Claudio Bruschini
EPFL STI IMT AQUA
MC A3 307 (Bâtiment MC)
Rue de la Maladière 71b, CP 526
2002 Neuchâtel 2
+41 21 695 43 44
+41 21 693 39 11
Office:
MC A3 307
EPFL
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STI
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IEM
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AQUA
Web site: Web site: https://aqua.epfl.ch/
+41 21 695 43 44
EPFL
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SMT-ENS
Fields of expertise
- Present expertise and interests: Photonic/electronic quantum devices. Single-photon detectors (SPAD arrays), high-speed and time-resolved 2D/3D optical sensing, as well as applications thereof (biophotonics, medical physics, high-energy/nuclear physics).
- Past expertise and interests:
Bulk and trace explosives and illicit substances detectors, including nuclear physics based. Humanitarian demining/unexploded ordnance sensors. Metal detectors. (Multi-)Sensor technology.
- Past expertise and interests:
Bulk and trace explosives and illicit substances detectors, including nuclear physics based. Humanitarian demining/unexploded ordnance sensors. Metal detectors. (Multi-)Sensor technology.
FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
2023 Editor’s Choice, Crystals 11(4) 2021 paper (F. Gramuglia), corresponding author2023 Editor’s Pick, BioOpEx 14(2) paper on SPAD-based multispeckle DCS, Wayne et al, co-author
2022 Best Talk of a Young Researcher (Y. Lin), Yearly BMPN Meeting, co-advisor
2021 OSA Optica (2020 IF 11.1) paper selected as August journal cover page, co-author
2020 Review paper selected as one of the LSA top 20 downloaded papers (NPG, IF 2020 17.8), first author
2020 First Place Student Paper Award (F. Gramuglia), IEEE NSS, corresponding author
2020 Venture Kick Stage I & II Award, Pi Imaging Technology S.A.
2020 Image Sensors Europe 2020 Award Runner-up, “Most Innovative Team of the Year in the Image Sensor Industry”, co-recipient
2019 Image Sensors Europe 2019 Award , “Best Academic Research Team”, co-recipient
2016 Swiss Medtech Award finalist, CTI “Compact Probes” project
2016 PicoQuant Young Investigator award (M. Antolovic), SPIE Photonics West, co-author
2011-2014, 2016 EPFL outstanding performance incentive (“Prime pour préstations exceptionnelles”)
2012 Innovation Village Award, SPIE Photonics Europe, Brussels, Belgium "Best Innovation by a Multilateral Project, Organisation or Company", 1st Runner-up prize [SPADnet project]
2010 FET Open project “MEGAFRAME” invited to European Parliament as one of “12 outstanding Commission-funded FET projects”
1993 Fellowship, Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Genoa, Italy
1991 CERN Summer Student
MEMBERSHIPS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES & SERVICE
- IEEE Senior Member & SPIE Senior Member (Intnl. Society for Optical Eng.)- Refereeing papers for: OSA: Optica, Optics Letters, Optics Express & Biomedical Optics Express; IEEE: Electron Devices Letters, JEDS, JSSC, JSTQE, Photonics J., Photonics Technology Letters, Reviews Biomed. Eng., Sensors, SSC Letters, TCAS-II, TGRS, TNS (Transactions on Nuclear Science); MDPI: Applied Sciences, Instruments, Remote Sensing, Sensors; IOP: Journal of Physics D (Applied Physics); SPIE: JARS; Elsevier: Integration (VLSI), Optik; Copernicus: JSSS; Springer: SpringerPlus, Nature Communications; Wiley: IET Quantum Communication; Other: ACS Physical Chemistry Au, Chinese Optics Letters, AIP-APL, ERC-AdG, Science China. Conferences: NSS-MIC 2024, ESSCIRC/ESSDERC 2024-2021, IROS 2018, RAD 2018, NEWCAS 2017.
- Project Evaluator (4×) & Reviewer (>10×) for the European Commission, Humanitarian Demining R&D
COMMISSIONS OF TRUST
- Advisory Panel Member, EC IST project DIAMINE, 2001-2002, and DELVE, 2004-2006- Foundation Council Member, Digger DTR Foundation, 2004-present, Vice-President, 2017-present
- ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France) PRCE Call 2020 External Reviewer
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) DFPS 2021 Call External Reviewer
- NATO/IAEA Expert Group Member, Exploratory Mission, Egypt, 2006
- PhD Thesis Committees Member
- Guest Editor, MDPI Sensors Special Issue “"The Intnl. SPAD Sensor Workshop”, 2018
ORGANISATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
- Conference Programme/Advisory Committee: ISSW SC 2024 Trento, 2022, 2020 & 2018 Les Diablerets; ESSCIRC 2023-2020 TPC (Emerging Computing Devices and Circuits); MediSens 2018, London; Crete 2008, 9th Intnl. Conference on Applications of Nuclear Techniques; Non-Intrusive Inspection Technologies, in SPIE’s International Symposium on Defense and Security, Orlando, FLA, 2006; EUDEM2 Final Workshop: Is Humanitarian Demining Technology a Broken Promise?, Brussels, 2004; EUDEM2-SCOT, Intnl. Conference on Requirements and Technologies for the Detection, Removal and Neutralization of Landmines and UXO, 2003, Brussels.- Conference Session Chair: ISSW 2024-2020; NSS-MIC 2024 (co-chair); ESSCIRC 2023-2021 (co-chair); SIGNAL 2016 ( Panelist), Lisbon; GRC 2007, Humanitarian Demining session, Big Sky (MT), USA; EUDEM2-SCOT, 2003, Brussels; MINE’99, Florence, 1999 (co-chair).
MAIN PLENARY/INVITED TALKS
Qu3D Olomouc final meeting, DRD4 2024 CERN (HEP & nuclear), NSS-MIC 2024 Tampa dSiPM workshop/2x (HEP & nuclear), NSS-MIC 2023 Vancouver dSiPM workshop (HEP & nuclear), ISSW 2024 School Trento (SPAD arrays for biophotonics), SPIE PW 2024 San Francisco (SPAD arrays for biophotonics), 2023 PSD Oxford (SPAD arrays for biophotonics), 2022 MEDAMI Portorož (PET & Molecular imaging), 2022 FTMI Valencia (SPADs/PET), 2022 PSMR-TBP Elba (PET), 2021 CISMA workshop Edinburgh/online (Review, SPAD arrays for biophotonics), SENSE Detector School 2019 (LIDAR), Image Sensors Europe 2019 London (LIDAR/3D-stacked Workshop), ICECS 2018 Tours (3D-stacked CMOS SPAD), ToM 2018 Milano (TOF-PET PhD course), NDIP 2017 Tours (Review, SPAD arrays for biophotonics), ETCMOS 2017 Warsaw (SPAD arrays for biophotonics), EPIC Biophotonics WS (SPAD imagers for biophotonics), MediSens 2016 London (SPADs for PET applications), SIGNAL 2016 (Keynote Panel, Time Correlated SPAD Imagers), ICON Europe 2016 (E. Charbon, Basel, Nanoscopy), ICFO Barcelona 2016 (SPAD Imagers for Biomedical Applications), NSS-MIC Special Focus Workshop Seoul 2013 (SPADnet), IRA Lausanne 2014 (E. Charbon, SPADs), SIVS 2011 Zurich (Integrated SPAD Imaging), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid 2009 (Humanitarian Demining), EUROEM 2008 Lausanne (Plenary, HD), IAEA 2007, Vienna (HD Technical Meeting), IAEA/INFN Padova 2006 (HD Technical Meeting), EC FP5 Concertation Meeting 2003, Brussels, INFN Legnaro 2003 (HD), MINE’99 Florence (HD Euroconference), IST Consultation Meeting 1999, Brussels (HD), Royal Military Academy Brussels 1996 (HD), ...OUTREACH & VALORIZATION
- Co-founder and senior scientific advisor of one start-up – Pi Imaging Technology S.A. – to commercialise selected AQUA lab SPAD designs; 8 related patent applications, licensed by EPFL to the start-up as core IP.- SPAD technology pioneered in MEGAFRAME -> core of STMicrolectronics proximity sensor (> 2.0Bn units sold so far)
- MEGAFRAME32 sensor currently distributed by PhotonForce Ltd
- Intraoperative positron detection probe developed in “CTI Compact Probes” project engineered and distributed by Forimtech S.A.
Mission
Play a leading role in implementing the EPFL AQUA (Advanced Quantum Architecture) lab roadmap, i.e. to model and develop hardware/software systems based on photonic/electronic quantum devices, high-speed and time-resolved 2D/3D optical sensing as well as their applications (medical, security, ranging), pushing the limits of CMOS technology, imaging architectures, and applications.Biography
Claudio Bruschini holds an MSc in high energy physics from the University of Genova and a PhD in Applied Sciences from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He started his career with INFN (Italy, 1993), in the WA92 CERN collaboration (particle physics), and then moved to CERN as a Fellow in the European GP-MIMD2 project, attached to the NA48 collaboration (particle physics, parallel programming, 1994-1995).He then started his close collaboration with EPFL, first in the DeTeC (Demining Technology Center) project (sensors for landmine detection/humanitarian demining, 1996-1997). After DeTeC's end, he started the first of a series of fruitful collaborations with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) on humanitarian demining related R&D (1998). This was followed by the EUDEM survey project (The European Union in Humanitarian Demining, 1998), the EUDEM2 three year EC sponsored support measure (www.eudem.info, 2001-2004), and the DELVE support action (www.delve.vub.ac.be, 2007).
In parallel he started working within the EPFL's AQUA group (Advanced Quantum Architectures, Edoardo Charbon), on topics as diverse as ultrasonic sensors for in-air application, optical 3D and high speed 2D sensing, sensor networks, or tracking/motion capture systems, in particular for the preparation of research projects. This culminated in the European MEGAFRAME (www.megaframe.eu, FP6, 2006-2010, SPAD arrays and related in-pixel time stamping electronics in deep submicron CMOS technology) and SPADnet (www.spadnet.eu, FP7, 2010-2014, networked SPAD arrays for Positron Emission Tomography) projects, coordinated by EPFL-AQUA. As from 2009 he also worked with Dario Floreano on the management of the CURVACE Curved Artificial Compound Eyes FP7 project (www.curvace.org), coordinated by EPFL-LIS. He was also active with CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital) within EndoTOFPET-US (endoscopic PET) as well as on a CTI project devoted to the development of a new hand-held standalone tool for tracer-guided medical procedures. In 2014 he had also the pleasure of joining the EPFL ICLAB of Christian Enz during its ramp-up phase, collaborating on device-related topics (SNF GigaRadMOST) and biomedical R&D (NanoTera WiseSkin).
Claudio is now fully with EPFL’s Advanced Quantum Architecture (AQUA). He has also been active as independent scientific consultant, under the label CBR Scientific Consulting, on the preparation of (European) R&D project proposals and the execution of individual studies, and worked in 2006 for a local start-up as operations manager and R&D advisor.... but this is another story.
An unauthorized early biography is available at http://lami.epfl.ch/team/claudiob/...
Publications
Other publications
A complete publication list is available here as well as from EPFL's Infoscience institutional repository. Partial lists are available from ResearchGate (with uploaded versions) and Google Scholar. ___________________________
Research
MAIN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
2026-2027 Pi EPFL, Swiss Quantum Initiative vouchers, “Metasurface-enhanced single-photon detectors for quantum applications” & “Integrated flow...”, with CSEM, 2x50kCHF2024-2027 Pi EPFL, joint SNF-Slovenia MINT project “Radiation-hard digital analog silicon photomultipliers for future upgrades of RICH detectors”, with JSI, 663kCHF
2023-2026 Co-Pi EPFL, joint SNF-DfG MINT project “Digital analog-SiPMs for sub-100 ps TOF-PET applications”, with RWTH Aachen, 742kCHF
2025-2027 Partner, QM3 QuantERA European project, with Univ. Warsaw, MPI Erlangen, ENS-CNRS, Humboldt-University Berlin, 1'716 kEuro
2023-2025 Co-Pi EPFL, “A Single Photon Detector chipset to boost the Quantum Secure Communication”, Innosuisse, 319kCHF, with id Quantique
2022-2025 Co-Pi EPFL, “Quantum-enabled membrane potential imaging of DOE-relevant bacterial communities”, DoE, with UCLA, UCB, 450kUSD
2021-2024 Co-Pi EPFL, The 3DQ Microscope, DoE, 698kUSD, with LLNL, Colorado School of Mines
2020-2024 PI EPFL, Qu3D Quantera European project, with INFN Bari, Palacky University Olomouc, Planetek Hellas, 795 kEuro
2020-2023 Co-PI EPFL, SuperMaMa FET Open European project, with Univ. Wien, Quantum BV, Univ. Basel, Spectrometry Vision BV, 2’841 kEuro
2018-present Co-coordinator, Intuitive Surgical, Zeiss, Canon, GlobalFoundries, STMicroelectronics, others – industry-sponsored R&D
2017-2021 Co-coordinator, Swiss National Fund Phasor-SPAD & MD-NUVPET projects, ~1.4MCHF
2013-2016 Coordinator, FluoCam – internal R&D in collaboration with LUMC (NL) & EPFL
2010-2014 Co-coordinator & Project Manager, FP7 SPADnet European project, with E. Charbon (EPFL). 3.7MEuro overall EC funding.
Major European project with 9 partners for all-digital, network based, photonic modules in time-of-flight PET. The project was rated ‘Excellent’ in the final evaluation.
2013-2015 Scientist & Project Manager, CHUV, EndoTOFPET-US FP7 European project. 5.516MEuro.
Major CERN-led international collaboration for the creation of miniaturized PET probes for prostate and pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
2012-2014 Coordinator, NCCR transfer project “Advanced sensing system”, with CHUV & Forimtech SA. 786kEuro.
2009-2012 Assistant Coordinator & Project Manager, CTI “Compact Probes” Swiss Industry-Academia project, with CHUV, EPFL and Forimtech SA.
2009-2013 Project Manager, FP7 CURVACE FET Open European project (EPFL). 2.09MEuro.
2006-2010 Assistant Coordinator & Project Manager, FP6 MEGAFRAME FET Open European project (EPFL). 1.85MEuro.
Major European project with 5 partners for photon counting and single-photon imaging for biomedical applications. The final review report stated: “The published results set the consortium as a world-leader in the field of arrays for single quantum detection of visible light photons.”
2004-2006 EC DELVE Support Measure (“Humanitarian Demining R&D project funding in Europe & Lessons Learned”), with VUB, Brussels. 220kEuro.
2002-2004 Assistant Coordinator, EC EUDEM2 Support Measure, with VUB, Brussels. 547kEuro.
1998-1999 Assistant Coordinator, EC EUDEM Support Measure, with VUB, Brussels. 84kEuro.
1996-1997 DeTeC (Demining Technology Center) project, EPFL-LAMI (J.-D. Nicoud).
1993-1995 EC ESPRIT GP-MIMD2 project, at CERN.
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Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Microengineering
PhD Students
Bisi Samuele, Kaneyasu Kodai, Lin Yang, Mos Paul, Singh Prabhleen,Past EPFL PhD Students
Ardelean Andrei , Gramuglia Francesco , Muntean Andrada Alexandra , Ülkü Arin Can ,EPFL MICRO-428 “Metrology” MSc course, 2019-2025.
EPFL MICRO-429 “Metrology Practicals” MSc course, 2022-2025.
EPFL MICRO-523 "Optical Detectors" MSc course, 2024-2025.
Topics on Microelectronics (ToM) lectures on (Digital) Electronics & Systems for Advanced Time-of-Flight PET, Milano, Sept. 2018
Courses
Metrology practicals
The student will get familiar with the techniques learnt in class (MICRO-428) and will put them to practice with experiments in the laboratory. There will be a practical training for each theme covered in class; the students will also learn good practices during measurements (lab notebook included).
Optical detectors
Students analyse the fundamental characteristics of optical detectors, their architectures, selected applications and case studies. Photoemissive devices, photodiodes, infrared sensors and single-photon detectors are studied. CCD, CMOS and SPAD cameras are analysed in detail.