STAAA PH.D. COURSE

The Agricultural, Environmental, and Food Science and Technology (STAAA) is a three-year, English-language programme offered by the Department of Agricutural and Food Sciences (DISTAL, University of Bologna).

The Ph.D. Programme of STAAA has a long and established track record of research, working with a wide variety of industrial and academic partners to achieve significant social and economic benefits. Aim of the Ph.D. Programme of STAAA is to train young scientists in the field of the agri-food sector, with international skills, independence and specific competencies for scientific research on food systems.

Our friendly and dynamic community of around 170 postgraduate research students is an important and integral part of the DISTAL Department, and we are proud to have about 20 nationalities represented among our students and staff.

In fact, Ph.D. students are supervised by internationally recognised researchers, many of whom have extensive experience of working or living overseas. Students also have many opportunities to interact and learn with and from other students both through academic study and social events. During the course, Ph.D. students will gain the competences required to carry out innovative and methodologically rigorous research. To this purpose, they will be required to plan and carry out an original research project with the supervision of a lecturer and, at the same time, to develop the ability to work independently and in a team.

The PhD in STAAA program of study offers specialization in ten broad fields of the Agricultural Sciences that reflect the focus of the DISTAL Department:

1. Agronomy, Herbaceous Crops, Flowers and Vegetables Systems, Agricultural Genetics and Agricultural Chemistry

2. International Cooperation and Sustainable Development Policies

3. Microbial Ecology and Plant Pathology

4. Agricultural and Food Economics and Policy

5. Agricultural Entomology

6. Agricultural Engineering

7. Food Science and Biotechnology

8. Animal Science

9. Tree Production Systems, Fruit, Forest and Ornamental Trees and Grape

10. Water-Food-Energy-Sustainable Agriculture Nexus

Thanks to its organization into these ten research topics, the STAAA Ph.D. course aims at providing the doctoral students with an in-depth knowledge and appropriate skills in the different branches of the agri-food sector.

The STAAA Ph.D. course opens up several career prospects. Once you obtain your doctorate, you will be able to continue with your research in academia, in public or private research centres or as a business consultant within the ten specific research areas of the Ph.D.

Find Out More

Here's a compiled list of helpful links about STAAA Ph.D. Programme at the DISTAL Department of the University of Bologna: