted to present. Throughout its history, IQS has prepared doctors in all fields related to Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Upon completing their doctoral studies and joining chemical and related industries (pharmaceutical, food, paint, polymers, and so on), these graduates have contributed significantly to improving the quality, productivity, competitiveness, and capacity for innovation and entrepreneurship at their companies. In 2008, the first doctoral thesis in Industrial Engineering was defended (through the doctoral programme of the same name launched in 2000 at IQS), opening new research lines related to Engineering.

Main information

10 new PhD candidates are admitted per academic year

Open all year round

Chemistry Area
Chemical Engineering Area
Industrial Engineering Area 

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Programme objectives

The core aspect of the PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering programme involves completing a doctoral thesis under the guidance of a thesis supervisor. Candidates join a research group to conduct an original scientific research project in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, or industrial engineering, gaining research skills and knowledge as they work on their thesis.

The objectives of the PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering programme are:

To educate new doctors who are specialists in the most modern and cutting-edge fields of chemistry and chemical engineering thanks to a solid foundation and knowledge. These PhD graduates are prepared with the aim of producing increasingly competitive and modern companies in which the need for research and innovation is considered a given.

To awaken the calling in future university professors and researchers and educate them appropriately for this purpose. It is also important to remember that a doctorate is the natural and mandatory entry point for a university teaching career.

To educate research professionals who are capable of naturally adapting to the increasingly rapid-changing scientific and technological environment with the most advanced knowledge in their respective specialties. With this background, our PhD graduates are aware of the need for continuing education throughout life and they have learned the precise methodology to do so.

To ensure that the doctors trained in these studies have an awareness of the impact that their work represents for the environment and humanity, not to mention a deep ethical understanding of the profession, as they will be at the forefront of scientific and technical advances.

To maintain a high level of basic and applied research at IQS that fosters a continuous spirit of innovation and staying abreast of current knowledge and methodologies at all teaching levels.

Career opportunities

The top career opportunities for graduates of the programme are primarily in the areas of research and managing research projects for companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics sectors through holding leadership positions in R&D&i. A small number of doctors continue their scientific careers in academia or in research centres.

The Agency for Quality in the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya) regularly conducts job placement studies for people who have graduated from the various doctoral programs at Catalan universities.

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