About
The MINDLAB program aims to uncover the fundamental principles governing brain structure and function, integrating experimental and theoretical neuroscience to bridge scales from molecules to behavior. Together, we explore molecular dynamics in vivo and in vitro, neural circuit functions, and emergent cognitive processes in genetic models and human patients of neurodegenerative diseases.
MINDLAB is an interdisciplinary creative incubator rooted squarely in academic rigor, comprising of research groups from ICFO and beyond, working collaboratively on dozens of cutting-edge research projects. We are driven by curiosity and focus on advancing fundamental knowledge on how brain and motor function emerges and evolves over the lifespan from the collective behavior of individual molecules, cells and neuronal networks. MINDLAB also focuses on translation to applications and the creation of and commercialization of transformational future technologies with outstanding potential to impact our society for good.
Core faculty
Research
Our research program adopts an unconventional approach grounded in physical principles and guided by quantitative, experimentally testable models.
At the same time, our work is driven by transformative ideas in fundamental science, catalyzed by the unique environment at ICFO. Access to cutting-edge technologies, world-class facilities, and a strong network of interdisciplinary and external collaborations allows us to pursue ambitious questions that would be difficult to tackle within a single discipline. This ecosystem empowers us to translate foundational insights into tangible advances.
Our efforts are inherently purpose-driven, centered on the development and deployment of new methods that bridge physics, biology, chemistry, technology, and medicine. We design and integrate tools across scales and domains—from sensors, microscopes, and engineered molecules to computational models and complex biological systems, ultimately extending to medical devices. By covering the full spectrum from bench to bedside, our approach ensures that innovation is continuously aligned with real-world needs, facilitating the translation of discovery into impact.
School
In collaboration with Lasers4EU project
The core faculty of the ICFO-MINDLAB, a think tank working jointly towards a transdisciplinary understanding of the brain, offers a school to introduce cutting edge technologies to study neuroscience at the molecular, cellular and systems level to students in a combination of lectures and hands-on experience leading to group projects.
The hands-on course on MINDLAB will expose participants to the state-of-the-art of photonics-based technologies tailored to monitor a hierarchy of scales in the study of the brain: i.e. from single molecules up to the whole organism.
The MINDLAB faculty includes world-leading experts in their fields. The expertise of the core faculty is complemented by a diverse set of affiliated adjunct faculty from various research centres in Barcelona, but also through clinical and corporate partners.
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Lecturers
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Hands-on sessions
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Eligibility
How to apply
There is NO fee for students to attend the school.
Applicants must submit:
- A Curriculum Vitae, including contact details.
- A statement of purpose outlining their motivation for attending the school.
Applications must be submitted online, and all required application materials must be complete to be considered.
The deadline for applications is June 7, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified during the week of June 8, 2026.
For any questions, please get in touch with us at frontiers@icfo.eu
Registration formProjects
µEF
Excitation-free bioluminescence light field microscopy for volumetric imaging of fast biological dynamics.
Funding: Cellex and ERC Proof of Concept.
Lightfunnels
Engineering ultrasensitive light actuators for neuromodulation and non-invasive optogenetics.
Funding: ICFO Seed.
DIGIBrain
Towards digital neuroscience of the everyday world.
Funding: Generalitat de Catalunya.
AD Astra
ADvAncing SpaTiotemporal understanding and control of light-harvesting RegulAtion: lessons from photosynthesis.
Funding: ICFO Clean Planet.
Publications
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Weak Ergodicity Breaking of Receptor Motion in Living Cells Stemming from Random Diffusivity
Carlo Manzo*, Juan A. Torreno-Pina, Pietro Massignan, Gerald J. Lapeyre, Jr., Maciej Lewenstein, and Maria F. Garcia Parajo† Phys. Rev. X 5, 011021 (2015) -
Neural engineering with photons as synaptic transmitters
Montserrat Porta-de-la-Riva, Adriana Carolina Gonzalez, Neus Sanfeliu-Cerdán, Shadi Karimi, Nawaphat Malaiwong, Aleksandra Pidde, Luis-Felipe Morales-Curiel, Pablo Fernandez, Sara González-Bolívar, Cedric Hurth, Michael Krieg Nat Methods 2023 May;20(5):761-769 -
Volumetric imaging of fast cellular dynamics with deep learning enhanced bioluminescence microscopy
Luis Felipe Morales-Curiel, Adriana Carolina Gonzalez, Gustavo Castro-Olvera, Li-Chun Lynn Lin, Malak El-Quessny, Montserrat Porta-de-la-Riva, Jacqueline Severino, Laura Battle Morera, Valeria Venturini, Verena Ruprecht, Diego Ramallo, Pablo Loza-Alvarez, Michael Krieg Commun Biol. 2022 Dec 3;5(1):1330 -
Stochastic particle unbinding modulates growth dynamics and size of transcription factor condensates in living cells
Gorka Muñoz-Gil, Catalina Romero-Aristizabal, Nicolas Mateos, Felix Campelo, Lara I de Llobet Cucalon, Miguel Beato, Maciej Lewenstein, Maria F Garcia-Parajo, Juan A Torreno-Pina Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Aug 2;119(31):e2200667119 -
Transient subdiffusion from an Ising environment
G Muñoz-Gil, C Charalambous, M A García-March, M F Garcia-Paraj, C Manzo, M Lewenstein, A Celi Phys Rev E. 2017 Nov;96(5-1):052140 -
Nonergodic subdiffusion from transient interactions with heterogeneous partners
C Charalambous, G Muñoz-Gil, A Celi, M F Garcia-Parajo, M Lewenstein, C Manzo, M A García-March Phys Rev E. 2017 Mar;95(3-1):032403 -
Nonergodic subdiffusion from Brownian motion in an inhomogeneous medium
P Massignan, C Manzo, J A Torreno-Pina, M F García-Parajo, M Lewenstein, G J Lapeyre Jr Phys Rev Lett. 2014 Apr 18;112(15):150603
Work with us
We are actively recruiting PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to do cutting edge research in MINDLAB.
- Super resolution Light microscopy and Nanoscopy.
- Neurophotonics and Mechanical Systems Biology
- Medical Optics
- Single Molecules Biophotonics
- Molecular Nanophotonics
- Photon Harvesting in Plants and Biomolecules
If you are interested in applying for a position, please do so via the website of the institute. We look forward to having you in the team!
Join usFunding
