Photonic sensing for health and environment

ongoing

PHOTOSENS Erasmus Mundus Design Measures aims to establish a high-level, two-year joint Master’s program focused on the fabrication and application of photonic sensors for health and environmental monitoring. It will attract international students with strong academic backgrounds in mathematics, physics, engineering and electronics. The relevance of this program is based on two observations: the rapid growth of the photonics and components market, becoming increasingly integral to everyday life, and the rising demand for measurement solutions tailored to the highly regulated health and environmental sectors. To address these challenges, we will form a consortium of five universities, sharing expertise to train future engineers and researchers in photonic sensing. Graduates will be equipped to design and fabricate components and systems that support health diagnostics, environmental monitoring and sustainability. The curriculum will begin with a strong foundation in photonics and sensing before advancing to device engineering, cleanroom fabrication, sensor development, system implementation and evaluation. A significant portion of the program will be dedicated to data science and deep learning, as these technologies are set to become integral to next-generation sensors. The program will be explicitly structured around health and environmental applications, with specialized courses covering European regulations. The future master will primarily build upon existing courses, though a few new units may be developed. During this EMDM phase, significant efforts will be devoted to finalizing the curriculum, securing accreditations, and defining each pedagogical step—from course credits to the joint diploma structure. This EMDM aims to evolve into a full Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s program. It will strengthen the partners’ European visibility in photonics, academic and research collaborations, and train the next generation of photonics engineers for tomorrow’s challenges.