Sustainable Energy and Technologies

The PhD programme includes two major research areas. The first area is Sustainable use of energy resources, which includes energy production from renewable sources, the conversion of energy and its transportation, its efficient use in final utilisation, particularly in buildings, with the ultimate goal of optimising performance and enhancing the quality of interiors and of the environment. The other research area explores Sustainability of products and manufacturing processes, including mechanical design and industrial automation, technology and industrial production processes and management of internal and external logistics, of processes and of the lifecycle.

Once candidates have gained admission to the programme, they will design a research and study plan with their supervisor in order to define the purpose of their research project and the necessary steps to implement it, after compiling a comprehensive literature review. Candidates will then have to regularly verify and, if necessary, update, their research and study plan, taking into account the development of the project itself and the latest developments in their field of research. During the course, particularly during the first year, candidates will regularly attend classes specifically designed for postgraduate students and also technical workshops and specialised lectures by researchers and specialists in the chosen disciplines.

The stages of the PhD

The doctoral programme is divided into four stages which end after 6, 12, 24 and 36 months, respectively. In stage 1, the candidate defines the research area, the specific topic and the methodology. In stage 2, in the second half of the first academic year, candidates will have to define research questions and expected results. In stage 3, which starts with the second year, candidates are expected to apply the approach and techniques learnt from training to their project in order to tackle their research questions and disseminate the early results at the basis of their project by presenting them at national and international conferences. In the fourth and last stage, in the third year, candidates will have to collate the results of their research project and write their doctoral thesis.

During the three years of the PhD programme, candidates are required to commit full-time to the PhD, and the programme will include both working on the research project and learning activities. Students are also required to carry out part of their research in another university or research centre abroad, for at least three months and up to a year. This is an extremely valuable opportunity for a PhD candidate to study specific aspects of their research in depth under direct supervision of world experts in their chosen research topic. It's also an opportunity to carry out research in highly stimulating and competitive contexts, while exchanging ideas with other scholars and establishing an early network of colleagues in the world of research.