PhD in Computer Science and Engineering

Academic Year 2020-2021
Subject area Engineering Studies
Cycle 36
Coordinator Prof. Davide Sangiorgi
Language English
Duration 3 years
Positions 17 positions. More information in the PhD Programme Table
Application deadline May 21, 2020 at 01:00 PM (Expired)
Enrolment period From Jul 21, 2020 to Jul 30, 2020
Doctoral programme start date Nov 01, 2020
Main Department
Department of Computer Science and Engineering - DISI
Mobility abroad
3 months
Research topics
  • Distributed systems and algorithms
  • Programming languages and systems
  • Computer networks and applications
  • Software engineering
  • Formal methods and semantics of programming languages
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Real-time and fault-tolerant systems
  • Parallel algorithms and probabilistic algorithms
  • Image Processing
  • Bioinformatics and biometric systems
  • Information systems and databases
  • Concurrency theory
  • Security
  • Logical foundations of computer science
  • Multimedia systems
Job opportunities and potential areas of employment
The course is designed to train people able to carry out academic and industrial research and to work as managers in companies. The main career opportunities are: university career; research activities for industries or institutions; management in ICT companies.
Admission Board

Surname Name University/Institution Role email
Asperti Andrea Università di Bologna Member asperti@cs.unibo.it
Bartolini Ilaria Università di Bologna Member ilaria.bartolini@unibo.it
Di Lena Pietro Università di Bologna Member pietro.dilena@unibo.it
Lombardi Michele Università di Bologna Member michele.lombardi2@unibo.it
Barsocchi Paolo CNR IRSTI Expert Member paolo.barsocchi@isti.cnr.it
Benedetti Michele Datalogic IP Tech Srl Expert Member michele.benedetti@datalogic.com
Bravetti Mario Università di Bologna Substitute mario.bravetti@unibo.it
Lanese Ivan Università di Bologna Substitute ivan.lanese@unibo.it
Rizzi Stefano Università di Bologna Substitute stefano.rizzi@unibo.it
Sangiorgi Davide Università di Bologna Substitute davide.sangiorgi@unibo.it
Learning outcomes
The course is designed to train people able to carry out academic and industrial research and to work as managers in companies. In this sense we expect that each PhD student will produce original, relevant and significant research results, which can take the form of scientific publications, software production or more generally innovative applications, on one or more of the following topics:
- Distributed systems and distributed algorithms
- Programming languages and systems
- Computer Networks and Applications
- Methodologies and software engineering
- Formal methods and semantics of programming languages
- Artificial intelligence
- Real-time systems and fault-tolerant
- Parallel algorithms and probabilistic algorithms
- Image Processing
- Bioinformatics and biometrics
- Information systems and databases
- Concurrency theory
- Security
- Logical foundations of computer science
- Multimedia systems.
Activities to be carried out by Doctoral candidates
At the beginning of the course each student is supported by a supervisor (and also by a co-supervisor if the supervisor is not a member of the Collegio dei Docenti (Faculty Board), who guides him throughout the PhD studies. The first 24 months are devoted to the integration and deepening of the student expertise, according to a personalized learning plan (drawn up by the student in agreement with the tutor and then submitted to the Board for approval). The learning plan foresees reaching 30 CFU (credits) by attending courses and passing the corresponding exams. By the 15th month (from the beginning of the course) the student must submit a written thesis proposal to the Board for approval. By the end of the 24th month the student must have completed the personalized learning plan and must report on the progress of the thesis draft. The passage to the next year, approved by the Board, takes place on the basis of the candidate public presentation. The third year is entirely devoted to the thesis work. The Board finally approves the admission to the final exam, on the basis of the reviewers' comments. The Board may authorize a student to spend a period in Italy at universities, research centers or companies. It is mandatory for the student to spend a period of at least 3 months abroad, during the 2nd or the 3rd year of the course.
Research training activities compliant with the Doctoral programme's learning outcomes
At the beginning of the course, each student is supported by a supervisor (and also by a co-supervisor if the supervisor is not a member of the Collegio dei Docenti (Faculty Board), who guides him throughout the PhD studies. The first 24 months are devoted to the integration and deepening of the student expertise, according to a personalized learning plan (drawn up by the student in agreement with the tutor and then submitted to the Board for approval). The learning plan foresees reaching 30 CFU (credits) by attending courses and passing the corresponding exams. By the 15th month (from the beginning of the course) the student must submit a written thesis proposal to the Board for approval. By the end of the 24th month the student must have completed the personalized learning plan and must report on the progress of the thesis draft. The thesis will be discussed at the end of the PhD course.
Internationalization features
The course issues a joint doctoral degree on the basis of agreements for co-tutorship with:
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France, agreement finalized
- Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, France, agreement finalized
- Université Paris 7 - Diderot, agreement finalized
- Université Joseph Fourier (Grenoble), agreement finalized
- Université Paris XIII, France, agreement finalized.
- Université de Lyon, agreement finalized.
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso, Chile, agreement finalized.
- University College Cork, Ireland, agreement finalized.
Co-tutorships concern both incoming students (i.e. students from other foreign universities - French - asking to write their PhD thesis with the supervision of members of the faculty board) and outgoing students (our students that write the PhD thesis with the supervision of a foreign professor).
Expected research results and products
We expect original, relevant and significant research results which can take the form of scientific publications, software production or more generally innovative applications on the following topics:
- Distributed systems and distributed algorithms
- Programming languages and systems
- Computer Networks and Applications
- Methodologies and software engineering
- Formal methods and semantics of programming languages
- Artificial intelligence
- Real-time systems and fault-tolerant
- Parallel algorithms and probabilistic algorithms
- Image Processing
- Bioinformatics and biometrics
- Information systems and databases
- Concurrency theory
- Security
- Logical foundations of computer science
- Multimedia systems.
Doctoral programme Academic Board
Surname Name University/Institution Qualification
Bartolini Ilaria Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Bellavista Paolo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Bononi Luciano Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato
Bravetti Mario Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Callegati Franco Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato
Ciancarini Paolo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Corradi Antonio Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Dal Lago Ugo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
D'Angelo Gabriele Università di Bologna Ricercatore Confermato
Di Lena Pietro Università di Bologna Ricercatore Confermato
Di Stefano Luigi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Gabbrielli Maurizio Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Golfarelli Matteo Università di Bologna Professore Associato Confermato
Lanese Ivan Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Laneve Cosimo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Lisanti Giuseppe Università di Bologna Ricercatore A Tempo Determinato - Art.24 Co.3 Lett. B) - L.240/2010
Lombardi Michele Università di Bologna Ricercatore A Tempo Determinato - Art.24 Co.3 Lett. B) - L.240/2010
Maio Dario Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Maltoni Davide Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Marzolla Moreno Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Milano Michela Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Montesi Danilo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Omicini Andrea Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Presutti Valentina Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Italy) Ricercatore Ente
Rizzi Stefano Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Sangiorgi Davide Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Torroni Paolo Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Viroli Mirko Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Zavattaro Gianluigi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario