President
Francesca Modugno
e-mail:
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Administrative Office
Department of Chimica e chimica industriale
Overview and objectives of the PhD course
The educational project of the PhD in Chemical and Materials Sciences (DSCM) focuses on: deepening knowledge of theoretical, experimental, and computational techniques and methodologies for the synthesis, characterization, and development of molecular systems and materials; enhancing the ability to conduct independent research while integrating into a highly interdisciplinary network; acquiring transversal skills, including the ability to present one's research rigorously and effectively to both specialized and broader audiences, to write projects and publications, and to integrate them into a comprehensive text such as the final thesis. The project is updated annually through consultations with stakeholders and analysis of the incoming cultural profiles and outgoing professional characteristics.
The PhD Board assigns each PhD student a supervisor and a co-supervisor, usually chosen from among the members or among the professors and researchers of the DCCI. The co-supervisor can also belong to the scientifically qualified staff of other universities or public and private research institutions. The PhD student develops a research project with the supervisors, which is submitted to the Board. Each year, students are required to present a report on the progress of their research to the DSCM Board and all DCCI faculty members and illustrate it in a seminar. The specific training plan for each PhD student is agreed upon with the supervisors and the Coordinator. They, assisted by the Board, continuously monitor scientific and training activities through the evaluation of annual reports and intermediate seminars, guiding the student in choosing and achieving objectives while encouraging an increasing degree of autonomy.
Students are required to attend courses organized by the DSCM (https://dscm.dcci.unipi.it/offerta-formativa/corsi.html) for at least 32 hours in the 1st year, and at least 28 hours in total over the 2nd and 3rd years, planned in a way that does not limit research activities. With prior authorization, one or more of these courses can be replaced by courses organized by the University, other doctoral courses, or national or international schools.
The project includes aspects of advanced language training, and all training activities are conducted in English, the official language of the course. PhD students take the course “English for research publication and presentation purposes” (30 hours) organized by the University Language Center, transversal training modules organized by the University (https://dottorato.unipi.it/index.php/it/dottorandi/item/609.html), and a minimum number of scientific seminars organized by the DSCM, the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI), other Departments and Institutions, or national or international schools. Students are also involved in science communication activities such as “Bright – the European Researchers' Night,” the production of videos related to their research activities “PhD Tales” (https://dscm.dcci.unipi.it/dottorandi/video-phd.html), and are responsible for organizing the international conference “Chemistry for the Future” (https://cff.dcci.unipi.it/). They are constantly encouraged and financially supported to participate in national and international conferences and workshops.
Particular attention is given to the visibility of the educational and research project: students are required to communicate through a specific “PhD Notice Board” and DSCM channels the results of their research to a non-specialist audience (https://dscm.dcci.unipi.it/dottorandi/bacheca.html), and to update personal web pages containing information on projects and research products such as publications and conference contributions (example: https://dscm.dcci.unipi.it/dottorandi/cicli-attivi/ciclo-38.html); they also participate in the “Chemistry for the Future” conference through oral or poster presentations. They are encouraged to participate in scientific events and competitive calls at local, national, and international levels and involved in activities aimed at deepening the interdisciplinary aspects of their research, developing the ability to respond to competitive calls, and managing different aspects of a scientific project.
The DSCM aims to train young graduates in Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, and related disciplines in the most advanced research methods in various sectors of Chemistry and Material Sciences, providing them with the necessary preparation to hold significant roles in the field of chemistry as a basic and applied science, industrial chemistry, materials, as well as in other sectors where chemistry plays a predominant role.
PhD students learn to tackle and solve complex problems through the competent use of experimental, computational, and theoretical techniques in a multidisciplinary research environment, covering aspects of synthesis, characterization, and development of molecular species, organic, inorganic, polymeric, and supramolecular materials.
In a highly qualified context, each PhD student acquires the skills, abilities, and work methods to conduct high-level research activities, developing their project in one of the most modern and advanced fields of chemistry such as molecular modeling, synthesis, and characterization of molecular systems and aggregates, functional and nanostructured polymeric and/or hybrid materials, spectroscopic and thermodynamic study of molecular and collective properties, phenomena underlying energy production, storage, and transport, innovative methodologies for environmental, clinical, and cultural heritage analysis, reaction mechanisms, and interaction processes between molecules, catalysis, and sustainable chemical processes for better use of environmental and natural resources. Multidisciplinary research involving multiple scientific-disciplinary sectors, including collaborations with other departments and research entities, both national and international, is constantly encouraged.
The training and research objectives are achieved through access for PhD students to high-level structural resources, which include equipment, services, logistical and administrative support, and departmental infrastructures, University Libraries and bibliographic resources, the University IT System, as well as the Center for the Integration of University Instrumentation of Pisa (CISUP https://cisup.unipi.it/), a core facility platform offering access to a wide range of cutting-edge and recently acquired instrumentation, including advanced techniques in spectrometry, microscopy and imaging, material analysis, calorimetry, spectroscopies, additive manufacturing and microlayering techniques. The achievement of objectives is also supported by the extensive and varied scientific and technical support from professors, technical staff, and collaborators of the DCCI, who share a clear, articulated, and public vision of the PhD students' training path.
Another goal is the internationalization of the training environment, pursued by promoting extensive contacts of PhD students with foreign researchers and research institutions of international renown, also within the framework of international projects, scientific events, and specifically organized educational activities, partly entrusted to invited foreign scholars and experts of high profile by the DSCM. International mobility is strongly encouraged, with the possibility for PhD students to spend periods abroad of 3-12 months, providing students with the ability to conduct research activities in international and dynamic environments, promoting their independence, and integrating them into highly qualified collaboration networks.
The objectives also include training PhD students for a specific active commitment towards the third mission. PhD students are trained for this purpose through specific activities and involved in communication and dissemination initiatives at various levels of their research activity, with content defined based on a specific audience and diversified targets. Active contacts with industries and collaborations with private companies and public institutions are also maintained, often playing a significant role in the students' projects. The objectives of technology transfer and valorization of results are constantly supported by the Department and the University, enabling both the maximization of the impact of PhD students' research and placing them at the center of a network of intersectoral contacts that significantly enhance their professional and career prospects after the doctorate.
Regolamento interno del corso di dottorato (only in Italian)
