PhD Programme

PhD programme in Life, Environmental and Drug Sciences

COORDINATOR
Prof. Cristina Follesa

VICE

Prof. Simona Distinto

SCIENTIFIC AREAS

03 – CHEMICAL SCIENCES;
05 – BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES;

PLACE
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences

DUTATION

3 years

The PhD programme involves 31 professors, 19 from the biology area and 12 from the chemistry area, with multidisciplinary expertise: in biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics and microbiology, aimed at studies in biomedical fields; expertise in zoology, biological anthropology, ecology aimed at environmental biology studies (marine, animal and human); expertise in organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical technologies aimed at pharmaceutical development studies.

The PhD course is organized into three curricula:

Biomedical, in which students focus on research activities in the fields of biochemistry, genetics and microbiology;
Human and Animal Biology and Ecology, in which students focus on research activities in the fields of anthropology, ecology and zoology;
Drug Sciences, in which students focus on research activities in the fields of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, organic chemistry and pharmaceutical technology.

With respect to the first year of the program, students of all the three curricula will have to:

Possess a systematic understanding of a research theme in one of the above described investigational areas;
Master the analysis of biological and environmental phenomena and pharmaceutical problems by scientific methodologies and advances technologies currently used in the above described investigational areas;
Deal with problems in the above described investigational areas learning to ask questions scientifically relevant;
Demonstrate the ability to conceive, design, implement and perform experimental approaches to answer the identified questions.

Furthermore, the PhD course activated international conventions with an Asian University (Taipei Medical University) and a European University (University of Porto), which will allow doctoral students to eventually acquire a double international degree.

The educational objectives of the PhD programme are divided in three years.

With respect to the first year of the program, students of all the three curricula will have to:

possess a systematic understanding of a research theme in one of the above described investigational areas;
master the analysis of biological and environmental phenomena and pharmaceutical problems by scientific methodologies and advances and statistic technologies currently used in the above described investigational areas;
deal with problems in the above described investigational areas learning to ask questions scientifically relevant;
demonstrate the ability to conceive, design, implement and perform experimental approaches to answer the identified questions.

2nd year of the program:

knowing how to analyse the results of the research and design further studies that allow to advance in scientific knowledge;
acquire problem solving skills;
deepen the issues of national/international study planning, intellectual property and the exploitation of results;
spend a period of study and research abroad.

3rd year of the program:

complete a period of study and research abroad;
acquire the ability to prepare conference presentations and to write scientific papers in English;
know how to critically evaluate the research developed and propose studies aimed at deepening the thesis.

The PhD students, at the end of the program, will obtain high competences in one of the above described investigational areas, a complete judgment autonomy, an adequate communication skill, a high ability to learn new information and apply new technologies to one of the listed research areas.

Therefore, they will be able to:

perform research activities in academia and research centers;
perform research and development activities in biomedical, environmental and pharmaceutical companies;
perform promotion and developmental activities regarding innovation technologies, new technology design and management in biomedical, environmental and pharmaceutical fields;
perform professional activities related to:
the study and understanding of biological phenomena at molecular, genetic and microbiologic level;
the regulated and incremental use of biotic resources in the environmental field;
the design and development new molecules and release systems in the pharmaceutical field;
carry out consultancy activities in the biomedical, environmental and pharmaceutical fields,
perform advice activities in biomedical, environmental and pharmaceutical fields.