Program Overview
Dottorato in Scienze della Terra
The Dottorato di Ricerca in Scienze della Terra is a three-year program that aims to promote cultural growth and scientific research in geosciences and applied sciences for environmental and cultural heritage protection. The program's primary objective is to provide students with advanced knowledge, specific skills, multidisciplinary competencies, and management capabilities.
Curriculum 1: Scienze della Terra
This curriculum focuses on the development of cutting-edge topics in specific areas of Earth Sciences. Some examples of specific objectives in different areas of Earth Sciences include:
- Chemical-physical characterization of geomaterials: development of structural models of crystalline and quasi-crystalline materials (natural and synthetic); chemical-physical characterization of minerals, rocks, melts, fluids, colloids, aqueous solutions, and gas mixtures to identify their formation and transformation modalities.
- Evolutionary dynamics of endogenous and exogenous processes: identification of evolutionary trends and paleo-environmental characteristics that can be used to correlate global and regional events.
- Global dynamics and evolution of peri-Mediterranean basins: evolutionary models of orogenic chains, definition of relationships between tectonic events and petrogenetic processes, using structural, stratigraphic, paleontological, mineralogical, petrographic, geophysical, volcanological, and geochemical methodologies.
- Applied geology and geomorphology to the environment and natural resources: definition of relationships between humans and their geological habitat, from the identification and management of georesources to environmental risk issues.
Curriculum 2: Ambiente e Beni culturali
This curriculum aims to develop advanced research and training in areas related to environmental and cultural heritage studies, adopting a multidisciplinary approach and pursuing an interdisciplinary and systemic vision. The development of the topics addressed involves various departments of the Sapienza University (Scienze della Terra, Biologia ambientale, Chimica, Fisica, Scienze di Base e Applicate per l'Ingegneria) and research institutions (CNR, ISPRA, ENEA, Soprintendenze, and others), to cover all the necessary scientific competencies. At the end of the three years, the researcher will be able to manage the problems addressed autonomously and experimentally, having acquired the ability to elaborate sustainable solutions from an environmental or museum/historical/artistic/archaeological point of view.
Program Structure
The program is structured over three years, with the first two years dedicated to developing the research project and attending courses or other training activities (in-house, nationally, or abroad) based on a program approved by the Collegio dei Docenti. In the third year, students must complete their research project and hold at least one public seminar to present the main results obtained. The program encourages periods of training at Italian and foreign public or private research centers, companies, and institutions.
Research and Training
As part of their training, students are encouraged to present their research work at conferences and publish the results in international journals. Students can also engage in teaching support activities, including field exercises, subject to the approval of the Collegio dei Docenti. Each student will be followed by an internal supervisor, known as the docente guida, and possibly external supervisors, during the development of didactic and research activities.
Final Thesis
The final thesis, after three years of study and research, can be written in either Italian or English. The thesis will be the culmination of the student's research project, demonstrating their ability to manage problems autonomously and experimentally, with a focus on elaborating sustainable solutions from an environmental or museum/historical/artistic/archaeological point of view.