Natural Resources, Environment, Agriculture and Food

Terrestrial ecosystems, seas and oceans are a source of natural and economic wealth. It is of fundamental importance to ensure their conservation and sustainable management.

The research areas covered by the curriculum span various fields of environmental analysis, ranging from biotic to abiotic components and their interactions with different areas of intervention: the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services; monitoring networks and the sustainable management of surface, groundwater and coastal waters; quality control and the reduction of air, water and soil pollution; reduction of soil degradation and sustainable agriculture, the blue economy, plans for the management of natural and anthropogenic risks, protection and maximisation of the multifunctional role of forests, the role of terrestrial systems in achieving the 2050 climate neutrality targets, food security and environmental sustainability of the agri-food system, and the competitive sustainability of the production system.

Areas of application: the programme develops and addresses environmental issues and challenges affecting all components of the biosphere, with a level of specialisation that enables PhD students to join highly qualified research groups within public and private, national and international organisations, working on both fundamental topics and highly interdisciplinary issues related to the environment and sustainability. The programme also trains experts capable of providing consultancy in the field of environmental sustainability and sustainable resource management to businesses operating in a wide range of sectors, from agri-food to companies producing goods and services.

Keywords: natural resources, environmental risk, climate change, mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity, monitoring, forests, water, sustainable agriculture, climate neutrality, food security.

Sustainable Civil Engineering

Cutting-edge research into innovative and sustainable approaches to the design, construction, restoration and management of civil engineering works is fundamental to the sustainability and enhancement of the local area.

To shape the built environment of the future, to ensure a sustainable relationship between human activities and the natural environment, to preserve our cultural and artistic heritage, and to provide a network of modern and efficient infrastructure, a holistic approach is required – one based on both specialised and interdisciplinary knowledge that facilitates the exchange of expertise with other fields of study. Given the current economic, social and climatic changes, the safety, resilience and sustainability of human-made systems are essential requirements for ensuring the quality of life of future generations.

In this context, the curriculum aims to develop research on topics relating to the science and technology of construction materials, the design, maintenance and restoration of structures, the planning, design and management of infrastructure and networks, the design and testing of more sustainable building technologies, urban planning and management, sustainable mobility, the modelling of natural risks and their mitigation, as well as the modelling and assessment of environmental impacts.

Areas of application: design of new civil infrastructure systems; management and maintenance of deteriorated systems; restoration or reconstruction of structures damaged by natural or man-made disasters; and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage.

Keywords: Energy efficiency in buildings, Urban regeneration, Conservation of cultural heritage, Protection of the land and water resources, Sustainable mobility.

Circular economy of goods and services

The themes of the circular economy and decarbonisation form the basis of the European Union’s ecological transition.

A sustainable approach is required to the management of goods and services and their associated production processes, covering their entire life cycle – that is, the design (design and materials) and raw material extraction stages, production, use, emissions treatment and end-of-life management – through the adoption of low-environmental-impact technologies and innovative systems for the effective recovery of materials and resources.

Specific topics of particular interest will include the reliable and sustainable production of energy (particularly in its renewable forms, such as wind, wave, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric and waste-to-energy), energy efficiency in buildings (with innovative active and passive systems for building climate control), water sustainability (with measures aimed at reducing consumption and diversifying supply sources), and technological advances in recycling processes from the design stage (‘design for and from recycling’) through to the development of new resource recovery pathways, with quantifiable environmental and economic benefits.

There will be extensive use of innovative environmental impact metrics, such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (environmental, economic and social) (LCSA), Material and Substance Flow Analysis (MFA/SFA), Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Carbon Footprint (CF).

Areas of application: processes in the manufacturing and energy industries, environmental management systems, processes and technologies for resource recovery from end-of-life products, environmental monitoring and control

Keywords: circular economy, sustainable engineering, eco-design, product ecological footprint, renewable energy, waste-to-resource, life cycle analysis.