PhD in Cultural and Environmental Heritage

Academic Year 2021-2022
Subject area Humanistic Studies
Cycle 37
Coordinator Prof. Roberto Pasini
Language English, Italian
Duration 3 years
Positions 7 positions. More information in the PhD Programme Table
Application deadline May 21, 2021 at 12:00 PM (Expired)
Enrolment period From Jul 13, 2021 to Jul 23, 2021
Doctoral programme start date Nov 01, 2021
Operating centre
Ravenna
Main Department
Department of Cultural Heritage - DBC
Associated Departments
Department of Architecture - DA
Department of Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" - CHIM
Department of Legal Studies - DSG
Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences - BiGeA
Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering - DICAM
Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi" - DIFA
Department of Computer Science and Engineering - DISI
Research topics

Curriculum A: Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights

  • Cultural heritage: Historic, social, economic, and cultural processes in European, Mediterranean, and Western Asian contexts; public history; conservation of ethno-cultural heritage and management of cultural resources in endangered areas
  • Environment, objects, and rights: diagnostic analysis of monumental and portable artefacts of historical interest; musealisation through digital and virtual modelling; promoting the appreciacion and use of bio-environmental goods as common goods; legal and regulatory consequences.
  • Environment and landscape, cities and architecture: tools for the analysis and conservation of the environment, biological and anthropological heritage, archaeology, urban settings, industrial archaeology, consolidation and restoration of historical architecture; the historical relationship between urban areas and their territories, sustainable development of tourism, fruition of historic towns.
  • Governance and management of common goods: risk assessment and risk management, efficient use of resources, definition and quantification of ecosystemic service value, assessment of natural resource consumption and of production of solid, liquid, and gaseouse waste.

 

Curriculum B: Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage

  • Production techniques, material characterization, state of conservation
  • Development of: advanced analytical protocols (spectroscopy, immune chemistry, DFT, chemometrics), micro and non-invasive diagnostic methods, intervention methods on humidity phenomena of historical buildings, interaction with pollutants, tomographic systems (digital radiography, X-Ray computer tomography, software for real-time tomography and 3D rendering
  • Development of innovative restoration materials and methods
  • Design, development, testing and performance evaluation of innovative materials (nanomaterials, polymers, biopolymers, composite materials) and methods for the consolidation, cleaning and protection of both movable and immovable cultural heritage
  • Survey, monitoring and representation technologies: definition of protocols and standards for the production of 3D contents aimed at monitoring cultural heritage, methods and protocols for the production of 3D models with semantic structure to be applied to cognitive systems, design of web-based application for the archiving and use of technical-scientific data related to conservation and restoration projects, production contents and design of augmented reality systems, efficient workflows, survey and monitoring multiscale integrated techniques integrated by topographic, photogrammetric, laser scanner and special positioning, UAV survey for data management, acquisition with multispectral sensors and scanners, GIS applications, 3D models (development of new procedures for the collection and optimal elaboration, ICT methodologies and techniques for the creation, analysis and representation (virtual reality and augmented/mixed reality) and multi sensorial interaction by means of digital data.
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 favor 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 and 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.
Admission Board

Surname Name University/Institution Curriculum Rolo email
Bitelli Gabriele Università di Bologna Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage Member
Bortolini Eugenio Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Callieri Pierfrancesco Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Carile Maria Cristina Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Tellarini Greta Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Vespignani Giorgio Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Ziosi Antonio Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Member
Cosentino Salvatore Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
Lepore Giuseppe Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
Mazzeo Rocco Università di Bologna Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage Substitute
Nisco Attilio Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
Oxilia Gregorio Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
Piras Andrea Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
Secci Raimondo Università di Bologna Cultural and environmental heritage: memory, protection, rights Substitute
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, favoring 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.
Activities to be carried out by Doctoral candidates
Curriculum Cultural and Environmental Heritage:
- Cultural heritage (ranging from religious background to musical heritage, from collectionism to appreciacion and preservation of historic-artistic, archival, and audio-visual heritage); history and culture of Mediterranean and Western Asian civilizations; public history, with a specific orientation towards general public dissemination; conservation of ehtno-cultural heritage and diversity.
- Environment, objects, and rights; diagnostic analysis of monumental and portable artefact of historical interest; musealisation through digital and virtual modelling; promoting the appreciacion and use of bio-environmental goods as common goods; legal and regulatory consequences.
- Environment and landscape, cities and architecture: tools for the analysis and conservation of the environment, biological, anthropological and archaeological heritage, urban settings, industrial archaeology, restoration of historical architecture, the historical relationship between urban areas and their territory, sustainable development of tourism, fruition of historic towns.
- Governance and management of common goods; risk assessment and risk management, efficient use of resources, definition and quantification of ecosystemic service value, assessment of natural resource consumption and of the production of solid, liquid, and gaseouse waste.
The Curriculum Science and Technologies for Cultural Heritage focuses on technologies related to conservation and restoration of cultural heritage by joining techniques for material characterisation, assessment of the state of conservation, synthesis of new materials, advanced diagnostics, ICT, and documenting/monitoring material cultural heritage. Students will be part of pure/applied experimental research projects in which they will take advantange of collaborations with both public and private international research institutions.
Research training activities compliant with the Doctoral programme's learning outcomes
The programme is expected to provide students with high-level knowledge across a number of specific topics, as well as multidisciplinary skills that will facilitate the development of a novel body of advanced theory and methods for conservation, management, and understanding of common goods from a cultural, environmental, and juridical perspective.
Both curricula will involve:
- First year: Three interdisciplinary seminars attended by all students and focused on topics bridging environmental, cultural, and juridical themes. The courses will be planned by the Doctoral Committee and will be held by world-leading international scholars, staff of the University of Bologna, and renowned professionals employed by relevant Institutions and Enterprises. Three additional seminars specifically centered on the chosen research topics that can be attended at other Campuses or Universities, provided approval is granted by the Academic Board.
- Second year: Three interdisciplinary seminars attended by all students and focused on topics bridging environmental, cultural, and juridical themes. The courses will be planned by the Academic Board and will be held by world-leading international scholars, staff of the University of Bologna, and renowned professionals employed by relevant Institutions and Enterprises. Three additional seminars specifically centered on the chosen research topics that can be attended at other Campuses or Universities, providing approval by the Doctoral Committee.
- Third year: Advanced Summer/Winter School aimed at completing topics introduced in Year 2. A course focused on national and international funding schemes, international mobility schemes, project writing and general research skills.
Annual monitoring of the progress of each doctoral candidate is also envisaged through presentations to be held at the end of each year at the presence of tutors, the Academic Board, and prominent academics and professionals.
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 the Academic Board members and their institutions to offer 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. 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.
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 valorisation 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.
Doctoral programme Academic Board
Name Surname University/Institution Qualification
Marco Antonellini Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Stefano Benazzi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Gabriele Bitelli Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Eugenio Bortolini Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Luigi Canetti Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Maria Cristina Carile Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Christian Carloni Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Luca Cipriani Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato
Andrea Contin Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Salvatore Cosentino Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Paola Degni Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Laura Fabbri Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Anna Chiara Fariselli Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Barbara Ghelfi Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Alessia Legnani Annichini Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Michele Marchi Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Rocco Mazzeo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Silvia Mirri Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Attilio Nisco Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Claudia Sebastiana Nobili Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Antonio Clemente Domenico Panaino Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Silvia Prati Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Greta Tellarini Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Fausto Tinti Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato

Notices

Final Ranking list

Final Ranking list