Phd in THEORETICAL AND APPLIED MECHANICS

List of courses / activities for the first year

More information The PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics has great focus on the student development, all over its duration. In terms of training, the first year is dedicated to the completion of their physical-mathematical preparation. Our PhD students in fact, has a long theoretical and methodological bent; even though, being an engineering doctoral program, aims at the potential technological applications of the research that takes place within it. This is one of the most rigorous national doctorate schools in engineering in this regard. Therefore, for the first year PhD students, internal ad hoc courses are provided. Very often, these are comprehensive courses within a wide range of field, such as courses in Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Calculus of Variations, Functional Analysis, Differential Equations to Partial Derivatives, etc. In addition, students can take advantage of theoretical in-depth courses in Physics and Mathematical Physics at the Department of Castelnuovo or at the Marconi. Participation in courses and seminars held at other Italian and foreign institutions, research centers and universities is also encouraged. Furthermore, the attendance at other courses and workshops, delivered by both other Italians and foreign institutions, are highly encouraged. It is not uncommon, for first-year students to attend abroad conferences. These conferences are, in fact, a good chance to have a quick overview of the state of art in the field of interest. In addition, the research progress could be worth of being presented, also at an early stage. Courses and the research activities, carried out by each student, are personalized and cover such a wide range that they cannot be listed here. However, the doctoral student records provide a very detailed idea of what our students do over the three years. Method of choosing the subject of the thesis The topic of the doctoral thesis is a free choice of the doctoral student. Usually the choice is based on the outcomes of the brightest graduate thesis. Generally at the time of the choice (after having won the competition) the PhD students have a very precise idea of the topic they would like to develop. Admission to the second year The admission process depends on the year in which the doctoral student is enrolled. Shortly after the publication of the results of the competition, the candidates are summoned by the School Board, in order to publicly present (in about 10 minutes) the topic on which they would like to focus during their research activity. Then, the School Board identifies the most suitable supervisor and tutor for the candidates. To proceed to the second year, the candidate has do deliver a 20-30 minute presentation about the research topic and the preliminary results. Moreover, during this presentation, the PhD student will also present further activities carried out over the firs year. A document (of 5-15 pages) regarding the main research results obtained over the first year, will also been required.

List of courses / activities for the second year

More information Conversely, over the second year, the courses and training activities are more specialized in the field of interest and the research activity constitutes the majority of the time. It is expected that the candidate will present his own work at international conferences and will start to conceive their first publications for an international journal, together with the supervisor and tutor. Over this period of time, with the help of the supervisor, the candidate will develop a network with foreign institutions and university, in order to start a future collaboration. Method of preparation of the thesis The methods of preparation of the thesis pass through the systematization of the material developed during the second year and through the integration of the different research works that the candidate is being prepared. Compared to what happens also in prestigious research centers, where the doctoral thesis can be a collage of the papers that the candidate published during the doctorate, our doctorate intends the thesis writing as a separate work, which although including the original contributions that characterize the candidate's publications, he nevertheless has a broader structure, richer in examples and more extensive than scientific works published in journals. This must have the character of a real monograph on the subject. Admission to the third year From the second to the third year, you go through a public presentation (lasting 40 minutes) that goes into greater detail in the activities of the chosen research topic and the results obtained. The teaching body also asks for the drafting of an important document which, besides containing the progress of the research, also presents a reasoned index of the thesis that must accompany the year's report. The intervention of the professors of the Scientific board in this passage of year is usually rather severe and critical questions are asked to the candidate regarding the activities presented. In this phase the candidate also presents to the Scientific board his / her own decision on which center or institution he / she has chosen to spend the period abroad.

List of courses / activities for the third year

More information During the third, year the main activity is the preparation of the final thesis, accompanied by an activity of publication of some key research results. Several oral presentations, at international conferences, of the research progresses will be held. Within this last year, the School Board requires a few months experience abroad, in a foreign research center. Method of admission to the final examination The review of the third year represents the last interaction between the School Board and the candidate, before the latter goes for the final exam. The presentation guidelines are similar to those of the previous year, but with a public discussion lasting about an hour. Furthermore, the candidate delivers to the School Board a draft of the thesis, which is delivered to two external referees, preferably foreign. Final examination The final exam involves the selection of a commission composed of experts in the specific field of the candidates' theses. The commission will judge the candidates based on: (i) the quality of the doctoral thesis, (ii) the scientific curriculum of the candidate, (iii) the report of the external referees. The candidate's public presentation is expected to last approximately one hour.