The PhD

Coordinator: Salvatore MIRABELLA
Duration: 3 years

Solid skills in Materials Science and Nanotechnology are essential to address many current global challenges such as energy transition, climate change, environmental and industrial sustainability, food and water security, personalized medicine, which represent vital junctures in sectors of technological progress that concern energy, health, communication, water and industry.

The University of Catania offers a PhD in Materials Science and Nanotechnology that is unique because it arises from the convergence of scientific interests of several key players operating in the Catania area, such as university departments (DFA, DSC, DICAR), national research institutions (CNR, INFN, INAF) and large international companies (ST, EGP, ENI). This valuable synergy allows PhD students of the course to acquire cutting-edge skills in the design, synthesis and characterization of innovative and nanostructured materials, with applications ranging from microelectronics to renewable energy, from aerospace to innovative communication, personalized medicine, flexible electronics and environmental sensors. Students typically have access to international research laboratories, can develop industrial pilot prototypes, participate in European and international research projects, and collaborate with research institutions and leading global companies. The international vocation of the course fosters a global vision and promotes a network of international contacts that represents for the student an intangible heritage of great relevance for future professional positioning.

The PhD in Materials Science and Nanotechnology offers an excellent, multidisciplinary and international training path, which opens the doors to high-profile careers in academic and industrial research and in technological entrepreneurship, as demonstrated by several PhDs trained in this course who today hold important roles in academies, companies and national and foreign government agencies.

Course Overview and Educational Aims

The aim of the course is to ensure that PhD students have a solid basic and interdisciplinary preparation on advanced topics in Materials Science and Nanotechnology, with particular attention to high-tech applications of interest for highly qualified academic or industrial research. At the same time, the doctoral course aims to develop in students a critical and creative thinking capable of addressing open problems in Materials Science and Nanotechnology with scientific rigor, and also the ability to disseminate specialist and general information, and to design aimed at funding research.

The course is intended as a high-level training school capable of supporting and increasing the scientific and technological development of the South, also through collaboration between entities capable of attracting community funds for advanced research. Furthermore, this doctoral course is part of the European doctoral network PCAM (Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials), a European research network of doctoral programs focused on various aspects of the physics and chemistry of advanced materials.

Job Opportunities

Thanks to the interdisciplinary training and the development of vertical and transversal skills, PhDs in Materials Science and Nanotechnology have career prospects both in the Italian and foreign academic world, both in public or private research institutes, and in the research and development sectors of high-tech companies. Their ability to bridge multiple scientific fields makes them particularly valuable in the development of innovative and sustainable materials for future applications.