The three-year long Ph.D. program in Earth Sciences (Dottorato di Ricerca in Scienze della Terra) promotes original scientific research and cultural development in 1) geosciences and 2) environment and Cultural Heritage. During the first two years of the program, each Ph.D. student is required to develop his research project and attend courses, seminars and other training activities either in Italy or abroad, according to the training/research programme submitted by the student and approved by the Ph.D. Program Committee once a year. The student’s training/research activities are supervised by an academic advisor (plus an external co-advisor, if appropriate). At the end of the 3 years of study and research, the Ph.D. candidate is required to submit a final thesis, either in Italian or English.
Curriculum 1) Geosciences: This curriculum promotes original research in advanced topics of the various geosciences. The overall objective of this curriculum is the acquisition by the Ph.D. student of individual autonomy and personal awareness in scientific research, while developing specific skills in one or more fields of the Earth Sciences. Some specific objectives in the various fields are here briefly depicted: - Physico-chemical characterization of geomaterials: definition of structural models of crystalline and quasi-crystalline materials (both natural and synthetic); physico-chemical characterization of minerals, rocks, silicate melts, fluids, aqueous solutions and gases to achieve reconstruction of their formation and transformation history. - Stratigraphy and geological correlation with geodynamics (endogenous and exogenous processes): identification and investigation of regional and global trends in the dynamics of the Earth in geological time, reconstruction of paleo-environment. - Global geodynamics and peri-mediterranean basin evolution: modelling of orogenesis evolution, definition of mutual relationships among tectonic, volcanic and petrogenetic events using a multidisciplinary geological, geophysical and geochemical approach. - Applied geology, geomorphology and geoengineering: definition of mutual relationships between environment and society including geologic risks management, geo-resources exploration, and reduction of environmental pollution.
Curriculum 2) Environment and Cultural Heritage:This curriculum aims at implementing advanced multidisciplinary training and research in areas related to protection of the environment and of the Cultural Heritage. Several departments of Sapienza university (Earth Sciences, Environmental biology, Chemistry, Physics, Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering ) and research institutions (CNR, ISPRA, ENEA, various superintendences for archaeological heritage) are involved in the implementation of this curriculum. This allows the program to cover all the scientific expertise necessary for developing the best solutions for protection of the environment and Cultural Heritage. At the end of the three-year program, the Ph.D. doctor will be able to manage, in an independent way, open questions existing in the investigated field and to offer original solutions in terms of scientific, technical, historical/artistic/archaeological perspectives.