PhD TRAINING
PhD students have two different types of training courses:
- one specific and personalized, related to RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND INDIVIDUAL STUDY under the supervision of a professor;
- another one common to all PhD students, based on COURSES AND SEMINAR SERIES.
RESEARCH AND INDIVIDUAL STUDY ACTIVITIES
Regarding the RESEARCH ACTIVITY, PhD students are included in the activities of the pre-existing working groups at the institutions participating in the PhD course (University Departments and Pharmaceutical Companies) with a research program agreed with the supervisor and approved by the PhD Academic Board, and will actively participate in lab meetings and journal clubs. Furthermore, thanks to the extensive networks of collaborators the Members of the PhD Academic Board have with other Italian and foreign universities and research institutions, doctoral students can attend informal meetings on a variety of different research projects and participate in discussion and evaluation of results.
To facilitate interaction and collaboration between PhD students, regular meetings are also scheduled between PhD students and researchers of the Department to exchange practical experiences and theoretical knowledge.
In agreement with the supervisor, PhD students can attend short internships and courses in Italian or foreign institutions, related to the specific scientific sector of their research activity. In addition, PhD students can carry out their research project in prestigious research laboratories abroad, up to a maximum of 18 months.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY
Education is organized in to BASIC COURSES and SPECIALISED TRAINING ACTIVITIES for a total of 30 credits. Attendance of the courses proposed for each year is compulsory and the student must sit any exams required. The exams concerning the basic courses mainly consist of tests defined by the professors, while the exams of the specialized courses consist of a presentation on a topic studied during the course and addressed to all the PhD students. Most of the courses are in English.
PhD Office organizes TRANSVERSAL BASIC COURSES for all the Doctoral Courses of the University of Perugia. The basic courses include disciplinary and interdisciplinary training and linguistic and IT specialization, as well as in the field of research management and knowledge of European and international research systems, the enhancement of research results and intellectual property.
BASIC COURSES provided by the University will be held in alternate years and include:| Language and computer improvement activities | |
| Language |
The Doctoral Course provides for the achievement of a B2 level English language certificate and therefore offers doctoral students the opportunity to participate in foreign language courses at the University Language Center (CLA). The levels of the language courses offered by the CLA refer to the Common European Framework of Reference and may have a six-month (10 ECTS) or annual (13 ECTS) duration with assessment achieved in the individual language skills. Information on the language activities available at the CLA is available at the link: www.cla.unipg.it In addition, courses and training periods abroad will be implemented to improve English language skills. |
| Computer Science |
The Doctoral Course offers doctoral students the opportunity to participate in computer labs already existing in other University courses. Specific courses will also be organized in modules of 1 CFU:
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| Enhancement of research and intellectual property | |
| Research management, knowledge of research systems and funding systems |
The Doctoral Course offers the opportunity to attend 1 CFU courses related to research management and knowledge of research systems and funding systems. The courses will focus in particular on:
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| Enhancement of research results and intellectual property |
The PhD course offers the opportunity to attend 6 1-CFU courses on the enhancement of research and intellectual property. The 6 courses will deal with:
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PhD SPECIALISED TRAINING ACTIVITIES both in specialist and interdisciplinary content are repeated cyclically every three years. They deal with the main research areas of the PhD: Immunology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Microbiology and Virology, Bioethics. In particular, doctoral students will be able to attend the following courses:
- Discipline on personal data protection in health and scientific research
- Data Science for Biomedical Measurements
- Winter School on Biotechnology
- Knowledge-Based Economy notions
- Course of Advanced Immunology
- Bioethics and Scientific Research Law
- Responsible Research and Innovation
- CRISPR and Gene Drive - From origins to applications in research and medicine
- Scientific communication for PhD students
- Writing a scientific paper
Programs and timetables will be published in the events section of the doctoral website and in the specific didactic section of each doctoral cycle.
SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
PhD students are also invited to follow seminars organized by the different facilities involved in the doctorate. Furthermore, PhD students can participate in some teaching activities within the didactic training program, holding some lessons or seminars in active courses at the University of Perugia.
The thesis and the final discussion are must be done in English, in order to facilitate the interaction between outgoing doctoral students and foreign universities / laboratories where the new graduates often apply for postdoctoral work.
Information concerning seminars and courses will be published in the events section of the doctoral website.
VERIFICATION OF THE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS PERFOMANCE
At the end of each course year, PhD students are required to present a written report to PhD Coordinator regarding the research activity carried out and the results achieved, including the participation in seminars, conferences and other scientific events, together with any publications produced. The final report must highlight the progress of the activities scheduled at the beginning of the year for the verification by the PhD Academic Board.
Furthermore, it is expected that PhD students will exhibit the results of their research in English, at the end of each year, on the occasion of the "PhD Day". The participation of PhD students of all active cycles is mandatory and will take place in the presence of the members of the PhD Board and the Department.
The PhD Coordinator will present the reports received to the Academic Board for approval by October 31 of each year. In the event of a negative judgment in one of the tests, the PhD student will not be admitted to the following course year and will lapse from the doctorate.