The PhD program in Environmental, Geological, and Polar Sciences and Technologies was established with the objective of training researchers capable of tackling current and future complex environmental challenges in an integrated and multidisciplinary manner. The highly multidisciplinary curriculum is structured into three main thematic areas:
- Environmental Sciences and Technologies, focusing on ecotoxicology, sustainability, contaminant cycles, biodiversity, environmental monitoring, and climate change;
- Geological Sciences and Technologies, with in-depth studies in structural geology, geochemistry, hydrogeology, georesources, and geological risks;
- Polar Sciences and Technologies, involving research activities in extreme environments, particularly in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, also in collaboration with the National Research Program in Antarctica (PNRA).
The PhD program is based at the Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of Siena.
For the realization of their experimental research projects, PhD students have access to the scientific expertise and equipment available in the Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, the Geotechnology Centre, the National Antarctic Museum, and various Italian and foreign universities and research centers.
The rules for PhD courses, forms, calls for applications, and all general information on how to the PhD courses are available on the website: http://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca.
The PhD program's governing bodies are the Academic Board and the Coordinator. The Academic Board is responsible for the design and implementation of the PhD program and is made up of professors and researchers from the University of Siena and by professor and of italian and foreign universities and public research institutions. The Coordinator is elected by the Academic Board and is responsible for organizing training and administrative activities of the doctorate, authorizing PhD students to carry out teaching and research activities in Italy and abroad and performs the functions delegated to them by the Academic Board.
The Industry relations Advisory Boards of the Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences (DSFTA) supports the Academic Board in defining the educational path, contributing to the revision of the project based on training needs and employment outcomes monitored through AlmaLaurea.
At the end of each year, PhD students must submit a report on their research activities (countersigned by their tutor) and support a public discussion on the most relevant aspects of the work performed, the results obtained, and the general plan for the following year's activities. Progression from one year of the course to the next is based on the Academic Board's judgment in relation to the research activities and the participation of the PhD students to education and training activities. Each year, the Academic Board proposes cycles of seminars and short theoretical and practical courses taught by Italian and foreign experts, which PhD students are required to attend.
One month before the conclusion of the three-year period, with the favorable opinion of the tutor, PhD students submit a request for admission to the final examination to the Academic Board, accompanied by a final report on the activities carried out and a draft of the thesis (in Italian or English; other languages require authorization from the Academic Board) for a preliminary evaluation by a Faculty Board member. The examination committee for the final defense is appointed by the Rector on the proposal of the Academic Board and is composed of at least 3 members, of whom at least two must not be part of the Academic Board and must belong to Italian or foreign universities different from the University of Siena.
In the case of joint PhD programs under international agreements, the composition of the examination committee and the modalities of the final examination are stipulated in the relevant agreements.