Overview

Learning outcomes

The substantive goal of the PhD in Cultural and Environmental Heritage is to bridge the many different perspectives involved in the study of cultural and environmental processes under one, cross-disciplinary perspective, favouring a new approach that focuses on transversal research questions rather than on issues limited to an individual discipline. To date, the study of Cultural and Environmental Heritage has privileged mono-disciplinary perspectives that could achieve excellent levels of speacialisation. Fully integrated, multi-disciplinary approaches entailing a close collaboration between humanities, biological sciences, social sciences, and law – such as the one proposed in the present programme – are still severely underrepresented. This transversal research will be conducted into shared structures and laboratories, and will aim to train Doctors of Philosophy who are highly specialised and yet able to participate to multidisciplinary research teams.

 

Expected research results and products

The PhD programme is aimed at providing researchers and qualified experts/professionals with the cross-disciplinary training necessary to conjugate complementary sources of knowledge and to develop an advanced body of method and theory for conservation, protection, and management of our heritage. This result will entail at the same time cultural, environmental, and legal perspectives, and will benefit from an adequate historical contextualisation, as well as from the acquisition of effective skills for valorization and dissemination to the broad public. Doctors of Philosophy are expected to: - handle complex problem-solving tasks within both public institutions and private enterprises or corporations; - propose new management and fruition strategies at different operational scales. During the three-year PhD programme, the candidate is also expected to publish papers, monograph, and present results at national and international conferences.

 

Internationalization features

The PhD programme presents with a marked international vocation expressed through:

  • The advertisement of courses and activities in international websites, to facilitate applications from international students;
  • Teaching and lectures held by world-leading international experts whose participation is funded or co-funded by the Univeristy of Bologna (e.g. invited international scholars already approved by the Institute of Advanced Studies);
  • Drawing on the international network of Committee members and their institutions to offer stages and internships in international and overseas research centres. The official PhD website will provide links to the helpdesk of the Ravenna Campus International Office. Through this link international students can receive support upon arrival (welcome week, buddy system, language courses, etc), and ask questions related to visa, residence permit, and medical assistance.;
  • The presence of a Curriculum in English (“Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage”) aimed at studying technological innovations related to conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage. Based on previous experience, it is expected that this particular Curriculum will generate a positive feedback on the general level of internationalisation.

Doctoral courses that preceded the present proposal were already characterised by a considerable degree of interaction with international partners and scholars.
The PhD includes also four fully founded scholarships (from ERC Consolidator n. 772544) and two co-financed scholarships (H2020 FLEXJET, ITALIA- CROAZIA PRIZE FISH, respectively) from Internationl projects.

 

Job opportunities and potential areas of employment

In addition to preparing young researchers who can successfully gain and maintain a position in the competitive framework of international and national research (both inside and outside academia), Doctors who have completed the present programme will be given higher-level notions that will develop their professional skills in an integrated scheme encompassing cultural and environmental resource management. As far as cultural heritage is concerned, the gradual inclusion of research-based activities in the mission of public and private museums will favour the employment of our Doctors, thanks to the many agreements that have already been established and to the consistent collaboration with MIBACT and MAATM, for which actions at University level will be required.
In particular, the Curriculum titled "Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage (STECH)" is specifically aimed at qualifying “conservation scientists”, a new professional profile that was recently approved by MIBACT thanks to the efforts of a specific Committee created for this purpose to which many Doctoral Committee members participated. The professional profile emerging from both Curricula of the present programme is fully prepared to meet the requirements of present-day job market in national and international contexts dealing with Heritage Science, a realm that demands an ever growing set of multi-disciplinary skills.