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In this work, time-resolved thermal lens and beam deflection methods were applied to determine the thermo-optical properties of Er³⁺ doped sulfophosphate glass in which different concentrations of Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) were embedded. Thermal diffusivity (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>D</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>), thermal conductivity (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>κ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>), and the temperature coefficient of the optical path length (<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>d</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>d</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>) were determined as a function of NPs concentrations. Moreover, the growth of TiO₂ NPs inside the amorphous glass matrix was evidenced by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images as well as through optical effects such as refractive index change of the glass. The outcomes indicated relatively high values for <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi>D</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula> and κ as well as a low <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><mi>d</mi><mi>s</mi><mo>/</mo><mi>d</mi><mi>T</mi></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> as required for most optical components used for laser media. The addition of TiO₂ NPs with concentration of dopants up to 0.6 mol% improved the optical properties of the glass samples but did not affect its thermal properties. The results indicate that the enhanced optical and thermal performance of the proposed co-doped glass fits the quality standards for materials used in photonic devices.