PhD Program in Agriculture,

Forest and Food Science

Università degli Studi della Basilicata

PhD studies in Italy

PhD programs are offered by most Italian universities as the third level of academic education (http://hubmiur.pubblica.istruzione.it/web/universita/il-quadro-dei-titoli-italiani). The objective is to train junior researchers with the knowledge and skills to carry out research in academic and non-academic research institutes, in industries and to work at managing levels in public institutions and enterprises.

PhD programs have a minimum duration of 3 years (180 ECTS credits); the student’s work, in the form of a doctoral thesis is evaluated by both external and internal evaluators.

enrollment in PhD programs on a competitive basis:

a call is published (generally in July-August) for each PhD program on the website of each University and on the Euraxess website (http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/jobs/index).

applicants have to pass a written and oral examination. The most successful applicants can obtain a scholarship (approx. 16000 €/year)

tuition and fees are around 1350 €/year; waivers are available for low income students

both Italian and foreign students can apply, but for non-EU students the academic qualification must be proven equivalent to that of EU students. To this end, a certificate (“Dichiarazione di valore”) can be obtained by Italian Embassies

SAFE studies and research in Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences are

concentrated in SAFE (School of Agriculture, Forest, Food and Environmental sciences (http://agraria.unibas.it/site/home.html), with a staff of 14 professors, 19 associate professors, 21 researchers

SAFE carries out research and teaching in the following areas: Crop Science & Horticulture, Agricultural economics, Animal Science, Food Science, Technology & Engineering, Microbiology, Plant pathology, Rural landscape development, Botany, Soil science

Undergraduate studies @ SAFE include 3 BSc programs (Agriculture, Forest & Environmental Sciences, Food Technology). BSc programs are by courses only and have a duration of 3 years (180 ECTS credits)

Graduate studies @ SAFE include 3 MSc programs (Agriculture, Food Science, Forest & Environmental Sciences) and 2 international MSc programs (Sustainable food production and Viticulture). MScprograms have a duration of 2 years and students are required to complete 120 ECTS credits, which include a 30 ECTS credits research project

PhD @ SAFE

SAFE offers a PhD program in Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences

the course has a duration of 3 years, 180 ECTS credits, which include 18-36 ECTS credits of lectures and seminar (Statistics, English language, training on research transfer and valorisation, specific courses), 4-8 ECTS credits as course assistanships, 136-158 ECTS credits in research. Between 6 and 18 months in a foreign research institution are required to complete the program

the official language is Italian but some courses are offered in English. Foreign students are required to be proficient in Italian (min. B1-B2)

our web site (http://www2.unibas.it/dottoratostafa/wordpress/) provides comprehensive information on course structure, teaching and research activities, organization, and recruitment in both English and Italian

Curricula

Scienze, Tecnologie e Biotecnologie Alimentari

(Food Science,Technology and Biotechnology)

Scienze Animali, Vegetali e Ambientali

(Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences)

Scienze del Territorio, dell'Ambiente e delle Foreste

(Land, Environmental and Forest Sciences)

Food Science,

Technology & Biotechnolog

y

• Teaching staff: G. Altieri, A. Capece, M. Caruso, G.C. Di Renzo, F. Favati, F. Galgano, F. Genovese, E. Parente, A. Ricciardi, P. Romano

• Topics:• Food microbiology

• Microbiology of fermented products, Industrial microbiology, Food safety

• Food chemistry & technology• Optimization of food processes, Food analysis and control

• Food engineering:• Fruit and vegetables post-harvest and storage technology,

Dairy industry, Computer application in all agricultural activities and food processing, Treatment of wastewater, Extraction of vegetable oils, Small plant design and construction

Animal, Plant and

Environmental Sciences

• Teaching staff: M. Amato, I. Camele, V. Candido, N. Iacobellis, S. Lovelli, M. Nuzzaci, M. Perniola, A. Scopa, A. Sofo

• Topics:• land management, agriculture in protected areas, ecosystem

services of agricultural systems• agronomy multi-sensor platforms, precision agriculture, soil spatial

variability, plant roots• crop science herbaceous and vegetable crops, turfgrass research,

alimurgic plants, new industrial crops, multifunctional crops, fragility of crop cycles

• soil science: soil quality and fertility, soil pollution and phytoremediation

• plant protection: antagonistic microorganisms for the control of plant diseases, bacterial and fungal diseases of cultivated mushrooms, Natural substances as biopesticides (mostly essential oils) in plant protection

• crop responses to biotic and abiotic stress: crop responses and crop-weed interactions responses to climate change.

• Teaching staff: A. Braghieri, C. Cosentino, A. Girolami, P. Di Gregorio, A. Di Trana, P. Freschi, E. Gambacorta, E. Langella, F. Napolitano, C. Pacelli, A. Perna

• Topics:• Assessment and optimisation of farming and feeding

strategies to improve the quality of ruminant products• Improvement of animal product quality in terms of sensory and

nutritional properties• Optimisation of animal based production systems in terms of

production efficiency, environmental impact and animal welfare• Identification of valid, repeatable and reliable indicators of animal

welfare• Research on aquaculture, poultry, rabbit and laboratory

animals• Research in the fields of biology, physiology and pathology

of farm animals• Management of wild species and conservation of their

habitat• Genome and genetic analysis of farm animals

Land, Environmental

and Forest Sciences

• Teaching staff: M. Borghetti, A. Ferrara, N. Moretti, D. Pierangeli, F. Ripullone, L. Todaro

• Topics:• Forest ecology:  impact of climate change on forest ecosystems,

estimation of carbon balance in forests, modelling application for estimation of forest productivity.

• Forest fires: evaluation of severity and damage from forest fires,  recovery of burnt areas.

• Planning and land management: evaluation of risk factors determining desertification  in Mediterranean area, remote sensing of forest resources, arboriculture and biomass production for energy purposes, forest management.

• Wood technology and forest logging: optimization of forest harvesting operations, physical-mechanical properties of wood, origin of wood, wood processing cycles and problems related to durability, alteration and protection.

• Teaching staff: A. Coppola, A. Comegna, P. Picuno, C. Manera, S. Romano, M. Cozzi, P. D’Antonio, V. De Luca, S. Margiotta, B. Perretti, M. Nicastro, A. Vastola

• Topics:• Economics and rural development planning: Economics and

multidisciplinary territorial analyses ; Territorial marketing; Research methodologies for rural territory analyses; research methodologies and applicative studies on environmental and forestry issues;

• Water Resources Management and Protection: Monitoring and Numerical Modeling of soil water and solute transport in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere continuum system; Irrigation in arid conditions and with non-conventional water resources; Groundwater resources estimates in arid zones;

• Landscape Planning and Management:. Methodologies and technologies for valorization and sustainable development of the landscape; Landscape analysis based on the characterization of its natural, productive and social-historical components; Earth observation technologies and GIS

Tutorship and research projects

the tutor is a member of the teaching staff who will follow the student throuoghout his/her career; an external co-tutor may be appointed if the project is in collaboration with another institution. If the scholarship is funded by an external institution, the tutor belongs to the fundng institution

the tutor must accept the student and be willing to fund his/her research for three years: your chances during the application/selection process will significantly improve if you contact a tutor early in the process

research topics for which PhD students are sought are published on the course website together with the call (http://www2.unibas.it/dottoratostafa/wordpress/?page_id=48)

r u interested?

international students applications are welcome but, for a successful application it is essential that you keep in mind the following steps: check the web site

http://www2.unibas.it/dottoratostafa/wordpress/ contact the course secretariat at dottoratostafa@unibas.it identify a potential tutor (look under curricula and click on a link

to learn more about potential tutors) meet the tutor and discuss with him/her the research topic prepare for the exam (check guidelines at

http://www2.unibas.it/dottoratostafa/wordpress/?page_id=48)