How to propose a thesis project
If you have reached this page, thank you for your interest.
Choosing a thesis also means choosing a topic, a way of working, and a project in which to invest an important part of your education. For this reason, I prefer to think of a thesis not as a title to be selected from a catalogue, but as a project to be developed together, starting from the match between your interests and the research activities that I can supervise.
Before contacting me, I therefore suggest taking a look at the Research and Collaborations sections of my profile. You do not need to be already familiar with the topics in detail, nor do you need to approach me with a fully developed thesis proposal. However, there should be at least one topic, question, or way of working that has caught your interest and that you would genuinely like to explore further.
Possible research directions include, for example, biomass carbon removal and iBCRS, biochar and second-generation carbons, soil carbon and carbon farming, environmental assessment through LCA, modelling with system dynamics, analysis of carbon and resource flows, urban mining, and the circular economy. Some projects may include experimental work, while others may be based on modelling, data analysis, literature research, territorial case studies, or activities developed with research groups and organisations with which we collaborate.
For an initial contact, I find it particularly useful to receive a short motivation letter or message. It does not need to be a formal letter, nor does it need to be “perfect”: its purpose is simply to help me understand something about you and to make our first discussion more useful.
In a few lines, you can tell me what led you to contact me, which topics interest you most, and why. It can also be useful to indicate the kind of activity you would like to try: for example, modelling, data analysis, programming, experimental work in the laboratory or in the field, scientific literature review, spatial analysis, communication, or educational design. If you have already completed a project, university assignment, professional activity, or other experience that you consider relevant, you are of course welcome to mention it or attach it.
You do not need to have all these answers already. Curiosity, a willingness to explore a topic in depth, and an interest in progressively developing a research question are an excellent starting point.
Based on what you write, we can then assess together whether there is a good match between your interests, the skills you would like to develop, and a project that I or my research group can supervise. An initial idea may therefore be modified, refined, or even substantially transformed during our discussions: the thesis projects that I find most interesting often emerge from the encounter between a student's question and a real research problem.
If, after this initial discussion, I believe that another person or research group would be better suited to supervise the topic you are interested in, I will try, whenever possible, to point you in a more appropriate direction.
The purpose of these guidelines is not to select students who already know exactly what they want to do, but to allow us to start from a genuine interest and make good use of our first meeting.
