The IFAE Severo Ochoa Program
Latest news, milestones, open positions and highlights from the IFAE Severo Ochoa Excellence Program.

SO News
- Title
- Severo Ochoa programme brings jazz, history and physics together in a sold-out public event
- Description
- The IFAE Severo Ochoa Visitor Program brings frontier physics closer to society through culture and dialogue
- Date
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- Title
- IFAE launches the Severo Ochoa Proof of Concept programme
- Description
- The Severo Ochoa Proof of Concept (SOPoC) programme supports IFAE researchers in validating innovative early-stage ideas and generating the preliminary results needed to secure future competitive funding.
- Date
- Posted on:
- Title
- First Severo Ochoa Research Visits Strengthen International Collaboration at IFAE
- Description
- The first researchers hosted through the IFAE Severo Ochoa Incoming Visitors Programme have completed successful research stays at the institute, strengthening international collaborations across particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
- Date
- Posted on:
Recognition
2026 Nobel Prize in Physics: the birth of high-energy neutrino astronomy
October 7, 2026
The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics recognises Francis Halzen’s pioneering role in high-energy neutrino astronomy. IFAE is connected to this achievement through MAGIC’s contribution to identifying a likely cosmic neutrino source.
Event
IFAE brings physics to CosmoCaixa for the European Researchers’ Night 2026
September 17, 2026
IFAE will bring fundamental physics closer to the public at CosmoCaixa during the European Researchers’ Night 2026, with activities developed within the European Project PICO New Horizons, including an interactive cosmology workshop for families and a live jazz and physics performance.
Activity
IFAE launches ‘Ask the Universe’ for the European Researchers’ Night
September 16, 2026
IFAE launches Ask the Universe (Pregunta a l’Univers), a new educational outreach initiative inviting young people to share the questions about the Universe that most intrigue them. The activity is part of IFAE’s programme for the European Researchers’ Night 2026 and has been developed within the European project PICO New Horizons.
Publication
A new approach to searching for ultraheavy dark matter
September 9, 2026
The study “First Search for Ultraheavy Dark Matter Using a Magnetically Levitated Particle” , co-authored by IFAE researcher Dorian Amaral and collaborators, explores a new experimental approach to probing interactions of ultraheavy dark matter. The work has been reported on Phys.org















