PhD in Automotive Engineering for Intelligent Mobility

Academic Year 2021-2022
Subject area Engineering Studies
Cycle 37
Coordinator Prof. Nicolò Cavina
Language English
Duration 3 years
Positions 22 positions. More information in the PhD Programme Table
Application deadline May 21, 2021 at 12:00 PM (Expired)
Enrolment period From Jul 26, 2021 to Aug 05, 2021
Doctoral programme start date Nov 01, 2021
Operating centre
Bologna
Main Department
Department of Industrial Engineering - DIN
Associated Departments
Department of Computer Science and Engineering - DISI
Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering - DICAM
Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi" - DEI
Associated locations (agreements)
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Università degli Studi di Parma
Mobility abroad
3 months
Research topics

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

 

Job opportunities and potential areas of employment
In addition to being supported by professors who, in the Departments and Universities involved, have been dealing with issues of interest for this PhD for many years, the proposal is fully integrated into the production context of Emilia Romagna - where the Automotive sector is represented by companies of worldwide importance in the production of high-end cars and motorcycles, agricultural machinery, cars and motorcycles for sport competitions, vehicle components. The Automotive sector in the Region is the first industrial sector with a turnover of more than 10 billion euros, about 200 companies and 20,000 employees. PhD candidates who will complete the training course will find a high-profile employment position in the academia, in public and private research institutions, and in the industrial field, and the reference context will be regional, national and international. These figures will be the experts at a global level, both in the private and public sectors, able to drive innovation in the sectors of Automotive and intelligent, autonomous and connected vehicles in the coming decades. These include: research fellowship or university researcher; researcher at research institutions; researcher/designer in the R&D sectors, engineer responsible for testing the engine and the vehicle, software designer engineer, communication and control systems engineer, ..., of companies in the automotive sector.
Admission Board

Surname Name University/Istitution Curriculum Role email
Croccolo Dario Università di Bologna Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration Member
De Munari Ilaria Università di Parma Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity Member
Pavan Paolo Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance

Member
Regattieri Alberto Università di Bologna Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance Member
Rimini Bianca Università di Parma Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration Member
Simone Andrea Università di Bologna Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity Member
Falcone Paolo Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity Substitute
Fortunato Alessandro Università di Bologna Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance Substitute
Liverani Alfredo Università di Bologna Vehicle Design, Manufacturing and Systems Integration Substitute
Mattarelli Enrico Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia Energy Systems, Powertrains, Vehicle Performance Substitute
Nicoletto Gianni Università di Parma Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity Substitute
Tarchi Daniele Università di Bologna Vehicle Informatics and Connectivity Substitute

The following shall take part in the work of the Examination Board as an expert members: Mattia Violi (HPE-COXA, mvioli@hpe.eu), Luca Poggio (Ferrari spa, luca.poggio@ferrari.it), Claudio Rossi (claudio.rossi@unibo.it, for the scholarship funded by CEMI Mobility Technology Holding Limited).

Learning outcomes
The PhD programme 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 the new 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.
Activities to be carried out by Doctoral candidates
Research activities encompass experimental and numerical/modelling activities within the scientific sectors that characterise the PhD programme. 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, PhD candidates, depending on the specific needs of the curriculum, will follow seminars to enhance their ability to use 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.
Research training activities compliant with the Doctoral programme's learning outcomes
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 Academic Board, on behalf of the coordinator, and an online calendar is available for PhD students to be constantly updated.
Internationalization features
The research activities of PhD candidates are often carried out with research centers and international companies. For each PhD candidate a period of research and training is foreseen at a 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 candidates is also encouraged through the dissemination of the PhD Programme and the call for applications, and 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 candidates 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, especially for candidates residing abroad; foreign teachers and representatives of European industries participation in training activities; availability of agreements for the exchange of PhD candidates 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 programme 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 dimensions and technologically advanced. Finally, starting from this Cycle the PhD Program will be activated in English, to complete the internationalization process.
Expected research results and products
The fundamental contribution deals with innovative and original research in the PhD candidate research field, which is very often focused on industrial applications. These results will be disseminated through publications, patents and participation in international conferences. PhD candidates 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 candidates. Each PhD candidate 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.
Doctoral programme Academic Board
Name Surname University/Institution Qualification
Davide Barater Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Gian Marco Bianchi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Nicolò Cavina Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Dario Croccolo Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Ilaria De Munari Università degli Studi di Parma Professore Associato Confermato
Paolo Falcone Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Associato Confermato
Alessandro Fortunato Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Fabio Immovilli Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Associato
Francesco Leali Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Ordinario
Alfredo Liverani Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Enrico Mattarelli Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Associato Confermato
Gianni Nicoletto Università degli Studi di Parma Professore Ordinario
Giovanni Pau Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Paolo Pavan Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Ordinario
Alessandro Pirondi Università degli Studi di Parma Professore Ordinario
Alberto Regattieri Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Mattia Ricco Università di Bologna Ricercatore a tempo determinato
Bianca Rimini Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Ordinario
Carlo Alberto Rinaldini Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Professore Associato
Alessandro Rivola Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Enrico Sangiorgi Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Stefano Selleri Università degli Studi di Parma Professore Ordinario
Andrea Simone Università di Bologna Professore Ordinario
Daniele Tarchi Università di Bologna Professore Associato
Andrea Tilli Università di Bologna Professore Associato

Notices

Final ranking list

Final ranking list