PhD in EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY

The objectives are manifold and geared towards training highly qualified and competent researchers:

1. To provide students with a thorough methodological and scientific preparation to conduct original research activities in an autonomous and innovative manner.

2. To deepen specific but, at the same time, transversal knowledge with respect to different scientific/disciplinary fields, training experts capable of contributing to scientific and technological progress.

3. To support research in the field of Evolutionary Biology and Adaptation, Ecology and Environmental Health.

4. Fostering the creation of new knowledge and technologies, encouraging the development of solutions to complex societal problems with respect to emerging issues such as climate change, the effects of environmental contamination and approaches to mitigate it, sustainabledevelopment and the concept of environmental health (one-health).

5. Encourage integration between different disciplines to address research questions with a holistic approach.

6. To prepare doctoral students to work in an international context by promoting academic mobility and collaborations with institutions in other countries.

7. Train transversal skills, such as scientific communication, project management, research ethics and teamwork skills.

8. To prepare doctoral students for both academic and non-academic careers, helping them to enter professional fields that require high qualifications.

9. Promote the application of the knowledge generated to solving concrete problems, contributing to sustainable development and the well-being of society.

The PhD School therefore aims to train not only researchers, but also professionals who can positively influence society and academia. To this end, the following intermediate training objectives are pursued full acquisition of the experimental method, ability to identify the relevant variables in the various experimental conditions; knowledge of the most up-to-date experimental methods, ranging from the real environment (wet lab, in vitro and in vivo experimental model, to ‘field’ activities in a variety of marine and terrestrial environments) to the virtual environment (represented by bioinformatics, statistical data analysis and the use of artificial intelligence) development of skills in the collection of materials and experimental data through the use of appropriate computerized methods that enable interchange with the rest of the scientific community; building up knowledge of the most modern and appropriate methods of analyzing experimental data in the respective fields of investigation; knowledge of and access to databases relevant to one's own research; knowledge of the literature of interest and its continuous updating; development of the skills of clarity and expository synthesis; ability to identify one's own research spin-offs in the forensic field and on the fronts of public health, food and/or industrial production, management, conservation and valorization of natural resources and cultural heritage; interpersonal skills in national and international working groups comprising not only researchers but also representatives of the production sectors, services and civil society; initiation into project activities for future research.