The research activities of doctoral students are based on the development of a Research Project involving theoretical, modeling, and/or experimental aspects. This Project focuses on a current and significant research topic within the thematic areas of the program (see curriculum section for a list of specific topics). The selection of the topic, which is approved by the Doctoral Board, also takes into consideration the preliminary proposals and inclinations expressed by the doctoral student.
The progress in the Research Project is constantly supervised by a Tutor and periodically reviewed by the Doctoral Board, typically on an annual basis. Throughout the Project, the Tutor provides continuous mentoring, meeting in person or online as needed, with frequencies ranging from daily to weekly depending on the research requirements. This mentoring includes training on necessary research tools and methods, critical analysis of results, and dissemination of research outcomes. Through practical demonstration and learning-by-doing approaches in the implementation of Research Project, the Tutor encourages the progressive development of student autonomy in conceiving, designing, and conducting the research activities. The Tutor is assisted in the mentoring and in the daily support of research activities by a team of colleagues and collaborators (Tutoring Team) specifically selected on the basis of the ongoing research needs. The Team may include UniBo faculties, staff from other national or international institutions, researchers, technical staff, and senior doctoral students. In cases where the doctoral program involves collaboration with an external company or entity, the supervisory team typically includes representatives of the external parties. This Tutoring Team exposes the doctoral student to diverse skills and approaches to research activities, fostering a conscious growth in their research capabilities. Doctoral students are integrated into research groups at UniBo active at national and international levels, boasting an extensive network of contacts in the fields of research, of collaboration with companies and public bodies, and of technical and scientific training.
While all this inherently provides an internationally-oriented research training, all doctoral students are normally required to spend at least 6 months of their program abroad at international laboratories/research centers. Different durations of the period abroad can be approved under specific circumstances (e.g. funding rules).
Additional exposure to national and international benchmarks comes from participation to sector-specific congresses and conferences, encouraged by Tutors as part of their mentoring activities. Doctoral positions opened in collaboration with external companied often include mandatory periods of study and research within the company itself.
Research dissemination typically consists in the development of scientific publications for peer-reviewed journals and the participation to national and international conferences. Tutors encourage doctoral students to pursue these experiences. The training program includes activities dedicated to scientific dissemination in English (Academic English Skills course), open science and intellectual property protection and training for research (activities within the initiative “Tools and Methods for Research”). Additionally, Tutors train doctoral students in the specific approaches of scientific dissemination within their research field (e.g., the typical structure of articles published in sector-specific journals).
Each PhD student has the right to use a budget dedicated to research and training activities (~ 5’810 € for all the 3 years), to cover costs for travels, consumables, equipment, etc. The use of this budget requires the approval of your supervisor (they are responsible for this budget).