International PhD in
Food Engineering and Biotechnology
The purpose of this International PhD programme is to train a new generation of globally renowned researchers to apply approaches of engineering and biotechnology to food processing by giving them the opportunities to transfer and exchange knowledge with national and international research centers and industries.
Course Description
The three-year program mainly focuses on research concerning primary food production, set-up, and management, as well as the validation of food processes, and the application of omics techniques to condition and characterize food processing and food products, with a particular emphasis on fermented foods. The main features of the PhD are an interdisciplinary scientific approach and the participation of internationally renowned scientists on the Scientific Committee.
If you have excelled in higher education, this PhD will enable you to continue your career in academia in a stimulating, multilingual environment with fellow researchers from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. During the course, you will gain the competences required to carry out innovative and methodologically rigorous and advanced research projects. For this purpose, you will be required to design an original research project under the supervision of an Italian and/or foreign lecturer, to spend at least six months at a renowned foreign research center and, concurrently, to develop the ability to work both independently and in a team.
This International PhD opens up several career opportunities. Once you obtain your doctorate, you will be able to continue your research activities in academia, in public or private research centers, in leading food industries, or as a business consultant within the specific research areas of the program.
At a glance
Duration of the programme: 3 years
Courses will be taught in English
Places available: 5 with scholarship
Campus: Bozen-Bolzano
Tuition fees: € 180 per year
Programme Structure
The PhD covers the research areas of Food Processing as one of the focuses of the faculty. Engineering and Biotechnology are the high throughput approaches to food processing science. Upon acceptance into the program after a public selection procedure, you will be required to design a research project and write a prospectus with your supervisor, including the purpose of your project and the steps necessary to implement it. Occasionally, you will be required to update the steps in consideration of the progression of your work and the latest developments in your research field. Your stay for at least three months at a foreign research center is mandatory and you will be required to publish or submit for publication at least three articles in international peer-reviewed journals. During the three-year program, you will also be required to regularly attend classes and seminars specifically designed for PhD students.
The stages of the PhD
The PhD programme consists of five stages, which end after 2, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively.
- During STAGE 1, you will define your research plan, also preparing a draft of the prospectus.
- During STAGE 2, you will define your research project in more detail based on the pertinent literature.
- During STAGE 3, you will start your work in the lab applying the approach defined for your project.
- During STAGE 4, you will continue your research, you will plan your stay abroad, and you will be expected to begin preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
- During the final stage - STAGE 5 - you will complete your research project, the publication of your manuscripts, and your dissertation.
Fieldwork Abroad
During the three years of the PhD programme, you will be required to commit to your research project full-time. Your stay at a renowned foreign research center for at least 3 months is compulsory. This will be an opportunity to diversify your study experience, by conducting research in highly stimulating and competitive contexts, exchanging ideas with other researchers, and, thereby, networking with international colleagues.
People
PhD Programme Coordinator: Prof. Marco Gobbetti (photo)
Student Representative in the Lecturer's Committee: Mutasem Razem
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Studying at unibz
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Application and Admission
You can find key information to apply and gain admission to this PhD Programme. For detailed information browse the general and specific calls below.
In order to gain admission to the PhD programme, you will need to have obtained 300 ECTS credit points (master degree). You will also have to demonstrate competence in the languages of the PhD programme with a recognized language certificate and be successful in a public competition.
1st Call
Application deadline: by 15 June 2023, 12:00 midday (CEST)
Admission interviews: 3-5 July, 2023, at unibz for those living in Italy or online via Microsoft Teams
Communication of interview details: by 28 June 2023
Publication of ranking lists: by 14 July 2023
Confirmation of the PhD position - 1st Call
Applicants with grant: starting from 14 July 2023 until 27 July 2023;
Applicants without grant: starting from 27 July 2023 until 04 August 2023.
Enrolment: Starting from 27 July 2023 until 31 October 2023, 12:00 midday (CEST)
2nd Call
In mid-June, another call for additional positions with scholarships in cooperation with companies (DM 117) will be published
Total positions: 5
Positions with university grants: 4
Positions with other types of grants: 1
All citizen, regardless of sex, age and nationality may apply to be admitted to a PhD:
- Applicants holding a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 509/1999, a postgraduate degree as per Italian Ministerial Decree no. 270/2004, a degree of the former Italian university system, or an equivalent degree obtained abroad;
- Applicants achieving one of the above mentioned titles within the enrolment deadline. In this case applicants will be admitted conditionally to the selection procedure and they must produce the degree certificate within the enrolment’s deadline. If not, their application is considered null and void.
The prerequisites for admission to doctoral programmes are related to having achieved an appropriate educational, and/or cultural background, and/or have worked in the Ph.D. course areas of research. Qualifications in food science, agriculture, biotechnology and food engineering are preferable.
English Language certification at level B2 (or higher levels).
Linguistic competence can be proven by:
- If the main language of instruction in the final year of the diploma is English, it counts as C1.
- A bachelor's or master's degree in English certifies the C1 level. unibz graduates must upload the language certificates they have obtained or declare that they have passed the language examinations at the unibz Language Centre (B2, B2+ or C1).
- A recognised language certificate (see the list of recognised certificates from the Language Centre). Please note: the certificate must not have been obtained more than 5 years before the application for recognition.
The proficiency in English will also be assessed during the interviews. At the end of the three-year programme each PhD student must have achieved the C1 level.
Applications to the selection procedure can be submitted from the date of the announcement of the public competition.
Each application is subject to a payment for administrative expenses (30 €). This registration fee cannot be reimbursed under any circumstances.
In order to apply, you need to follow these steps:
- Create an account at Application Portal and upload in electronic format a passport-size colour photo and a valid ID (passport or identity card, front/back);
- In the application portal, select the PhD programme and pay the registration fee of 30 € (see instructions in the portal);
- Fill in the online form in the same portal and upload the additional required documents (see the specific attachments to the call for each PhD programme).
Completing the application online is the only way to submit the application. Applications will not be considered if:
- incomplete or without compulsory entry qualifications/requirements;
- sent by e-mail.
It is necessary to upload the required documentation for each PhD programme chosen in the portal. A traffic light system indicates complete/incomplete documentation (missing documents will be marked in red).
Only documents uploaded by the deadline will be evaluated. It is advisable to apply online well in advance and to check the portal regularly to take note of any notes concerning missing and/or incorrect documents.
The application must be completed no later than 15 June 2023 at 12:00 midday (GTM +2:00). After this deadline, it will no longer be possible to complete/correct incomplete applications.
The University is not liable if the portal is overcharged, due to the net or to the software itself.
In the application portal, applicants must upload, otherwise excluded:
- if graduated in Italy: diploma supplement or self-declaration (following the Italian D.P.R. no. 445/2000) of the degree awarded with the exams passed (if graduated) or just with the exams passed (if not graduated yet);
- if graduated abroad: diploma supplement or final degree certificate with exams passed (if graduated) or transcript of records (if not graduated yet) in Italian, German or English related to a second level university qualification;
The above must contain the following information: final grade, exams passed with grade and date of passing, credit points, scientific fields (the latter only for Italian titles), university where the degree was or will be awarded and date of graduation.
For qualifications obtained abroad, also: scale of grades awarded by the home university (with a minimum final grade to obtain the qualification and a maximum final grade achievable). unibz reserves the right to request a description of the contents of the single courses and/or teaching hours where necessary.
For admission, the (exams) average grade of master's degree (or equivalent) must be greater than or equal to 24/30.
- A personal statement written in English (max. 1 page).
- Curriculum vitae (CV) (in English and possibly following the EU format that can be downloaded here.
- English Language certification at level B2 (or higher levels).
If the language skills are demonstrated by a high school diploma/diploma or master's degree, the diploma must also be uploaded a second time in the above section.
Other documents to be included in the application if available:
- reference letters, written in Italian, German or English from a university lecturer or a researcher from a research institute;
- List of publications (published, being published or submitted for publication), with related links, if possible.
When submitting their application, applicants must indicate on the portal a maximum of 3 research topics chosen from the list of titles indicated . The choice is not binding.
Only the applicants with the above mentioned pre-requisite will be taken into account. The Evaluation Committee will first evaluate the CV, the personal statement letter and the applicant's qualifications - including publications (if any) - taking also into account the appropriateness of the candidates’ profiles with the PhD programme research areas, and will then draw up a list of applicants admitted to the next stage of the selection process. This will consist of an interview, in which their basic knowledge in one or more research areas of the Ph.D. programme will be assessed. The Committee will select the best applicants on the basis of a comparative assessment.
The following points will be awarded:
- up to 10 points for: the applicant’s CV, cover letter and qualifications;
- up to 10 points for the appropriateness of the CV regarding the research areas of interest for the PhD programme;
- up to 20 points for the interview.
The final score is the sum of the previous scores. The maximum score is 40. The lowest score to be admitted to the rank list is 20/40. The final score is used for the ranking of applicants and to establish access to the PhD programme and who will receive grants.
Fees amount to € 180
In order to confirm your study place, you need to log on to the application portal and pay the tuition fees (€ 180) which includes the provincial tax for the right to study of € 164 and a revenue stamp of € 16. by one of the methods indicated on the portal by the deadline indicated above.
If you do not respect this deadline, you will automatically lose your study place. If, by paying the instalment you have confirmed the study place, there will be no refund of the tuition fees unless you are a non-EU applicant resident abroad and you do not receive the necessary documents from the Italian authorities in your country.