International alliance strengthened: IIBM and King’s College London extend their joint PhD until 2029

The renewal of the joint PhD program between the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and King's College London for the period 2025-2029 consolidates a strategic alliance that has proven to be highly fruitful since its inception in 2020.

This agreement not only reaffirms the commitment of both institutions to doctoral training of excellence, but also represents a relevant milestone by maintaining a collaboration model in which the partner institution does not charge fees for participating students.

The program is framed in the modality of joint degree under the scheme of co-tutelage, which allows doctoral students to obtain a single academic degree awarded simultaneously by both universities. In this context, both the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile through the Institute of Biological Engineering and Médice, together with King's College London jointly certify compliance with the highest standards in academic training and research, thus strengthening the international projection of its graduates.

Since its implementation, the initiative has shown concrete results. To date, five students have joined the program since 2021, highlighting the graduation of its first graduate, Carlos Castillo, who is currently pursuing a postdoctoral degree at Stanford University.

"Being part of this joint program was a deeply enriching academic and personal experience. The possibility of developing my research in two different institutions was is of excellence, with complementary approaches, significantly broadened my scientific perspective and strengthened my training as a researcher," said Carlos Castillo.

The co-supervision model implies that each student develops his or her doctoral thesis under the supervision of two academics -one at each institution- and distributes his or her time between both universities. In terms of structure, students must complete between 12 and 24 months at each institution, beginning their international stay once they have passed the candidacy exam. The process culminates with the thesis defense, after which the joint degree is awarded, officially recognized by both houses of study.

To apply, interested parties must establish prior contact with both institutions, define a compatible research topic and have potential supervisors. The application is made exclusively to the home university, within the regular admission process, indicating the joint degree option and presenting a plan of stay that articulates the academic experience in both contexts.

The renewal of this agreement not only gives continuity to a high-impact academic initiative, but also opens new opportunities for future generations of researchers. In a global scenario that demands ever greater interdisciplinary and international collaboration, this program is projected as a solid platform to continue training advanced human capital, capable of facing the scientific and technological challenges of the future from an integrative and excellent perspective.