Transcript MIND @ SAFE @ UNIBAS

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 &
Biotechnology
• 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 socialhistorical 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/


meet the tutor and discuss with him/her the research topic
contact the course secretariat at [email protected]
identify a potential tutor (look under curricula and click on a link to learn
more about potential tutors)
prepare for the exam (check guidelines at
http://www2.unibas.it/dottoratostafa/wordpress/?page_id=48)