General informations

The PhD program in Industrial Engineering is the result of the merger of three previous PhD programs in the fields of Aerospace, Naval, Management, Energy, and Mechanical Engineering. It therefore brings together a wide range of skills, offering the opportunity to combine specialist and interdisciplinary training for the analysis of complex systems characterized by strong interactions between technological, economic, and management aspects.

The program aims to train highly qualified professionals to enter the mechanical, naval, aerospace, and management industries, both nationally and internationally, and capable of meeting the technological challenges posed by digitalization, innovation, the green revolution and ecological transition, sustainable mobility, and competitiveness; all of which are also objectives of NextGenerationEU and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Given the wide range of skills involved, for a more effective organization of the training and research project, the doctoral program is divided into three curricula: 1) Aerospace and Naval Engineering, 2) Energetic and Mechanical Engineering, 3) Engineering Management, Quality, and Data Science for Technology. This allows for more effective planning and supervision of the training program, which must combine interdisciplinary and specialized aspects, and of the research activities of the doctoral students. Specifically, the educational offering includes:

• a teaching program, delivered by the doctoral faculty, closely aligned with the structure of the doctoral program in the three curricula, which includes both cross-disciplinary courses of interest to all curricula and more specialized courses within the individual curricula. Short seminars and courses are also organized by external scholars and experts, both academics and professionals from national and international companies.
• courses borrowed from the master's degree programs offered by the Department of Industrial Engineering and/or courses taught in other master's degree programs or doctoral programs at the University or other universities (including foreign universities, during the period of off-site training).
• a teaching program shared with other PhD programs at the School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, designed to provide interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary training, with particular reference to language and IT skills, research management and knowledge of European and international research systems, the exploitation of research results and intellectual property, open access to research data and products, and the principles of gender equality, ethics, and integrity.

Within the educational offering described above, doctoral students, guided by their respective tutors, can compose their own training plan, including courses, seminars, and activities deemed most suitable for completing the required credits and most functional to the research they will carry out. The doctoral program requires the completion of at least 180 university credits, 60 per year. Credits are divided according to the following criteria:

• 24 to 36 credits can be earned by attending courses that include a final exam
• 6 to 14 credits can be earned by attending seminars or courses that do not include a final exam. In this context, up to a maximum of 3 credits can be earned by participating in orientation events organized by the University, the School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, the Department, or the Doctorate, for students in the second cycle of education and students in bachelor's and master's degree programs, and/or public engagement and technology transfer activities
•  0 to 15 credits for supplementary teaching activities assigned to the doctoral student, equivalent to no more than 40 hours of academic commitment per year, in accordance with the current Regulations for the Doctoral Program
• the remaining credits (150-114) are allocated to research activities, which conclude with the writing of the doctoral thesis.

Training and research activities are organized as follows:

• During the first year, students are normally expected to attend courses and/or seminars, with a focus on more basic and interdisciplinary ones. At the end of the first year, and for the purposes of admission to the second year, the doctoral student submits a report on the activities carried out to the board, and the research topic is defined, on which the doctoral student will have to work for the following two years
• During the second year, students are normally expected to attend courses and/or seminars, with a focus on more specialized subjects. The second year is also characterized by an increasing commitment by the doctoral student to research and related scientific production, including participation as a speaker at national and international conferences. At the end of the second year, and for the purposes of admission to the third year, the doctoral student submits a report on the activities carried out to the board. The title of the doctoral thesis is also defined.
• During the third year, research activities are completed, with a focus on publication in first or second tier journals. The doctoral thesis is written. In addition, at the end of the third year, the doctoral student submits a report on all activities carried out and the doctoral thesis to the board. A PowerPoint presentation of the main results achieved is also required at an open meeting of the committee.

Doctoral students are encouraged to undertake a period of study and research abroad, lasting at least three months, to be planned in a timely manner with the support of their tutors and the doctoral committee. In addition, doctoral students, under the guidance of their respective tutors, are encouraged to publish their research results in international journals and conference proceedings indexed in the main international databases (e.g., Scopus and WoS). They are also encouraged to participate in national and international conferences as speakers. These points are the subject of attention by the board in its annual reports.

The PhD programme aims to train highly qualified professionals who can work in the mechanical, naval, aerospace and management industries at a national and international level.

Through basic, interdisciplinary and specialised training, PhD graduates in Industrial Engineering must acquire adequate knowledge of innovative design methodologies, technical-economic and energy-environmental analysis, industrial and manufacturing plant management and related technologies, including the use of advanced techniques for the analysis of complex and heterogeneous data. They must keep pace with technological developments in the relevant sector in order to incorporate new technologies into innovative design solutions.

These skills are also acquired thanks to the strong link that the PhD programme has with the industrial world: the training courses and research objectives are in strong synergy with national and international industrial realities, which finance additional scholarships. This is confirmed by the interdisciplinary nature of the PhD programme, which has been accredited as an innovative interdisciplinary PhD programme (up to cycle 37). Company staff are invited to give short courses or seminars aimed at enhancing the specialist skills of PhD students, sharing a more industrial approach.

However, the aim of the course is also to prepare students to carry out original and independent scientific research, both theoretical-numerical and experimental. To this end, the writing of scientific articles, participation in international conferences, stays at international universities and research institutions, and participation in international research projects on cutting-edge topics are always strongly encouraged, with a view to developing and consolidating collaborations with other scholars and experts in the field.