The Department of Civil Engineering (DICIV) offers two dedicated PhD courses in “Systems and Infrastructure Engineering for the Environment, Mobility and the Territory” (EMT) and “Structural Engineering, Architecture and Cultural Heritage” (SACH).

The courses provide the expertise needed to carry out highly qualified research activities in both public and private bodies, by contributing to the creation of the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area.

The aim of the above PhD courses is to cover complex issues of advanced Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering included in the “Research” and “Societal Challenges” of the Horizon Europe programme funded by the European Union. The courses have a marked multidisciplinary imprint, with several disciplinary sectors coming together to develop research ranging across the CUN 08 Scientific-Disciplinary Sectors.

EMT: PhD Course in
Systems and Infrastructure Engineering for the Environment, Mobility and the Territory –
Ingegneria dei Sistemi e delle Infrastrutture per l’Ambiente, la Mobilità e il Territorio

The research activities of this PhD course cover advanced topics of the scientific areas of  applied physics, hydraulics, hydraulic and marine constructions and hydrology, sanitary and environmental engineering, highways, railways and airports, transportation, geotechnics, urban and regional planning,  physical geography and geomorphology.

Such activities involve the study of natural phenomena and anthropic activities whose effects can lead to negative and significant impacts on the environment and/or territory, and the design of innovative solutions aimed at mitigating these impacts and protecting the environment, as well as at building smart, safe, and liveable communities, through the planning, design, operation, and maintenance of transportation systems. These areas of study have potential applications including designing and managing monitoring systems, and identifying and controlling useful mitigation measures and environmental hazards for the territory and for the local population. More generally, these impacts are embodied in technical-engineering solutions that allow for the optimal use of natural resources, territory, and defense, and can favor the protection and improvement of the peculiar characteristics of the hydraulic, environmental, transportation, and geotechnics systems.

SACH: PhD Course in
Structural Engineering, Architecture and Cultural Heritage –
Ingegneria Strutturale, Architettura e Patrimonio Storico, Architettonico e Paesaggistico

This PhD course is aimed at preparing students for research and professional practice in the multidisciplinary areas of structural engineering, design and architecture technology, restoration, conservation and preservation of the architectural and cultural heritage. The analyzed subjects are at forefront of the scientific areas of  mathematical physics, structural mechanics, structural engineering, seismic engineering, topography and cartography, building design, architectural and urban design, drawing and survey of architecture, building information modeling, architectural history, architectural restoration, real estate appraisal and land economics.

The density of existing building assets, and their exposure to natural hazards, places Italy among those nations contributing to high-quality scientific research in the area of built heritage vulnerability analysis. Nevertheless, it is desirable to continue updating tertiary training activities in this field via a PhD program that provides expertise and knowledge in keeping with the ongoing evolution of scientific knowledge and regulatory frameworks. While some aspects of this specific and complex discipline are clearly within the capabilities of graduates from first- and second-level courses in the fields of engineering and architecture, there is often a lack of specific technical and research techniques allowing for high-level research and monitoring activities to take place in the field, by both public and private bodies.

Professional and work opportunities

The high level of professional expertise achieved through the above PhD courses offers professional opportunities in the following areas:

• research institutes in the public and private sectors that require a solid educational grounding;
• public sector authorities and bodies that require professional expertise in order to perform the analysis and management of hydrogeological, transport, territorial, seismic and environmental risks, as well as the monitoring and adaptation of the existing building stock and urban systems in general;
• professions and consulting firms where a higher level of performance resulting from advances in knowledge and regulations has led to the need for new, high-level skills.