President
Arianna Tavanti
e-mail:
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Administrative Office
Department of Biologia
Overview and objectives of the PhD course
The PhD Program in Biology intends to promote and support the training of young graduates, selected on the basis of merit criteria through an internationally oriented doctorate course in order to develop a high level of qualification in biological fields so as to facilitate their integration in the job market. The present program also intends to encourage interaction between universities and non-university research centers with various interests in the Life Sciences, represented by both Industries and Public Institutions. In addition to research activities, doctoral students will be able to attend ad-hoc courses such as "Advanced Biostatistics", which will allow, through lectures and practical experiences, to approach modeling software and fundamental data analysis tools. To complete the training process, PhD students will have the opportunity to attend the “Research Professional Skills” course, entirely held in English, and aimed at understanding the drafting process of a scientific publication, the ethical implications of data manipulation, the concept of copyright and intellectual property, the importance of open access publications, and the use of databases, scientometry, as well as at acquiring "projects writing and presentation skills". The training project of doctoral students will be completed by cycles of seminars offered on a monthly basis, called "Advances in Biology" and held in English by experts in the field, from prestigious Italian and foreign Universities or Industrial settings, on topics that illustrate the state of the art and the technical-scientific advances in Biology.
Furthermore, the University of Pisa, offers transversal courses dedicated to its doctoral students, aimed to fully integrate PhD students in the most modern fields of research and cutting-edge technology to be ready for a competitive Job Market. To this end, courses integrate lessons with language, statistical and IT skills.
In addition, to create new grounds for discussion between doctoral students from different areas, some interdisciplinary paths have been created by the University of Pisa in the context of promising research and development areas of the University. For example, doctoral students will be able to participate in action-learning seminars organized within the Contamination Lab project in Pisa (http://contaminationlab.unipi.it/phdplus-2022/ ), Career Labs for Doc ( https://www.unipi.it/index.php/offerte-di-lavoro/item/22044 , initiatives that will be repeated over the next few years.
In brief, the main objective of the research doctorate in Biology is to train highly qualified young researchers, specialized in specific areas for which there is a large job demand.
Specific objectives of the PhD in Biology are:
- High qualification. It represents one of the fundamental aspects of the PhD program in Biology, thanks to the combination of training activities, in which researchers and experts with a high scientific profile on innovative topics participate, and courses aimed at enhancing the student's cultural background and research activities, constantly monitored by supervisors and tutors.
- Internationalization. The possibility of attending seminars organized ad hoc for doctoral students held by international experts allows students to make contacts and be inspired by highly scientifically qualified researchers, with potential perspectives on collaborations with foreign research groups. The international atmosphere of the Doctorate in Biology is also evidenced by the presence of foreign doctoral students and the participation in the Doctoral College of professors belonging to prestigious Universities or foreign Research Centers. Training period abroad of doctoral students in highly qualified foreign research Institutes and Universities is strongly encouraged, in accordance with the current PhD regulations.
- Enhancement of Excellence. In this context, the University is committed to promoting excellence through initiatives, such as the establishment of the Award for the best doctoral thesis, the publication of competitive University calls for PhD students for the allocation of funds for the organization of meetings and workshops on relevant topics within the PhD program. These are accompanied by initiatives, such as, the Bioblitz prize competition, https://www.unipi.it/index.php/news/item/23532-cattura-la-biodiversita-all-unipi-e- win-al-via-the-photographic-contest), promoted by the University Sustainable Development Commission to raise awareness among the student body on the issue of biodiversity.
- Link between Higher Education /Specialized Research and the public and private Job opportunities. In this context, among the training activities organized for doctoral students, there are telematic meetings with experts from Research Bodies or industrial or corporate realities (for example meeting with Executive Sequencing Sale Specialist, EMEA West, Illumina), in order to provide the doctoral student with useful tools for a potential extension of the career path in public and industrial sectors.
Regolamento interno del corso di dottorato (only in Italian)
Prove di ammissione a.a. 2021-22 - Deroga Emergenza Covid (only in Italian)
