Progetto Dottorato Innovativo - Biomolecular and Health Sciences
Dottorato di Ricerca

The Ph.D. program is designed to provide students with the cognitive, critical and methodological tools so that they may acquire the necessary skills to carry out high level basic,  applied and translational research in the biomolecular biotechnological sector with applications and positive spillover effects in the field of health, in accordance with Horizon Europe.

To achieve a fruitful integration of basic and applied research our program offers lines of research encompassing a vast range of interdisciplinary studies within their specific subject areas. With the support of the technological infrastructure of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences and prestigious  scholars from universities and research institutes around the world,   our students will receive extensive training, including in skills pertaining to the SSD BIO (area 05), MED and M-EDF (area 06).

Biomolecular and health science, the main focus of the Ph.D. program, combines elements of several ERC areas in terms of fields (all the sectors of life sciences, from LS1 to LS9) and methodologies (Physical Sciences and Engineering, PE1_14, PE4_2, PE4_11, PE4_12, PE5_6, PE5_11, PE5_14, PE5_18, PE6_12, PE6_13), providing cross interdisciplinary skills as described in the aims of the course.  The range of skills that our graduates acquire will converge to forge professionals able to make contributions in the areas of disease prevention, diagnosis and therapy by developing strategies and solutions.

Ph.D. students will pursue research pertaining to their doctoral project under the close supervision of a tutor, and if necessary, a co-tutor, both of whom will be deeply involved in the project.

Students will be able to use the equipment at the following laboratories and centers at the University of Urbino and affiliated facilities: the biochemical and molecular analyses laboratory; the cell biology and cell culture laboratory;  the optical and fluorescence microscopy laboratory; the confocal microscopy laboratory; the transmission, scanning and environmental scanning electron microscopy laboratory; the flow cytometry laboratory; the electrophysiological and calcium imaging laboratory; the mass spectrometry laboratory; the human performance laboratory; laboratories of functional rehabilitation facilities; the Gymnasium gym; enclosures for laboratory animals.

Students will have full access to the materials found in the scientific libraries of the University that boast more than 30,000 subscriptions, and approximately 37,000 scientific monographs, access to databanks (ACM, Environment Complete, Pub-med, Sportdiscus full text, Scopus, WoS, JStor, SciFinder, Scholar, PsychInfo and Psycharticles. Journal packages include Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, Emerald, Oxford University Press, American Chemical Society, American Society of Microbiology, Annual Reviews, Cell Press, Royal Society of Chemistry).

Ph. D. students will have access to the equipment in all participating departments, workstations, laboratory spaces, software and university network infrastructure.

Students in the Ph.D. program may apply for tutoring positions and may be asked to provide a maximum of 30 hours of teaching assistance.

First and second-year institutional requirements

Courses (hours/credits)*

English for Science – B1/B2 level (40/20)

Laboratory Safety – Specific Hazards (online course) -  Biological, Chemical and Physical Hazards (8/4)

Biostatistics – Basic and advanced courses and practice (20/10)

Bibliometrics – Tools for bibliographic research – Elements of bibliometrics (4/2)

Intellectual property / Industrial innovation – Innovation transfer (patents, spin-offs, protection of intellectual property) (6/3)

Research quality – Criteria and parameters for the assessment of scientific productivity (2/1)

Research ethics (2/1)

Information technology  – Basic and advanced levels (Bioinformatics and computational analysis) (10/5)

First and second-year: communicating scientific knowledge

Course (hours/credits)*

English for science (4/2)

Scientific communication (10/5)

Writing grant proposals (4/2)

First and second-year seminar activities

Seminars/thematic conferences (30/15)

First and second-year research-related activities

Advanced courses / Workshop (20/10)

Third-year seminar activities

Seminars /Thematic conferences

Third-year research-related activities

Advanced courses /Workshop (20/10)

Research activities at institutions in Italy or abroad (3 credits for each month spent in Italy; 6 credits for each month spent abroad)

*One credit is equal to two class hours, unless indicated otherwise.

Graduates of the Ph.D. program will have employment opportunities in the following areas:

universities; public and private research organizations; pharmaceutical, chemical and nutraceutical companies; the food industry; public and private chemical-clinical testing laboratories; hospitals and healthcare facilities; biobanks; museums; schools.