PhD in Automotive Engineering for Intelligent Mobility

1. Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration
2. Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance
3. Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity

Curriculum 1: Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration

The curriculum pursues the education of researchers and high-qualified engineers, operating in the areas of design and manufacturing of the automotive sector, and able to address issues related to design and research activities in disciplines such as:

• Industry 4.0 and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
• Supply Chain Management
• Industrial Automation and Robotics
• Big Data and Cloud Computing for Manufacturing
• Materials, Lighting Technology and Design Methods for improving Efficiency and Safety of Vehicles
• Vehicle Lifecycle Assessment. Circular Economy: Vehicle refurbish, re-use of Vehicle Parts.

Curriculum 2: Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance

The curriculum pursues the education of researchers and high-qualified engineers, operating in the areas of vehicle dynamics and energy management, and able to address issues related to design and research activities in disciplines such as:

• Electrification and Power Electronics
• Electric, Hybrid and ICE-based Powertrains
• Advanced Combustion and Aftertreatment Systems
• Batteries and Energy Storage Systems
• Vehicle Energy Management and Energy Optimization
• Vehicle Dynamics and Control

Curriculum 3: Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity

The curriculum pursues the education of researchers and high-qualified engineers, operating in the areas of vehicle digitalization and connectivity, and able to address issues related to design and research activities in disciplines such as:

• Vehicle Human Machine Interface and Infotainment systems
• Gamification for Improving Driver Behavior
• Vehicular networks, Vehicular Sensors and Big Data for Mobility
• Automatic and Autonomous Drive
• Connectivity for V2I - Vehicle to Infrastructure, V2V - Vehicle to Vehicle and V2G - Vehicle to smart Grid interfacing
• Data Analytics and Advanced Prediction Models

Call for further PhD Positions
Appointed by Rectoral Decree n. 1066/2023 Prot. n. 0226313 of 04/08/2023

* The following shall take part in the work of the Examination Board as expert members for positions linked to specific research topics:

• Fabio Mallamo - FEV Italia S.r.l.

Call for applications
Appointed by Rectoral Decree n. 709/2023 Prot. n. 149534 of 02/06/2023

* The following shall take part in the work of the Examination Board as expert members for positions linked to specific research topics:

• Carlo Bussi - Ferrari S.p.A.

The PhD course aims to train highly qualified personnel with multidisciplinary skills, able to direct the development and research, also in the industrial field, of innovative vehicles, creating a meeting point in the third level of education between mechanical, industrial, electronics, telecommunications, controls, electrical, IT, logistics and civil engineering. The aim is to train researchers with a cultural profile aimed at the design, development and production of innovative vehicles and their integration into sustainable, intelligent and interconnected mobility systems. The skills necessary to document, expose and discuss their work in a clear and effective manner, both in Italian and in English, will also be provided. The course is divided into 3 curricula: Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration; Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance; Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity.

Research programs encompass experimental and numerical/modelling activities within the scientific sectors that characterize the Doctoral Program. Those activities are carried out in collaboration with other research groups, and national and international companies, with the objective of forming highly professional figures, who could directly enter the industrial or academic sector. Further, Doctoral students, depending on the specific needs of the curriculum, will follow seminars to enhance the ability of using major database of international literature and on issues concerned with data processing (such as the introduction to the use of commercial codes, the management and analysis of databases, ...), and will participate in international conferences and workshops, where they will also present the results of their research activities. One of the activities considered particularly important concerns the production of scientific publications, and the production of intermediate reports and of the final thesis.

The research-oriented educational activity includes:

• Development of a research project within the topic of the selected curriculum
• Capacity building of independent scientific investigation attitude, by carrying out theoretical and experimental activities under the guidance of researchers with proven experience in the field
• Participation in seminars and specific training courses
• Preparation and publication of technical and scientific papers in English
• Presentation of research results in international meetings
• Abroad training period of at least 3 months
• Possibility of teaching experiences to support university courses

The training provided during the course is designed to increase both scientific and soft  skills. Considering the division into three curricula, technical-scientific training is also very often oriented vertically on each curriculum. The organization of the research training activity is carried out by a team of three members of the PhD college, on behalf of the coordinator, and an online calendar is available for PhD students to be constantly updated.

The research activities of PhD students are often carried out with research centers and international companies. For each PhD student a period of research and training is foreseen at foreign university, industrial reality or research center, and advanced courses are offered at the University Language Center. Thanks to scientific collaborations with international institutions, the participation of foreign students is also encouraged through the dissemination of the PhD Program and the call for application, and of the benefits offered by the proposing universities to foreign candidates. Dissemination is strengthened through the PhD web site. Furthermore, the dissemination of informative material is planned for international congresses and events. Finally, PhD students will be involved in Short Term Scientific Missions within actions financed by European Projects. Other elements of internationalization are foreseen during the activation and selection of candidates: the oral exam can be taken by telematic means for candidates residing abroad; foreign teachers and representatives of European industries participation in training activities; availability of agreements for the exchange of PhD students and the issue of co-tutored titles. In particular, a Dual/Joint Doctoral Degree Program Agreement has been signed with NCTU (Taiwan) and with the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. A co-tutelle agreement is also active with Mines Paris Tech and with Macao Polytechnic Institute.
The PhD Course was born in continuity with the new international master's degrees (MUNER), carried out in collaboration with the most important companies in the Automotive sector of Emilia Romagna. The industrial interlocutors in this field are typically multi-national, with research and development centers of significant and technologically advanced dimensions.
Finally, starting from the 37th Cycle, the PhD Program is offered in English, to complete the internationalization process.

The fundamental contribution deals with innovative and original research in the PhD student research field, which is very often focused on industrial applications. These results will be disseminated through publications, patents and participation in international conferences. Doctoral students will produce a Thesis as a final result, preferably in English, showing the innovative results achieved during the PhD period. Another desirable outcome is the organization of thematic sessions and seminars on the specific research area, and on the innovative results that have been achieved by the PhD students.
Each PhD student is required to periodically update (at least every year) their publications and the results of their research on the University IRIS database, also indicating the degree of disclosure allowed for each publication.