The Doctorate course in Sciences and Technologies of Chemistry and Materials (STCM) aims to train highly qualified researchers in all fields of fundamental and applied chemistry, materials science, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic chemistry, nanochemistry and nanobiotechnologies.
The course is highly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary, and it is activated by the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry (DCCI) in collaboration with the Department of Physics (DIFI), the Department of Pharmacy (DIFAR), the Department of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering (DICCA) and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).
It is structured into four curricula:
- Chemical Sciences and Technologies (STC)
- Pharmaceutical, Food and Cosmetic Sciences (SFAC)
- Materials Science and Technology (STM)
- Nanosciences (NS)
The latter one comprises the previous Nanochemistry (NC) and Drug Discovery and Nanobiotechnologies (DDN) curricula (active up to cycle XXXIX).
Educational objectives
During a 3-year course, PhD students will gain additional knowledge and skills to those acquired during previous university studies, and they will be trained to recognize the issues related to their specific research field, to independently develop the necessary knowledge to tackle them and ultimately find suitable solutions. Furthermore, the students will develop their ability to work in a team, and to clearly present and discuss the research results in both written and oral form.
Therefore, the research doctor will be a versatile figure, able to adapt himself to new scientific and technological challenges, and to independently carry out research activity at national and multinational companies, research institutions and universities.
Student activities
To achieve the objectives of the course, each student builds a specific training project in an autonomous and personalized way, with the support of the tutor and annual verification of progress by the Doctoral Board. In particular, the course includes the following activities:
Research activities, according to a project agreed between the PhD student and the tutor and carried out partly abroad at highly qualified research institutions and sometimes in other Italian institutions. This activity also includes the dissemination of the results, through presentations at national and international conferences, publications or patents.
Educational activities, according to a personalized study plan that includes various types of training activities, such as PhD schools, high-level courses and seminars on different topics. The educational offer is structured to allow the achievement of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary skills alongside those related to the specific research project.
Activities for the development of soft skills, such as teaching activities, supervision of Master and Bachelor students, dissemination activities and organization of events.
Specific information on the organization of these activities is reported here.
Expected employment
The career opportunities of PhDs in STCM are numerous and diversified according to the curriculum. Basically, doctors are expected to be employed in academia and research institutions, as well as in the research, development and management laboratories of industry, including pharmaceutical, fine chemicals, metallurgy, food, petrochemicals, polymeric materials, energy production, environmental and cultural heritage restoration. Frequently, a post-doc position is the natural continuation of the professional career.
The monitoring of the employment of PhDs, constantly carried out for at least 15 years, highlighted a very high employment level within one year (about 95%), with work positions consistent with the qualification.