Biomolecular and Health Sciences
Dottorato di Ricerca

The Ph.D. program in Biomolecular and Health Sciences aims to provide students with the cognitive, critical, and methodological tools necessary to conduct high-level basic, applied, and translational research in the biomolecular and biotechnological fields. These areas also include applications and potential spin-offs in the health sector, in line with the Horizon Europe framework.

In pursuit of a productive integration between basic and applied research, the program offers research pathways that, while distinct in focus, provide a broad range of interdisciplinary perspectives. This ensures robust training aligned with the scientific disciplinary sectors (SSD) of BIO (Area 05), MED, and M-EDF (Area 06), in accordance with the new definitions outlined in Ministerial Decree No. 639 of May 2, 2024.

The core theme of the Ph.D. program in Biomolecular and Health Sciences integrates content from various ERC domains, encompassing both disciplinary areas (Life Sciences) and methodological approaches (Physical Sciences and Engineering).

This interdisciplinary framework fosters the development of cross-cutting competencies as outlined in the program objectives. The goal is to train professionals capable of independently conducting research and contributing to healthcare processes in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, while also supporting the development of innovative strategies and solutions.

Each doctoral student is supervised by a primary advisor, supported by one or more co-tutors, who guides the student in formulating their study plan and serves as the main point of contact with the Academic Board regarding the student’s activities and research progress. The Academic Board reviews the student’s annual report, endorsed by the supervisor, which details the activities undertaken, the credits earned through coursework, and the completion of final evaluations where applicable. This report is essential for progression to the subsequent year or admission to the final examination.

Since the establishment of the 39th cycle, the BHS PhD Course, in accordance with the guidelines of the Quality Assurance of the PhD Courses AVA3 (meeting of the Quality Committee of 25/10/2023), has established the figure of the Vice-Coordinator as an active and effective member of the Teaching Staff and the Board. Furthermore, specific Commissions have been appointed for continuous and ongoing monitoring for the purpose of improving the PhD Course: Management Teaching Commission, Events & Hospitality Commission, Steering Committee Commission, Quality Commission, and Joint Commission of Teachers-PhD Students, in addition to maintaining the Advisory Committee/Board of Advisors approved by the Department Council of Biomolecular Sciences.

The functions of these commissions are to provide effective support and guidance in the planning of the various training activities, to continuously discuss the innovation of the path and to evaluate the quality of the research carried out by the PhD students and the success of their entry into the world of post-doctoral work.

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 clinical biochemistry and hematology 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 40 hours of teaching assistance.

Teaching activities take into account the research scope of the relevant areas and are functional to the various types of applied research envisaged in the doctoral course. The teaching activity includes compulsory multidisciplinary and transversal teachings in the different disciplines, and optional teachings of 10 hours, mostly divided into modules that offer flexibility of choice within the overall offer according to the specific interests of each doctoral student. The total commitment will be in terms of: i) frontal teaching activities; ii) teaching activities carried out within laboratories or research infrastructures; iii) individual study; iv) research and preparation of the final paper. All involve the acquisition of 180 CFU over the three-year period of which: i) 60 CFU for structured/seminar educational activities on connotative and characterizing themes. The teaching is delivered in English by members of the teaching board, faculty members belonging to international institutions and invited speakers; ii) 60 CFUs attributable to research activities; iii) 60 CFU for the final examination divided into 45 for thesis preparation and 15 for the discussion of the final paper. The Plan of Studies presents an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary path with activities involving language (scientific English), computer science and statistics refinement, knowledge of European and international research management systems, exploitation and dissemination of results, intellectual property, and fundamental principles of ethics. Ph.D. students may also.

The educational offerings of the doctoral program are enriched by transversal training activities, including courses in statistics, computer science, research system knowledge and management, and the valorization of research outcomes through intellectual property protection. Among its key educational objectives, the program emphasizes the development of teamwork skills while recognizing and enhancing individual contributions. These competencies are fostered through research activities that encourage peer interaction, critical discussion of experimental models, project designs, and the interpretation of results with faculty and fellow Ph.D. students. To support this, dedicated annual events are organized for the presentation and discussion of each doctoral student’s research progress. The program’s advanced educational scope and international orientation are further reflected in the involvement of guest speakers from international research institutions, participation in round tables, workshops, conferences, and summer/winter schools abroad, as well as the organization of international scientific events.

To promote international mobility, the Academic Board has established a dedicated mobility fund to financially support Ph.D. students incoming and outcoming conducting research stays at foreign institutions of high scientific and cultural standing, particularly in countries with a high cost of living.

TRAINING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES OF THE PH.D. PROGRAMME IN BIOMOLECULAR AND HEALTH SCIENCES

The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary insights and the lines of research proposed by the Doctorate in Biomolecular and Health Sciences guarantee a solid preparation with specific skills on topics related to SSD BIO (area 05), MED and M-EDF (area 06). The research activity, carried out in the technological infrastructure of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences with the support of the reference professors and supplemented by periods of activity in centers of excellence afferent to foreign universities and research institutes, allows for the foreseeable employment and professional outlets in the following areas: universities; public and private research institutions; pharmaceutical, chemical and nutraceutical companies; food industry; public and private chemical-clinical analysis laboratories; hospitals and health companies; biobanks; museums; schools; gyms and rehabilitation centers.

It is noteworthy that from AlmaLaurea surveys on the employment status of research doctors one year after obtaining the title of research doctor, the employment rate is overall higher than 90%, maintaining an increasing trend over the last five years.

Interesting are the AlmaLaurea data on the employment levels of BHS research doctors, decidedly higher than those recorded among second level graduates, highlighting that post-graduate training represents an added value and a protection against unemployment (as detailed on sections about Evaluation of the Ph.D. qualification for teaching in secondary schools, and Recognition of the Ph.D. degree in the industrial sector and in clinical-health specialization schools)