The Ph.D. in Environmental and Hydraulic Engineering pertains to the Doctoral School in Civil Engineering and Architecture and includes two curricula: one in Environmental Engineering and one in Hydraulic Engineering. The Ph.D. is concerned with the training of high-profile professional and research figures in the fields of fluid mechanics, hydraulics, and environmental engineering. Such figures will be capable of associating the understanding of natural phenomena with the ability to abstract, through mathematical models, original quantitative representations aimed at the assessment of environmental and territorial impacts and the design of the most appropriate and innovative systems of environmental management, use, and remediation.
The Ph.D. differs from many others in the geological-environmental field in that it extends research activity from that on individual phenomena to that aimed at a quantitative approach to complex natural and environmental hydraulic systems.
Within the curriculum in Hydraulic Engineering, the main research topics are:
fluid mechanics; numerical hydraulics; hydraulics of distribution networks; hydraulic and marine constructions; shoreline defense; hydrology; porous media; two-phase flows; turbidity currents; mechanics of large fluid masses; atmospheric boundary layer; urban fluid mechanics; pollutant dispersion; arterio-venous circulation of blood; modification of design criteria in hydraulics as a function of climate change.
Within the curriculum in Environmental Engineering, the main research topics are:
remediation of contaminated soils; mechanical characterization of waste materials; hydrogeological instability and slope instability; landslides and ground surface deformations; geotechnical aspects in soil defense; planning, forecasting and management of flood events; remote sensing; forecasting, and management of air pollution; recovery, reuse and recycling of waste materials; natural engineering techniques; wastewater treatment and reuse; treatment of primary and human consumption water; treatment and disposal of municipal and hazardous waste; protection of water resources from pollution.
The doctoral course lasts for three academic years and is divided into two phases. During the first year, basic preparation is completed through participation in courses, seminars, and conferences. The research topic to be developed is also defined and a tutor chosen from among the faculty of the College is designated. During the second and third years, research is developed under the supervision of the tutor. Final theses may be theoretical, numerical, and experimental
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