Biotechnology and smart practices for a sustainable management of natural resources, food and agriculture

The PhD Programme (CdD) aims to train highly qualified professionals capable of designing, conducting, and promoting research activities in the fields of biotechnology and smart, sustainable technologies for the management of natural resources, agri-food systems, and the environment more broadly.
This objective is pursued through training in both basic and applied research, providing interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and cross-cutting scientific skills. By integrating the principles of the circular economy, the digital transition, and green technologies, the Programme seeks to support vertical and horizontal integration across supply chains.
Although the training pathway represents a natural continuation of academic studies in agricultural and food sciences, it also integrates expertise in biotechnology, engineering, and logistics applied to agricultural and food systems. Advanced education and training provide the foundation for developing a pathway aimed at promoting organisational, technological, and cultural innovation within the agri-food sector.
The Programme involves production and processing companies operating at regional and national level in specific research projects. This collaboration is supported both through direct co-funding of research activities by the companies and through participation in regional, national, and international research calls, as demonstrated by the Department’s extensive research and development and third-mission activities.
On the one hand, this approach promotes technology transfer and supports innovation within the participating companies; on the other, it facilitates the recruitment of PhD graduates by industry.
Upon completion of the training pathway, these researchers will be able to independently design and implement research programmes and will have developed the critical skills required to assess new ideas and analyse both innovative and existing processes.
The Programme is organised into two curricula, comprising both shared training activities and curriculum-specific activities, covering the following topics:

1. Sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, and biodiversity
2. Innovative technologies for food quality and safety.
3. Training activities are carried out in highly qualified operational and scientific facilities for study and research, within a strongly international environment.
4. The Department has also established several agreements with international universities and research institutions, whose objectives include the exchange of researchers and PhD students. Within the framework of the previous PhD Programme, several joint-supervision doctoral projects were also activated in collaboration with foreign universities.
5. Furthermore, an agreement is currently in place with the Universities of Udine and Catania for the organisation of joint training activities. The agreement also provides for an annual event during which PhD students from the different years of the Programme present the progress of their research projects.
6. In line with the pillars of the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the Programme promotes social and territorial cohesion and supports gender equality and inclusion.

The research objectives of this PhD Programme are aligned with the sustainable development priorities identified by the United Nations General Assembly, the targets established in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The Programme focuses on two broad research areas: the first encompasses agriculture, natural resources, and the environment, while the second addresses more specifically food-processing technologies and processes. Both areas include cross-cutting topics such as green technologies, the ecological transition, and digital innovation.
In particular, the Programme:

• promotes the advancement of knowledge through training in both basic and applied research, conducted within an attractive, intellectually stimulating, and critically engaging institutional environment in which PhD students can acquire the autonomy and responsibility required for their future professional careers;
• provides opportunities for interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary education and training, including through the active participation of companies;
• contributes to strengthening transnational and international research collaborations by making a period of mobility abroad compulsory and by establishing jointly supervised PhD programmes with foreign institutions;
• supports the acquisition of transferable skills in order to facilitate their application and further development in both scientific and professional contexts.

The advancement of knowledge will focus particularly on sustainable agriculture and the circular economy, renewable energy, technological innovation, food safety and traceability, the igitalisation of production systems, the improvement of production-process efficiency, and the protection of the environment and local areas.
 

• Information Systems and Experimental Data Processing
• Advanced Statistics
• Green Economy: Economic, Social, and Environmental Aspects
• Research Methods: Theoretical Principles and Applications in the Agri-Food Sector
• Trends in Analytical Techniques for Quality and Safety Control in the Agri-Food Sector
• Precision Livestock Farming: Challenges and Opportunities
• The Impact of Microbial Communities on Food and the Environment
• Parasitic Contaminants of Raw Fruit and Vegetables and Their Implications for Public Health
• Geographic Information Systems
• Enzyme Assays in Plant Cell Extracts: A Practical Approach
• Machine Vision for Food Quality Inspection
• Fundamentals of Programming
• Microstructural Analysis of Food and Agricultural Products
• Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production
• Synchrotron Radiation: Principles and Applications to Environmental Samples
• Molecular Biology Techniques: Applications in Animal, Plant, and Microbial Genetics
• Microbial Processes for the Valorisation of Agri-Food and Industrial Waste 

Other educational and training activities
These activities include seminars, laboratory and research activities, and interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary training in the following areas:

• Laboratory activities
• Advanced language training
• Advanced digital and IT skills
• Research management and knowledge of European and international research systems
• Valorisation and dissemination of research results, intellectual property, and open access to research data and outputs
• Fundamental principles of ethics, gender equality, and research integrity
• Seminars 

• LM-3 Landscape Architecture 
• LM-6 Biology
• LM-7 Agricultural Biotechnology
• LM-8 Industrial Biotechnology
• LM-9 Medical, Veterinary, and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
• LM-17 Physics
• LM-18 Computer Science
• LM-21 Biomedical Engineering 
• LM-22 Chemical Engineering 
• LM-23 Civil Engineering 
• LM-24 Building Systems Engineering 
• LM-25 Automation Engineering 
• LM-26 Safety Engineering 
• LM-27 Telecommunications Engineering 
• LM-28 Electrical Engineering 
• LM-29 Electronic Engineering
• LM-30 Energy and Nuclear Engineering
• LM-31 Management Engineering
• LM-32 Computer Engineering
• LM-33 Mechanical Engineering
• LM-35 Environmental and Land Engineering
• LM-41 Medicine and Surgery
• LM-42 Veterinary Medicine
• LM-48 Regional, Urban, and Environmental Planning
• LM-52 International Relations
• LM-53 Materials Science and Engineering / Materials Engineering
• LM-54 Chemical Sciences
• LM-56 Economic Sciences
• LM-59 Public, Corporate, and Advertising Communication Sciences
• LM-60 Natural Sciences
• LM-61 Human Nutrition Sciences
• LM-69 Agricultural Sciences and Technologies
• LM-70 Food Sciences and Technologies
• LM-71 Industrial Chemistry Sciences and Technologies
• LM-73 Forestry and Environmental Sciences and Technologies
• LM-74 Geological Sciences and Technologies
• LM-75 Environmental and Land Sciences and Technologies
• LM-77 Business and Economics Sciences
• LM-79 Geophysical Sciences
• LM-82 Statistical Sciences
• LM-83 Actuarial and Financial Statistical Sciences
• LM-86 Animal Science and Technologies
• LM/GASTR Economic and Social Sciences of Gastronomy
• LM Sc. Mat. Materials Science

Upon completion of the Programme, PhD graduates will be highly qualified professionals capable of identifying research needs and understanding the associated economic and social dynamics. They will be able to undertake highly innovative professional roles aimed at addressing those needs.
PhD graduates will be qualified to conduct research and transfer research outcomes, independently develop research projects at regional, national, and international level, and hold senior positions in public or private organisations, particularly in the management of complex systems.
They will therefore be able to assume leading roles in production, research and development, marketing and commercialisation, as well as in executive and managerial functions.
Depending on their specific field of expertise, these roles may be pursued within public institutions, including universities, research centres, and public administrations; private for-profit organisations, such as agri-food companies, food distribution companies, import-export businesses operating in goods and services, research and development organisations, chemical companies, manufacturers of analytical instruments and processing equipment, biotechnology companies, and companies developing solutions for energy production; and non-profit organisations involved in the planning and sustainable development of geographical areas, including non-governmental organisations and similar bodies.