Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Physics of the Earth’s Interior, Ocean and Atmosphere

Professional profile: Meteorologist

FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT AND COMPETENCES:

Functions

The Meteorologist performs highly responsible functions, including:

• monitoring of weather conditions, analysis, and forecasting;
• analysis and interpretation of synoptic charts;
• processing, analysis and interpretation of meteorological data acquired through ground-based sensors or remote sensing (e.g. radar and satellites);
• research and development in the fields described above.

Competencies

The Meteorologist is responsible for:

• understanding atmospheric processes and phenomena and their integration into numerical models;
• the knowledge  to use, configure, interpret and validate weather forecasting models at various spatial and temporal scales;
• the knowledge  to process, analyse and interpret data acquired both from ground-based sensors and through active and passive remote sensing techniques.

The Meteorologist is able to: apply  programming techniques using advanced languages, manage large amounts of data, develop numerical codes for automated processing, support operational decision-making in areas related to meteorological and climate risk management, communicate scientific information, and work in multidisciplinary groups.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

The Meteorologist can find employment in:

• Universities, public and private research institutions and centres (national and international), possibly after obtaining a PhD Functional Centers of the Civil Protection: at the Department of Civil Protection and at the Regions and Autonomous Provinces in support of soil defence;
• National Meteorological Service and the national environmental protection system, both in the hydrometeorological component and in the meteorology and modelling component supporting air quality;
• Local authorities (regions, provinces, municipalities, mountain communities and river basin authorities) and public bodies for soil defence and hydrogeological risk assessment;
• Companies that build meteorological measurement instruments;
• Companies that produce software for the management of measurement networks;
• Meteorological data processing and modelling centres;
• Insurance and reinsurance companies;
• International cooperation agencies in the fields of meteorology and climatology;

Graduates who have acquired sufficient credits in appropriate groups of disciplinary sectors may, as provided for by current legislation, take the admission examinations for secondary school teaching training programmes.

Professional profile: Atmospheric Physicist

FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT AND COMPETENCES:

Functions

The Atmospheric Physicist performs highly responsible functions, carrying out:

• processing, analysis and interpretation of meteorological and remote sensing data (radar and satellite);
• development of algorithms and methods for probing atmospheric processes;
• research into atmospheric dynamics, the interaction between radiation, gases, clouds and aerosols;
• management and development of atmospheric databases at all scales;
• monitoring and modelling of the dispersion of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere;
• research on surface-atmosphere interactions.

Competencies

The Atmospheric Physicist is responsible for:

• knowledge of atmospheric phenomena and the experimental aspects for their observation;
• knowledge of atmospheric dynamics from the global scale to the urban scale;
• knowledge of active and passive remote sensing technologies;
• knowledge of numerical models of varying complexity (integral models, medium-complexity models, high-resolution models);
• knowledge of numerical models for atmospheric circulation at global, mesoscale and small scale (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and of the transformation processes of gaseous and particulate pollutants in the atmosphere;
• knowledge of univariate and multivariate statistical techniques.

The Atmospheric Physicist is able to apply programming techniques using advanced languages and to work in multidisciplinary groups.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

The Atmospheric Physicists can find employment in:

• Universities, public and private research bodies and centres (national and international), possibly after obtaining a PhD;
• Functional centres of the Civil Protection: at the Department of Civil Protection and at the Regions and Autonomous Provinces in support of soil defence;
• The National environmental protection system, both in the hydrometeorological component and in the meteorology and modelling component supporting air quality;
• Local authorities (regions, provinces, municipalities, mountain communities, river basin authorities) and public bodies for soil defence and hydrogeological risk assessment;
• Companies that build instruments for measuring atmospheric parameters;
• Companies that produce software for the management of measurement networks;
• Meteorological data processing and modelling centres;
• Consulting firms in the field of air quality and environmental sustainability;
• Insurance and reinsurance companies;
• International cooperation agencies in the field of atmospheric physics;

Graduates who have acquired a sufficient number of credits in  appropriate groups of disciplinary sectors may, as provided for by current legislation, take the admission examinations for secondary school teaching training programmes.

Professional profile: Solid Earth Physicist

FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT AND COMPETENCES:

Functions

The Solid Earth Physicist  performs highly responsible functions, carrying out:

• characterisation of seismic and volcanic deformation sources through seismicity distributions, ground deformation data, geothermal, gravimetric, hydrogeological and magnetic data;
• quantitative characterisation of seismic, volcanic and geothermal processes in terms of physical-mathematical models;
• monitoring of seismic and volcanic activity using global and local networks;
• physical characterisation of soil and subsurface, also for the purpose of natural resource exploitation  (geothermal energy, aquifers, hydrocarbons);
• seismic and volcanic hazard assessment and earthquake forecasting studies;
• non-invasive geophysical investigations in urban areas.

Competencies

The Solid Earth Physicist core competences include:

• knowledge of geodynamic processes and phenomena relevant to seismic and volcanic activity;
• solid physical and mathematical foundations essential for modelling, quantitative analysis and understanding of phenomena occurring within the Earth;
• knowledge of methodologies for inferring geophysics-relevant parameters from satellite data and monitoring networks;
• knowledge of prospecting techniques (seismic, geoelectric, ground-penetrating radar, magnetotelluric) for studying the physical properties of the subsoil;
• knowledge of inversion techniques for the physical characterisation of seismic and volcanic sources and the Earth's interior;
• knowledge of methodologies for seismic and volcanic hazard estimation and earthquake forecasting research;
• knowledge of numerical modelling and simulation techniques, as well as univariate and multivariate statistical methods.

The Solid Earth Physicist is able to: organize and carry out measurements of the main geophysical parameters in the field and in the laboratory, manage large amounts of data, apply programming techniques using advanced languages, communicate scientific information, interact with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, work in multidisciplinary groups, and tackle and solve complex problems using the scientific method (problem-solving).

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

The Solid Earth Physicists can find employment in:

• Universities, public and private research bodies and centres (national and international), possibly after obtaining a PhD;
• Functional Centers of the Civil Protection: at the Department of Civil Protection and at the Regions and Autonomous Provinces in support of soil defence;
• Local authorities (regions, provinces, municipalities, mountain communities and river basin authorities) and public bodies for soil defence, seismic and volcanic risk assessment, and environmental monitoring, prevention and protection;
• Companies that build geophysical measuring instruments;
• Companies that produce software for the management of measurement networks ;
• Geophysical data processing and modelling centres;
• High-tech companies for the identification and exploitation of mineral and natural resources;
• Companies involved in the exploration and exploitation of subsurface energy resources and the management of storage sites;
• Insurance and reinsurance companies for the assessment of risks related to seismic and volcanic events (actuarial calculations based on risk models).

Graduates who have acquired a sufficient number of credits in appropriate groups of disciplinary sectors may, as provided for by current legislation, take the admission examinations for secondary school teaching training programmes.

Professional profile: Earth System Physicist

FUNCTION IN A PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT AND COMPETENCES:

Functions

The  Earth System Physicist performs highly responsible functions, carrying out:

• research within projects aimed at the integrated study of the “Earth system”, in its various components and interactions: ocean-atmosphere, ocean-solid Earth and solid Earth-atmosphere;
• development of applications in sectors such as: land planning and the assessment of risks arising from interactions between the different (solid and fluid) components of the Earth;
• management, development and analysis of databases (geodetic, geomagnetic, gravimetric, oceanographic, climatic, etc.) obtained from artificial satellites, monitoring networks and remote sensing campaigns;
• quantitative characterisation of studied phenomena through physical-mathematical and statistical models;
• research in global oceanography (development of general ocean circulation models, coupling with biogeochemical models);
• research in operational oceanography (quality control of in-situ and satellite data, use of numerical models for the study of regional dynamics with possible coupling to marine ecosystem models, forecast production, etc.);
• assessment of the impacts of global change on ecosystems and human activities, and study of marine pollution;
• monitoring of landslides and other hydrogeological instability phenomena (e.g. karst processes, cavities, saltwater intrusion);
• monitoring of contaminants in soils and groundwater, and identification, control and monitoring of landfills and/or contaminated sites.

Competences

The Physicist of the Earth System's core competences include:

• knowledge of the physical and chemical processes governing geophysical flows and geodynamic phenomena across different spatial and temporal scales;
• solid grounding in physics and mathematics for modelling, quantitative analysis and understanding of processes occurring within the Earth system;
• multi-hazard and multi-risk assessment encompassing earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and coastal inundation, including tsunamis;
• understanding and modelling of environmental phenomena at the air-soil-subsurface interface;
• knowledge of the analysis and interpretation of complex data from satellites, monitoring networks and remote sensing campaigns;
• knowledge of numerical modelling and simulation techniques, and of univariate, multivariate and data assimilation statistical methods.

The Physicist of the Earth System is able to manage, process and analyse large datasets, apply advanced programming languages, communicate scientific information, engage with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors, work in multidisciplinary contexts and teams, and tackle complex problems using scientific problem-solving methods.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

The Earth System Physicist can find employment in:

• Universities, public and private research institutions and centres (national and international), possibly after obtaining a PhD;
• The system of Functional Centers of the Civil Protection: at the Department of Civil Protection and at the Regions and Autonomous Provinces in support of soil and coastal defence;
• Local authorities (regions, provinces, municipalities, mountain communities and river basin authorities) and public bodies for land planning, soil defence, management of environmental resources, and environmental monitoring, prevention and protection;
• Environmental agencies for environmental monitoring, environmental impact assessment, and the management and use of geospatial data;
• International cooperation bodies operating in the fields of meteorology, seismology, geodesy and oceanography;
• Consultancy and engineering companies specialised in environmental studies, land monitoring and risk management;
• Insurance and reinsurance companies for the assessment of risks related to natural events (actuarial calculations based on risk models);
• Technology and software companies developing geophysical modelling software, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and geospatial big data analysis tools;
• Companies using remote sensing and satellite systems for environmental monitoring, precision agriculture and cartography.

Graduates who have acquired a sufficient number of credits in appropriate groups of disciplinary sectors may, as provided for by current legislation, take the admission examinations for secondary school teaching training programmes.