D. in Biological and Medical Engineering 3
About the program
The main objective of the program is to train human capital capable of generating new knowledge and technology at the interface between Engineering, Biology and Medicine. The program will also contribute to promote the transfer of technology to society, through the development of research during the program, and subsequently the incorporation of new PhD graduates in academia, industry, or through innovative technological ventures.
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D. graduates in Biological and Medical Engineering should be able to:
- Make an original and independent contribution in their field of study and identify and develop new lines of research of high academic and social impact.
- Develop and implement solutions to complex problems that require the simultaneous application of interdisciplinary knowledge provided by Engineering, Medicine and Biology, based on their solid scientific and technological training.
- Promote the transfer of technology to society through research generated in industry, academia, or through technological and innovative ventures.
- Participate and lead interdisciplinary and international research groups.
- Discuss and defend current areas of research with critical and analytical skills and communicate the contributions of their research effectively orally and in writing in English to the scientific community and society at large.
- To develop research and professional work in the interdisciplinary field of Biological and Medical Engineering and its interaction with society and the environment with ethical responsibility.
Step-by-Step Application Process
1. Check the requirements at
. You must have a college degree in a field related to the biological sciences, medicine, or engineering, and demonstrate proficiency in English at the B2 level (ALTE 3).
2. Define your line of research
Make sure you are interested in the intersection of these disciplines and have a clear research topic.
3. Contact faculty members in the program at
. We recommend that you contact IIBM faculty members in advance to explore potential advisors. These conversations are taken into account during the application process.
4. Complete the online application at
. Submit your application through the official platform and send the required documentation to postgrado.iibm@uc.cl
5. Required Documentation
- Academic transcripts (degree, grades, and ranking)
- Resume
- English proficiency certification at ALTE Level 3 or B2 according to the Common European Framework
- Letter of Intent
- Two letters of recommendation must be sent to the Doctoral Committee: postgrado.iibm@uc.cl
- Identification document (RUT or passport)
- Copy of the application form and proof of payment exemption.
(Foreign applicants must submit legalized or apostilled documents.)
6. Submit your application materials to
. Send all documentation to the graduate program’s email address as instructed.
Lines of Research
Based on the competence, trajectory and scientific leadership of its academic staff, the PhD Program in Biological and Medical Engineering UC offers several lines of high impact research, so that doctoral students create new knowledge of worldwide relevance in biomedical imaging, cellular and molecular engineering, tissue engineering, and quantitative physiology and biomechanics.
Curriculum
The dedication to the Doctorate in Biological and Medical Engineering is exclusive, with a theoretical duration of 8 semesters and a total of 340 UC credits destined to courses, of which 60 correspond to minimum courses, 30 to electives, 50 to Research Units, and 200 to the Thesis. The credits are the quantitative expression of the academic work done by the student, necessary to achieve the objectives and learning achievements of each curricular activity. One UC credit is equivalent to one hour of work per week during a semester. Given the international character of the program, courses will be taught in English.
It consists of the presentation and defense of a doctoral thesis project, which must be an original work, focused on the resolution of a problem or optimization of a process related to biological and medical engineering and its subsequent application. In this instance, the student’s knowledge of the selected topic, which will be necessary to carry out the thesis project, is also evaluated. Once the candidacy exam has been passed, the student will be a PhD candidate and will be able to start his/her doctoral thesis.
Graduation from the Doctoral Program will require the approval of all curricular activities corresponding to the study plan and the final defense of the Thesis, in accordance with the provisions of the pertinent article of the University’s Doctoral Student Regulations. In addition, research units and other mandatory non-credit activities that are a requirement for graduation must be completed. In addition to the above, students will receive international training through research internships abroad.
To access the temperates associated with research units and doctoral theses, we invite you to review here
Community
The program’s faculty is composed of thirty professors. The faculty has eighteen academics, all of them with PhD degrees, with active research lines and who meet the productivity standards for PhDs defined by the National Accreditation Commission.
In addition, twelve researchers support the management and academic activities of the program as Collaborators.
Cecilia Besa
Profesora Asistente Facultad de Medicina
Tomás Egaña
Assistant Director of Postgraduate Programs | Associate Professor
Varina Isabel Aldana Villarroel
Supervisor
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Víctor Andrés Alegría Mera
Supervisor
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Enzyme diversity in the formation of biofilms.
Cristina Roxana Alfaro Vergara
Supervisor
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Deep learning in Biomedical Imaging
Rocio Artigas
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Effects of Early Adversity, on brain biochemistry, measured by MRS.
Nibaldo Avilés
Programa
Doctorate in Engineering Sciences UC
Javiera Avilés
Programa
Project MILENIO
Rocio Barron
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Patricio Canales
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Investigating tissue-scale force transmission in cell aggregates in homeostasis and cancer
Felipe Carvajal
Programa
Postdoctoral
Tema de investigación
Development of an in-situ self-assembling biomaterial through genetic engineering in microalgae.
Julian Casas
Programa
Doctorate in Engineering Sciences UC
Carlos Castillo
Dante Catagnini
Séverine Cazaux
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Francisca Durán
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Valeria Eltit
Programa
FONDECYT Project
Jorge Gonzalez
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Aransa Griñen
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Alfredo L’Homme
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Alejandra Lablé
Valeria Labra
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Paola Larrauri
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Camila Leiva
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Karla Lopez
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Cristobal Martinez
Programa
Doctorate in Engineering Sciences UC
Fabian Melo
Tema de investigación
Network-based inference and machine learning
Pierre Padilla
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Microbiome Analysis with Microfluidics and Free Hardware (Spanish)
Valeria Paez
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Diego Pedraza
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Hade Ramos
Programa
D. in Biological Sciences, mention in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology.
Tema de investigación
Evaluation of the genetic diversity of Andean Orthohantavirus.
Javiera Reyes
Programa
Doctorate in Engineering Sciences UC
Tema de investigación
Functional consequences of metamorphic protein structure change in bacteria.
Pablo Rozas
Programa
CORFO Project
Guillermo Sahonero
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Gema Santander
Programa
D. in Biological Sciences
César Santis
Rayen Valdivia
Programa
D. in Biological and Medical Engineering
Tema de investigación
Design and optimization of nanosystems for needle free antigen delivery
Nicolás Garrido
Master's student representative
Programa
Master in Biological and Medical Engineering
César Ramírez
Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
Andrea Ravasio
Associate Professor
Francisco Sahli
Assistant Professor
Carlos A. Sing-Long
Assistant Professor
Internationalization
A joint degree is a doctoral program under a co-supervision arrangement that leads to a single academic degree awarded simultaneously by two universities. In this case, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and King’s College London jointly certify compliance with academic and research standards.
Under this model, students develop their thesis under the supervision of two professors—one at each institution—and spend time at both universities, dividing their time between them.
The agreement, in effect since 2020, links the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM UC) with the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences at King’s College London.
To apply, interested students must first contact both institutions, identify a compatible research topic, and secure potential advisors. Applications must be submitted exclusively to the home university as part of the regular admissions process, indicating the joint degree option and submitting a study plan.
Selected students may begin their studies at the foreign institution after passing their entrance exam and must complete between 12 and 24 months at each university. The program culminates with the defense of a thesis and the award of a joint degree recognized by both institutions.