PhD in Engineering and Information Technology for Structural and Environmental Monitoring and Risk Management – EIT4SEMM

Academic Year 2021-2022
Subject area Engineering Studies
Cycle 37
Coordinator Prof. Alessandro Marzani
Language English
Duration 3 years
Positions 10 positions. More information in the PhD Programme Table
Application deadline May 21, 2021 at 12:00 PM (Expired)
Enrolment period From Jul 09, 2021 to Jul 19, 2021
Doctoral programme start date Nov 01, 2021
Operating centre
Bologna
Main Department
Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering - DICAM
Associated Departments
Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi" - DEI
Department of Computer Science and Engineering - DISI
Department of Mathematics - MAT
"Ercole De Castro" Advanced Research Center on Electonic System- ARCES
Mobility abroad
6 months
Research topics

The following learning, teaching and research areas have been identified:

  • Physical models (analytical and numerical), system identification
  • Structural mechanics
  • Fluid mechanics, hydrology and soil mechanics
  • Geomatics and autoID
  • Process safety and loss prevention
  • Remote sensing and earth observation systems
  • Climate change monitoring and control
  • Positioning systems
  • Sensors and actuators, interoperability and dependability
  • Communication and sensor networks, Internet of Things, Web of Things
  • Energy harvesting and power management
  • ICT techniques for energy efficiency in buildings and cities
  • Nondestructive tests, methods and technologies
  • Signal and image processing, computer vision
  • HW/SW design of embedded systems
  • Machine learning applied to structural and environmental monitoring
  • Advanced information processing methodologies, wearable computing, high performance computing
  • Information management, big data, crowd sensing, data availability, data privacy and security
  • Data modeling, data analysis/uncertainty, learning and cognitive analytics, prediction, decision support
  • Domain specific platforms and services
  • Modeling and simulation methodologies and tools for complex systems
  • Safety, risk analysis and management
  • Resilience and resilience engineering
  • Logistics (in ordinary and extraordinary conditions)
  • Optimization schemes/strategies
  • Reliable systems design and project based learning
  • Environmental multi-source pollution and control
  • Sea pollution control and coastal management
  • Emergency management and communication
  • Circular economy and circular resource management.
Job opportunities and potential areas of employment
Career opportunities are related to those positions requiring senior researcher’s whit research and managing capabilities devoted to the development of innovative monitoring methodologies and technologies in all the typical fields of materials, civil, chemical, or environmental engineering. The PhD EIT4SEMM (ex SEHM2) was born to provide and combine methodological and technological competences before offered separately from the PhD Programmes in Civil Engineering, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, the PhD Programme in Computer Science and Engineering and the PhD Programme in Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies. Most of the PhD candidates who attended in the last years the two previous PhD Programmes obtained a professionally satisfying employment at public or private bodies: public administration, utilities management agencies, professional companies, research institutes.
Admission Board

Surname Name University/Institution Role email
Castaldi Paolo Università di Bologna Member
Marzani Alessandro Università di Bologna Member
Salmon Cinotti Tullio Professore Alma Mater Member
Bartolini Andrea Università di Bologna Substitute
Domeneghetti Alessio Università di Bologna Substitute
Mattoccia Stefano Università di Bologna Substitute

Nicola Matteazzi (HPE S.r.l.,nmatteazzi@hpe.eu) shall take part in the work of the Examination Board as expert member.

Learning outcomes
The primary objective of the PhD Programme is to acquire the necessary skills to carry out highly qualified research activities in the field of structural and environmental monitoring and management. This requires i) knowledge on civil, chemical, material and environmental engineering to understand models as well as their evolutionary key indicators and also ii) knowledge of the key enabling technologies offered by the information engineering, with in particular the new paradigms for the implementation of systems based on sensors miniaturization, wireless connectivity and Web of Things. Candidates from civil and environmental engineering will receive specific training on information engineering as detailed in ii) and vice versa those candidates coming from the fields of information engineering will receive main training on point i), with the objective of promoting a multidisciplinary competence to the PhD candidates as well as to improve the development of their soft skills.
Activities to be carried out by Doctoral candidates
The scientific activities of the PhD candidates is configured mainly in theoretical and experimental development of a research topic of particular relevance in the context of the chosen monitoring and management area, also in collaboration with other universities and/or research centers of international renown as well as with industries. A thorough understanding of the bibliographic reference (i) is a necessary condition for the development of the PhD research, moreover (ii) the PhD thesis has to provide an important numerical and experimental activity of the processes investigated. To perform the experimental activity, the PhD candidates have access to the laboratory hosted by the Interdepartmental Centre “E. De Castro” (ARCES , www.arces.unibo.it):
- SHM: electronic systems and wireless sensor networks prototyping, anti-vibration table; static and dynamic large scale testing facilities, laservibrometer;
- ARES: sensor modeling and characterization, cad stations, probe stations, climatic chamber, and profilometer for precise surface topography analysis for applications on MEMS directly on-wafer;
- LYRAS: analog circuits and sensor interfaces;
- MARS: IoT, Web of Things and Interoperabiity of Embedded Systems.

The PhD candidates will have access to the Computational Mechanics Laboratory of the DICAM Department which is equipped with advanced computing systems and software packages. The access to HPC resources will be obtained through the participation to the competitive calls published by CINECA (e.g. PRACE calls). For research and development issues in collaboration with companies/industries partnerships are possible. The training usually occupies 40% of the time and is focused primarily (but not exclusively) in the first year whereas the remaining time is mainly devoted to research, which is mainly concentrated in three semesters, from the third to fifth. The last six months are mainly focused dissemination activities and the final paper preparation.
Research training activities compliant with the Doctoral programme's learning outcomes
The planned training activities are dedicated to the acquisition of fundamental knowledge in the fields characterizing the PhD Programme. This is achieved participating to seminars and specialized courses, organized by the DICAM, DEI, DISI, MAT departments and by ARCES center, as well as within the other PhD Programmes of the University of Bologna. Of particular interest will be the seminars organized at national level by research organizations and associations working in the field of monitoring and prevention (eg. INAIL, AIPnD, etc.). The participation in national and international conferences is strongly suggested. The training courses are calibrated for each candidate in relation to the previous career of studies and, as anticipated, are aimed at providing interdisciplinary skills. Knowledge in the general areas for the PhD Programme such as mathematical tools for numerical modeling and signal processing, is considered basic and essential. Such knowledge will be identified by the candidate along with his advisor and following the indications given by the Academic Board of the PhD Programme. Common complementary training to all doctoral candidates will cover European funding schemes, intellectual property and scientific writing. These courses will run within the first two years of training. The training of doctoral candidates is normally completed by a period abroad, not less than six months, at universities and/or research centers. Moreover, the candidates will be encouraged to join the international projects participated by their supervisors. Examples of currently running projects are: CONNECT, RIA, ECSEL, Building and district level monitoring and actuaton for energy efficiency (2017-20); CONVERGENCE, FLAG-ERA call, Tema: High Efficiency Sensor Networks. The thesis is prepared in English.
Internationalization features
The announcement of selection for the admission at the PhD Programme will be disseminated at the international level via the research networks of the Academic Board members. It will also be given high visibility to the competition by using both local (AlmaLaurea) and international (ResearchGate, EngineerOxy, Linkedin, etc.) web channels. In order to foster the participation of foreign students, the admission test (carried out by evaluation of the curriculum vitae, qualifications certificates and an oral interview), will be held in English or Italian. At the moment there are no positions fully dedicated to foreign students, but there is full readiness to support national and international funding in such directions. Courses and specific seminars offered to the PhD candidates, as well as meetings of the Academic Board and the communication between the PhD coordination team and the PhD candidates, will be held in English. Except for particular situations, all the PhD candidates must take training activities in international research centers and laboratories (located in foreign countries) for periods of 6 to 18 months. Their period abroad is aimed at the acquisition of experimental and /or modeling techniques and skills in general which are complementary to those developed at the home University in Bologna; also it allows you to frame in a suitable international framework, methods and ideas, the research themes developed. It 'also provided the exchange of foreign doctoral candidates for periods of at least six months, both in the context of the same partnerships, both in the context of specific international agreements (ERASMUS, Projects H2020, CSC, CONFAP, etc.). As such, three MSCA PhD candidates have been already enrolled.
Expected research results and products
In addition to the final thesis, the ability of the candidate to carry out research activity should be documented by some presentations at international congresses as well as by some papers published in first rank international scientific journals for the research fields of PhD Programme. The development of national and international patents is greatly appreciated.
Doctoral programme Academic Board
Name Surname University/Institution Qualification
Nicola Buratti Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Paolo Castaldi Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Serena Ceola Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Valentina Ciriello Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Valerio Cozzani Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Marco Crescenti Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Luca De Marchi Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Vittorio Degli Esposti Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato
Marco Di Felice Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Alessio Domeneghetti Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Nicholas Fantuzzi Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Dario Frascari Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Stefano Gandolfi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Andrea Giorgetti Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Elena Gnani Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Alessandro Marzani Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Stefano Mattoccia Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Claudio Mazzotti Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Matteo Minelli Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Serena Morigi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Marco Patella Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Davide Rossi Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Tullio Salmon Cinotti Università di Bologna Professore Alma Mater
Stefano Silvestri Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Marco Tartagni Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Laura Tonni Università di Bologna Professore Associato

Notices

Final Ranking list

Final Ranking list