Program Overview

Introduction to the EDIC Program

The Doctoral Program in Computer and Communication Sciences (EDIC) covers all areas of computer science and of information and communication theory. It spans across theoretical approaches to interdisciplinary applications of artificial intelligence, data science, computer systems, cybersecurity, and visual computing. With roughly eighty faculty members across campus affiliated with the program, it is one of the largest and most competitive doctoral programs at EPFL.

About the Program

The EDIC program offers training to ambitious and talented individuals who aspire to be at the core of the ongoing technological revolution, where information is driving innovation. Students collaborate with internationally recognized, award-winning faculty and benefit from the vibrant intellectual environment, the generous resources, and the exceptional network of academic and industrial partners.

Applying to EDIC

The admission process is centralized and is very competitive to grant access to the best candidates.

• Deadlines: Applications must be submitted prior to December 15 to enroll the following September. A second, smaller round of admission is available mainly for local applicants, with a deadline on April 15.
• Fellowship program: The fellowship program is a unique feature of EDIC. During their 1st year, PhD candidates are given the opportunity to explore different fields before deciding on one preferred area of research focus.

Research Domains

Research in the IC School spans a broad range of topics in computer science and communications, including:

• Digital education
• Computer architecture
• Systems & networking
• Programming languages and verification
• Databases
• Cryptograph, security & privacy
• Signal and image processing
• Algorithmic and information theory
• Artificial intelligence
• Machine learning
• Data science

Career Prospects and Testimonials

The EDIC program accepts students from all over the world. Read about their PhD experience at EPFL, what motivated them to join the program, and where their path took them to. The EDIC alumni get positions at top academic institutions, research labs, and leading tech companies. They regularly receive prestigious awards.

Program Structure and Benefits

• The program combines the virtues of American and European PhD programs: You are given the time, freedom, and flexibility to do meaningful research while enjoying a fantastic quality of life in beautiful Lausanne.
• The support you get from the program is wonderful: administrative staff are thoughtful and kind, the compute infrastructure is plentiful, and our salary is pretty good.

Alumni Testimonials

• During my PhD, I was able to do research I am proud of.
• My journey at EPFL began with a summer internship in 2018, where I worked at the Data Science Lab, led by Robert West. Having previously studied in Brazil, this internship helped me get accepted into several competitive PhD programs. But choosing among my options was easy: I wanted to come back!

Upcoming Public Defenses

• Responsibly Building Multilingual Language Models for Hundreds of Languages
• Votegral: Towards Usable, End-to-End Verifiable, Coercion-Resistant Online Voting
• Scalable Methods for Knowledge Graph Reasoning and Generation

News Highlights from EDIC

• Sabine Süsstrunk wins UK Royal Photographic Society Award
• IC Dean and Director of the Imaging and Visual Representation Laboratory has been recognized with the 2025 Royal Photographic Society Award for Imaging Science.