President
Prof. Marco Pistolesi
e-mail:
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Administrative Office
Department of Earth Science
Overview and objectives of the PhD course
The Department of Earth Sciences (DST) of the University of Pisa has a long tradition in the field of basic and applied research in numerous topics concerning the Earth system. Moreover, it has a decades-long experience in the training of highly-qualified personnel able to operate in the world of research and industry, thanks to a comprehensive approach to natural processes, their possible impacts at different time and spatial scales, and how this information can be applied to the processes for finding, managing and safeguarding natural resources. This constitutes the foundation of this PhD course proposal which aims to provide in-depth and multidisciplinary knowledge for the understanding of the complexity of natural systems, with fundamental topics being: i) global geodynamic processes; ii) the evolution of paleo-environments and ecosystems, also in relation to past and ongoing climate changes and their impact on the environment; iii) finding, sustainable management and protection of natural resources, from a circular economy perspective; iv) the search for both conventional and renewable energy resources (in particular geothermal energy) through the development of new methods of exploration and geological, geophysical and geochemical monitoring; v) the characterization, protection and sustainable use of the water resource; vi) the management and protection of cultural and geological heritage; vii) the contribution to the exploration of the solar system through the study of extraterrestrial materials; viii) the prevention, assessment and mitigation of risks deriving from natural events and anthropogenic action on the environment (geo-risks, including geomorphological, hydrogeological, mineralogical, geochemical, seismic and volcanic risks). The project is based on a doctoral school that provides students with solid analytical, statistical, computer science and methodological skills included in the context of a rich international network that will favor the exchange of ideas and contents and access to leading laboratories at national and international level. This is also linked to an important instrumental analytical capacity of the DST laboratories which in recent years have progressively been enriched and modernized. The numerous national and international collaborations that the DST has acquired, in this context, will be transferred positively to the doctoral project, promoting student mobility and interdisciplinary approach necessary for a modern PhD project. The close collaborations between territorial management entities, companies and research institutions will also favor the complementarity between high-profile research and relationships with the outside world. This in turn will allow students to spend their skills in the fields of research, but also in world of local authorities and services.
The PhD course in Geosciences and Environment aims to offer young graduates the opportunity to follow a third-level training course characterized by a scientific qualification of excellence and international scope. This path, in which basic research is a fundamental tool, aims to train young researchers for the world of research (universities and institutions) and professional technologists to respond to the needs emerging from society and industry, including development challenges of sustainable and green economy. The specific feature of the DST to embrace on the one hand the broad spectrum of geological disciplines, and at the same time be open to interdisciplinarity (e.g. with physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, computer science, archeology, cultural heritage and health protection), guarantees a third level training course that will allow young researchers to deal responsibly and with a holistic approach on complex issues that are currently at the forefront in the relationship between science and society. The detailed knowledge of geological processes and the natural environment, the development of "Digital Geosciences" methods, together with the skills necessary to integrate the application of different analytical techniques, including frontier ones, with a quantitative and innovative approach (i.e. artificial intelligence) to data analysis and process modeling, will provide an added value for the future of these new researchers. The proposed new PhD program will be able to use the infrastructures both of the DST and of the University of Pisa: analytical and computer labs of the DST, CISUP and CIRSEC laboratories, computing resources of the University Green Data Center, the University library system, the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa. The new PhD course will be enriched by the numerous collaborations that the DST and its degree programs have activated with other universities and research institutions in Europe and beyond. Among these collaborations, those the two universities that share a second level double-degree program (Montan University of Leoben, Austria and University of Lille, France), and the University of Geological Science in Uzbekistan, which hosts a Bachelor of Science Geological Sciences as a branch of the University of Pisa which will begin in September 2022. The partnership with these and with other foreign universities will contribute to the planning of research in the international field and to the development of fruitful experiences of the doctoral students in foreign locations, facilitating employment opportunities in the field of university research in Italy and abroad. Among the possible prestigious Italian partners, who could support the PhD Program, we mention INGV, CNR, INFN, IIT, ISPRA, ARPAT, the Northern Apennine District Basin Authority, in addition to the Foundation of Geologists of Tuscany Region. The main companies with which the DST has important collaborative relationships in exploration and research and which could support the PhD program include ENI and ENEL GreenPower.
