Vision and Structure of the Program
The PhD program in Engineering aims to provide doctoral students with the opportunity to acquire high-level skills and scientific qualifications through research training and advanced teaching. This will enable them to conduct highly qualified research at universities, public institutions, or private entities, including for access to careers in public administration and the integration of highly innovative professional paths. The program encompasses the fields of engineering and industrial chemistry, computer and electronic engineering, and civil engineering and architecture through a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approach aimed at innovation and the development of technologies, products, and processes, with particular emphasis on the challenges posed by the Industry 4.0 paradigm and, more generally, the digital transition.
The program is divided into three curricula that encompass the three main areas of engineering: Industrial, Information, and Civil and Architecture.
In the Industrial Engineering field, training activities are planned in the following areas:
advanced materials and technologies for the industrial, environmental, and energy sectors; development of advanced, knowledge-intensive devices and processes with improved performance and new potential; design and development of convergent technologies in the fields of energy saving and environmental control; advanced mathematical and experimental methods applied to production systems and processes; support technologies for the development of advanced and intelligent materials, components, and integrated systems; and information technologies applied to industry.
In the Information Engineering field, training activities are planned in the following areas:
numerical modeling and development of numerical models of components, functional devices, or structures; modeling for control and prediction applied to engineering sciences; development of information systems for the IoT (Internet of Things), and edge and fog computing algorithms for the IoT.
In the fields of Civil Engineering and Architecture, training activities are planned in the following areas:
Innovative models and approaches for assessing the seismic and climate risk and resilience of civil and industrial structures and infrastructure; digitalization and the introduction of ITS systems for the development of sustainable mobility and advanced logistics; numerical and stochastic approaches to the study and control of land and hydro-morphodynamic processes; sustainability and resilience of urban systems and the introduction of proactive strategies for the redevelopment, recovery, and protection of the natural and built environment, for the sustainable efficiency of public and private building stock.
To complement the training program, training activities in research management, knowledge of European and international research systems, as well as entrepreneurial development, will be organized in collaboration with other University doctoral programs. These activities may involve the participation of highly qualified external faculty and/or leveraging the expertise within the University. Doctoral students will also be involved in research projects, sharing their methodologies, objectives, results, and access to national and international funding (PRIN; FIRB; HORIZON, PON).
The doctoral program promotes training activities on the valorization of research results and intellectual property, including through the participation of external faculty (courses and/or seminars). Doctoral students will be encouraged to promote their research results through presentations at seminars, workshops, national and international conferences, and through publications in international journals.
Elements of Consistency with the University's Strategic Planning
The doctoral program is structured to ensure maximum consistency with the University's strategic guidelines summarized in the University Strategic Plan 2024-2026 (approved on February 23, 2024), with specific attention to principle P1: Enhance tradition and promote innovation in knowledge, and in particular with the following line of action:
R5: Strengthen the national and international dimension of doctoral programs through the involvement of external stakeholders.
This line is characterized by the actions adopted by the Doctorate, as outlined here:
Action 13: Support new doctoral programs, including interdisciplinary ones, through participation in National Doctorates (DIN) and Industrial Doctorates (DI); 14: Increase training activities (including through the formal inclusion of activities to be undertaken abroad or in hybrid modalities) and orientation,