About IFAE
Mission & Vision
From particles to the Cosmos
Inspired by the vision of performing excellent science looking towards the future, IFAE mission is to conduct research on the hottest topics in fundamental physics and, at the same time, to contribute to society by applying the acquired knowledge and insight in strategic sectors.
The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) is a consortium of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) created in 1991.IFAE performs research in high-energy physics, astroparticle physics and cosmology, and develops technologies for the benefit of the whole society.IFAE’s mission is to address fundamental physics questions by acting as a major partner and a leader in the scientific collaborations at the forefront of our field, while preparing for future technological breakthroughs.
- years on the frontier of fundamental physics
- 30+
- people: researcher, engineers and support personnel
- 150
- international collaborations in experimental physics
- 13
- At the frontier of fundamental physics
- We conduct research, both theoretical and experimental, on the frontier of fundamental physics (high-energy physics, astrophysics, and cosmology) and also in various areas of applied physics, such as medical imaging and quantum computing.
- From particles to the cosmos
- We are involved in the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, the T2K neutrino experiment in Japan, the MAGIC telescopes in La Palma, the Dark Energy Survey project in Chile, the Virgo experiments in Italy and the Cherenkov Telescope Array in La Palma and Chile, among others.
- Leader in the scientific collaborations at the forefront of our field
- IFAE leadership record includes: ATLAS (2 Chairs of the Collaboration Board); MAGIC (3 Spokespersons); the Einstein Telescope (Chair of the Collaboration Board and the Coordinator of an EU project); the coordination of EU projects in Quantum Computing Technologies, and three ERC grants.
- Cutting edge of detector technology
- We develop pixel detectors for High Energy Physics, telescope cameras and detectors for medical imaging and other scientific and industrial fields.
- State-of-the-art facilities
- Our facilities include a microelectronics laboratory with state-of-the-art packaging and assembly technologies, clean rooms, a data center, a mechanical workshop, electronics labs, an optical room and a shielded room.
- Port d'Informació Científica (PIC)
- PIC is a scientific-technological center specializing in data-intensive research where interdisciplinary teams of scientists and computer engineers collaborate with different research groups to accelerate scientific output by means of advanced analysis methodologies. PIC is jointly operated by IFAE and CIEMAT.