The PhD in Industrial and Information Engineering is intended to complete the educational offer of the master's degrees in the industrial and information area, providing PhD students with the opportunity to acquire high-level skills and scientific qualifications, through research training and higher education activities, in order to be able to carry out highly qualified research activities at universities, public bodies or private entities, also for the purpose of accessing careers in public administrations and integrating highly innovative professional paths.
The training project transversally includes the strategic sectors of engineering and industrial chemistry as well as computer and electronic engineering through a multidisciplinary approach aimed at innovation and the development of new products and processes with particular emphasis on the challenges posed by the industry 4.0 paradigm. The PhD in Industrial and Information Engineering aims to achieve maximum interaction with the production world, encouraging the involvement of businesses and companies in training and research activities. In this context, the educational objectives of the doctoral project are well matched with the purposes of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan # Next Generation Italia. On the one hand, aiming to make the most of the resources made available by the M4C1 mission: Strengthening the offer of education services: from nursery schools to universities specifically in relation to Investment 3.4 "Teaching and advanced university skills" and, in particular, sub-measure T1) "Assignment of new three-year doctorates in programs dedicated to digital and environmental transitions", embracing the strategic objectives of: digitalization, "culture of innovation" and internationalization. On the other hand, perfectly in tune with the objectives of the M4C2 mission "From Research to Business" - Investment 3.3 "Introduction of innovative doctorates that respond to the innovation needs of companies and promote the hiring of researchers by companies". And it is precisely in this context of interaction with companies that the objectives of the training project of the doctorate in Industrial and Information Engineering fit fully with the objectives of the M1C2 mission: Digitalization, innovation and competitiveness of the production system. The skills of the Doctorate Teaching Board allow for the promotion of training and research activities in support of companies in dealing with the digital transition, and increasing the rate of innovation of the industrial and entrepreneurial fabric in the context of Transition 4.0.
On the other hand, the solid skills in the industrial sector allow, always in collaboration with the industrial and production sector, to make a significant contribution to the needs identified in the Measure Measure 2 - Green revolution and ecological transition, developing research and training activities with particular reference to the aspects addressed:
in Component 1, for example by promoting the improvement of the capacity for efficient and sustainable waste management and the advancement of the circular economy paradigm through the implementation of highly innovative flagship projects for strategic supply chains such as waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), paper and cardboard industry, textiles, mechanical recycling and plastic chemistry; in Component 2 to increase the penetration of renewables, through decentralized and utility-scale solutions (including innovative and offshore ones) and strengthening networks (smarter and more resilient) to accommodate and synchronize new decentralized renewable and flexibility resources, and to decarbonize end-uses in all other sectors, with a particular focus on more sustainable mobility and the decarbonization of some industrial segments, including the start of the adoption of hydrogen-based solutions (in line with the EU Hydrogen Strategy).
The professional figure of the Doctor of Research in Industrial and Information Engineering aims to establish that international, industrial and knowledge leadership, in the main supply chains of the transition desired by the PNRR, for the promotion of the development, in Italy, of competitive supply chains in the fastest growing sectors, such as energy, which allow to reduce the dependence on technology imports, strengthening research and development in the most innovative technological areas (photovoltaic, hydrogen, biomass, etc ...).
The training offer and research topics focus on the field of fundamental enabling technologies, combining the theoretical-scientific aspects and the more specifically design aspects with particular reference to:
a) Advanced materials and technologies for the industrial, environmental and energy sectors; Development of advanced materials, devices and processes with high knowledge intensity, with improved performance in use and new potential; Design and development of convergent technologies in the field of energy saving and environmental control.
b) Advanced experimental methods applied to production systems and processes; Support technologies, such as non-destructive characterization and evaluation, to support the development of advanced and intelligent materials, components and integrated systems.
c) Numerical modeling and development of numerical models of components, functional devices or structures; Predictive modeling applied to engineering sciences. Development of computing systems for the IoT (Internet of things). Edge and Fog Computing algorithms for the IoT.
The main objective of the doctoral training project is to train high-level professionals with strong "problem solving" skills. Through the provision of academic and specialist courses, seminars, schools and guided research activities, doctoral students are trained to become proactive professionals able to "tune" their skills with the increasingly complex demands of the market, linked to the search for constant and challenging technological innovations. The doctoral course aims to satisfy the demand for achieving the new research and high-level training objectives necessary to respond to the needs outlined in the System Priorities and the Research and Innovation Areas identified in the National Research Program 2021-2027 (PNR) and in the Missions underlying the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). This refers in particular to Industry 4.0, enabling technologies (advanced robotics, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, horizontal/vertical integration, simulation, Industrial Internet or Internet of Things applied to industry, etc.) and more generally to the so-called 4.0 paradigm. This refers in particular to the green revolution and ecological transition (circular economy, renewable energy, hydrogen, energy efficiency, etc.) at the basis of Mission 2 of the PNRR. In fact, the doctoral course aims to train highly qualified professionals, capable of integrating into the renewed industrial context, current and future, as well as meeting the technological challenges posed by the transition to Industry 4.0. The set of training activities aims to allow the achievement of adequate knowledge of innovative design methodologies, technical/economic and energy/environmental analysis, management and control of complex and manufacturing systems, and related technologies.
The PhD program also focuses part of its training and research activity on Cyber Physical Systems and all related technologies, such as Cloud computing, digital security, the Internet of Things, sensors, electronic devices and communication techniques (at all protocol levels), also taking care of focusing on the related design, development and evaluation techniques, both from a theoretical and practical point of view, so that these provide adequate support to industrial applications and environments as well as to the common user. The goal is to train researchers and experts able to work at the infrastructural level, as well as in the development of services, taking into account smart cities and industrial environments as application areas of interest. Software development. The design approach will strictly follow the principles of software engineering and particular attention will be paid to strengthening the interaction with the industrial world. The organization of the training plan is intended as a highly qualified complement to the training courses of the previous levels (Master's Degrees), already active or in planning, at the University of Messina, thus completing a training paradigm of exceptional quality and strong characterization. The interaction, already broad, with the world of production activities is destined to be strengthened not only in order to train up-to-date and highly attractive professional figures, but also in order to create that synergy and interaction that is fundamental to guaranteeing a training course that is always at the forefront.