LX cycle - National Research Doctorates

The University of L’Aquila, for the academic year 2024/2025, participates to the following National Doctorates in which are involved the main Italian universities and the most important Research Institutes.

• The National PhD in “Artificial Intelligence” (AI), first national initiative regarding this theme, was started on July 2020 thanks to the collaboration from the University of Pisa and the CNR. The PhD is made of 5 federated Ph.D. courses that bring together 61 Universities and research Institutions. Each course is specialized in a strategic sector of AI application, and it is organized by a lead university:

• Health and life sciences, Campus Bio-Medico - University of Rome
• Agrifood and environment, University of Naples “Federico II”
• Government and public bodies, Sapienza University of Rome
• Industry, Politecnico di Torino
• Society, University of Pisa

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department Information engineering, computer science and mathematics and it participates in the following Ph.D.:

• Industry, Politecnico di Torino.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with Consorzio Università Industria Radiolabs.

The topic of this grant is Integration of artificial intelligence, automation and ICT technologies for application and testing of GNSS-based geolocation systems and it focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence, automation and ICT technologies for application and testing of GNSS-based geolocation systems. The research activities will benefit from a long-term collaboration with Radiolabs, with expected periods of exchange of visits at the L'Aquila headquarters, as part of the ESA-funded P-CAR project (http://www.radiolabs. it/p-car/), focused on the creation of a laboratory for the testing and validation of Connected Autonomous Driving functions.

• The Ph.D. in “Autonomous Systems” (DAuSy), is set up by Polytechnic of Bari in coordination with 38 Italian Universities.

Autonomous Systems can learn automatically, make decisions, and function autonomously. They are one of the central enabling technologies for applications such as the smart factory, autonomous vehicles, drones, and smart grids. DAUSY is organized into 3 curricula that specifically address different topics and application areas, and that differ and complement each other in terms of technology and methodology: 1) Automation, 2) Smart Environment, 3) Monitoring and Security.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Information Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with TESMEC RAIL S.r.l.

The research topic is Intelligent Control Techniques for Rail Construction and Maintenance Vehicles Description.

The primary objective is to design control algorithms that enable railway vehicles to perform complex operations autonomously or semi-autonomously. The project will focus on three key areas: path planning, adaptive control, and predictive diagnostics 

The call is available at the following link: http://dausy.poliba.it/phd/application/.

The applications must be submitted until 12 p.m. (Italian time), July 17, 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Catalysis” is set up by University of Perugia. The Ph.D., at the moment, involves 26 Universities, 5 Research Centers and Institutions, 15 Italian and foreign companies.

The PhD in Catalysis intends to create a multidisciplinary structure aimed at post-graduate training in the field of catalyzed processes of both academic and industrial interest. This project is motivated by the crucial importance that chemistry and catalysis have in all strategic areas for the competitiveness of a country system. From the production of electricity to that of hydrogen, from polymers to semiconductor materials, from the fundamental products of fine chemicals (fertilizers, flavourings, additives, etc. etc.) to pharmacologically active molecules (API), the development of catalytic processes represents the key tool to make a process efficient and sustainable. With the involvement of national reference figures from both the academic and industrial worlds, and with the support of eminent scientists of international standing, the Academic Board of this PhD course intends to create a cultural platform capable of creating a new generation of capable professionals to develop new concepts of catalysis in research and innovation.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Physical and chemical sciences.

The University of L’Aquila:

• Finances one scholarship funded by PNRR - ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with Fater S.p.A. The research topic is Sustainable catalysis and asymmetric catalysis for fine chemicals and consumer products.
• Finances one scholarship funded by PNRR ex D.M. 630/2024, in collaboration with Fresenius-Kabi. The research topic is Sustainable asymmetric catalysis and catalysis displaying relevance for pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals.
• Finances one scholarship funded by PNRR ex D.M. 630/2024, in collaboration with Versalis S.p.A.

The research topic is Development of Bifunctional Catalysts, such as functionalized zeolites and Core-Shell structures, for the Conversion of CO2 into Light Olefins. Process Optimization and Industrial Applications.

The conversion of CO₂ into useful chemicals represents a crucial challenge to address issues related to climate change and to develop a more sustainable economy. In this context, the synthesis of light olefins from CO₂ via heterogeneous catalysis emerges as a research area of great interest. Light olefins represent an important building block in various industrial synthetic processes, including the production of polymers, rubbers and fuels. The project will significantly contribute to the understanding of the processes of conversion of CO₂ into light olefins using heterogeneous bifunctional catalysts. The knowledge acquired can also be applied to other catalytic systems and  CO₂ conversion processes, opening up new opportunities for the sustainable use of this important resource. Further research may focus on industrial scale on the integration of CO₂ conversion processes into existing chemical plants.

Project Objectives: Synthesis, characterization and testing of bifunctional catalysts for the conversion of CO₂ into light olefins and subsequent upgrading. Zeolite-metal composite systems will be prepared consisting of a zeolite functionalized with different metal oxides, identifying the zeolite structure/metal combinations with the best catalytic properties for the activation of CO₂ and the formation of new C-C bonds. The prepared catalysts will be tested in reference catalytic systems (CO₂ to olefins). An optimization study of all the reaction conditions of the process will therefore be carried out.

For more information regarding the call see the following link: http://www.dcbb.unipg.it/catalisi

• The National Doctorate in “Motor and sport sciences"  is set up by University of Verona. The course is born with the idea of contributing in a relevant and concrete way to the scientific growth of an area of research that, although relatively recent, is already widespread and active in many Italian universities. The areas of study connected in different ways to the multiple expressions of human movement, from its earliest development to high-level sport, have achieved over time an ever-increasing educational and scientific importance in the national and international scientific panorama. The Italian context, with the significant breakthrough of the introduction of Courses of Study in Motor Sciences and the establishment of academic roles specifically aimed at the aforementioned areas of research, has progressively expanded in an increasingly large number of locations to now include more than 40 universities.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with Sensor Medica S.r.l.

The research topic is Development of methods and devices applied to ergometers and isotonic and isokinetic machines.

The call is available at the following link Dottorato di Interesse nazionale in Scienze motorie e sportive - Università degli Studi di Verona (univr.it)

The applications must be submitted until 12 p.m. (Italian time), July 25, 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Peace Studies” is set up by University of Sapienza, in partnership with 27 Italian Universities.
  
  

The Ph.D. course is organized into 10 curricula and the University of L’Aquila pertains to the “Peace Education and Migration” curriculum.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Human Studies.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR, ex Ministerial Decree 629/2024.

The call is available at the following link https://phd.uniroma1.it/web/concorso40.aspx?s=&i=4085&m=&l=EN&p=&a=.

The applications must be submitted until 11:59 p.m. (Italian time), July 10, 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Photovoltaics” is set up by University of Salerno and consists of a network of 14 Italian Universities.

Photovoltaics represents one of the pillars of the energy transition and plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. The recent international crisis and its effects on Europe's supply of fossil fuels is leading to a further acceleration of the transition, to the advantage of technologies, including photovoltaics, which have reached great technological maturity, and which can provide answers to the demand for energy in a short time. As a result, the European effort in terms of research and development as well as production throughout the supply chain is increasing and it is expected to reach 1 TWp of photovoltaic capacity by 2030 and 178.000 new jobs are estimated to be created in Europe.

The Ph.D. is organized in six distinct curricula, which will cover the following aspects:

• Curriculum A - “Solar cells technologies and lifecycle”
• Curriculum B - “Module and system design and integration”
• Curriculum C - “Monitoring and Diagnosis”
• Curriculum D - “Power Electronics and Control”
• Curriculum E - “Solar intermittency and storage”
• Curriculum F - “Distributed generation and grid connection”

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Information engineering, computer science and mathematics.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with Solis S.p.A. (https://www.solis-spa.com).

The research topic is Modular multilevel converters for photovoltaic power systems.

Photovoltaic power generation systems represent one of the two main pillars of the energy transition. The usability, conversion efficiency and quality of the electrical energy produced by photovoltaic panels depend crucially on the converters connected to the renewable source, the system for storing the energy produced and the converter for connection to the electricity distribution grid.

The project aims to study a new family of power converters and their control and modulation algorithms capable of optimizing both the photovoltaic conversion, the storage of electrical energy, and, where necessary, the transfer of the electrical energy produced into the distribution grid.

In view of the enormous amount of solar energy that will have to be converted into electricity in the next few years, one of the key aspects in the development of next-generation converters is to pursue a modular and scalable multi-dimensional approach, in which it is determined what the basic modules should be and what their characteristics should be, so that power, voltage and current can be 'scaled up'. An additional aim is to be able to extend the use of such modules to other application contexts, such as industrial applications, wind generators, smart grid converters, etc.

In photovoltaic applications, three modules are required: a DC/DC converter to optimize the extraction of energy from the photovoltaic cells, a second DC/DC converter to govern the bi-directional flow with an electrochemical storage, and a third converter, DC/AC, which is the interface with the electricity grid. It is possible to unify the module by choosing an H-bridge topology, which has the necessary features to be able to perform each of the previous functions, acting on the software and interconnections. The software will also be developed in a modular manner, so that new applications can be quickly developed from pre-packaged software modules. The interconnection between the modules will be via a three-port high-frequency transformer, which will also allow the voltages to be adapted to the optimum values for each function.  The H-bridge module with DC/AC functions will be connected in series with similar ones, to realize a multi-level inverter.

In this way, it will also be possible to achieve voltage levels corresponding to those of the medium-voltage network (6-20 kV), with the additional advantage that neither elevating transformers nor inverter output filters are required. The H-bridge modules will be developed in such a way that they can be paralleled, thus increasing power. The voltage levels can be chosen by selecting the final power transistors. The topology described in this way is called a "triple active bridge" (TAB); if the storage system is not required, a two-port transformer can be used, and an H-bridge eliminated. In this case, a 'dual active bridge' (DAB) is obtained.  

The PhD student will be able to use existing hardware modules, focusing on the development of the TAB and/or DAB architecture and the development of the multilevel architecture, as well as the control and modulation software required to operate the individual TAB/DAB and the multilevel. If he has a good knowledge of power electronics, he can also devote himself to the development of H-bridges. The system may use either microcontrollers or FPGAs or both, so the PhD student must have or develop excellent programming skills in the 'C' and VHDL languages.

The call is available at the following link: https://web.unisa.it/uploads/rescue/277/12437/call-for-phd-courses-xl-cycle.pdf.pdf

The applications must be submitted until 3 p.m. (Italian time) of 22 July 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Precision medicine” is set up by University of Palermo.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences.

The University of L’Aquila inances one scholarship funded by PNRR - ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with Dante Labs S.r.l.

The research topic is Targeting of downstream effectors of the NF-kB pathway in tumor models.

Many human tumors are characterized by constitutive activation of NF-κB. NF-κB promotes tumorigenesis by upregulating the expression of genes, such as GADD45B and CES1, which regulate cell survival and metabolic adaptation, respectively. No specific NF-κB inhibitor has been approved for clinical use due to the systemic toxicity associated with the suppression of the physiological functions regulated by NF-κB. To overcome this issue, a new generation of inhibitors targeting downstream effectors of the NF-κB pathway that mediate its tumorigenic functions, specifically in cancer cells, have been developed. The objective of this project is to evaluate how the inhibition of these two NF-κB targets influences tumor progression in vivo by using, in addition to conventional molecular analysis methods, high-throughput techniques for transcriptomic profiling and proteomics, to globally characterize the biological effects associated with the depletion of NF-κB downstream targets.

• The National Doctorate in “Sustainable Development and Climate change” (SDC) is set up by IUSS PAVIA in agreement with more than 50 Italian universities.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Life, health and environmental sciences.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with DOMPE' Farmaceutici S.p.A.

The theme of the scholarship is Combating infections and inflammations.

Waterborne schistosome parasites are spreading in Africa, China, and recently Europe. Rising water temperatures and altered precipitation due to climate change can significantly affect the distribution and abundance of the parasite's intermediate host, a snail, leading to changes in disease dynamics and transmission to humans. Schistosomes infect 200 million people annually, causing significant morbidity and over 200,000 deaths. Female genital schistosomiasis, a common complication of S. haematobium infections, affects about 40 million girls and women in Africa, making it one of the most prevalent gynecologic conditions in the region.

Current schistosomiasis control strategies rely almost exclusively on praziquantel, administered to 40 million people each year, with no new drugs in the clinical pipeline. However, we have identified a highly promising drug target: the worm selenocysteine-containing enzyme thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR). Our studies have elucidated a novel inhibitory mechanism for the overall family of proteins, including the human homologues highly implicated in inflammation response.

We aim at selectively optimizing our novel inhibitors for both the human and schistosomal enzymes to develop new schistosomicidal therapeutics and discover new modulators of inflammation in humans. The inhibitors will be optimized using a structure-based approach, leveraging both X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM techniques.

For more information, you can contact Prof. Francesco Angelucci and/or Dr. Matteo Ardini.

The call is available at the following link https://www.phd-sdc.it/how-to-apply

The applications must be submitted until 5 p.m. (Italian time), July 26, 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Sustainable Materials, Processes and Systems for Energy Transition” is set up by the Polytechnic of Turin, in convention with other Italian Universities, CNR, INRiM and IIT.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Physical and chemical sciences.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR – ex Ministerial Decree 629/2024.

The call is available at the following link https://www.polito.it/en/education/phd-programmes-and-postgraduate-school/admissions-to-phd-programmes/admissions/call-for-applications-national-phd-programmes

The applications must be submitted until 2 p.m. (Italian time), July 16, 2024.

• The National Doctorate in “Teaching & Learning Sciences: Inclusion, Technologies, Educational Research and Evaluation”  is set up by University of Macerata.

The doctoral pathway in Teaching & Learning Sciences: Inclusion, Technologies, Educational Research and Evaluation, aims to train the next generation of professionals, practitioners, experts and experts in the field of educational research, inclusion teaching, educational technologies, docimology and evaluation, the encounter and interaction between general education and disciplinary teaching (for both humanities and STEM subject area), faculty development and teacher education.

The Department of University of L’Aquila involved is the Department of Human Studies.

The University of L’Aquila finances one scholarship funded by PNRR, ex Ministerial Decree 630/2024, in collaboration with CONNEX.CO S.r.l.