1st Call

Publication of the call: 09/03/2026
Application deadline: by 21/04/2026  (by noon local time)
Admission interviews (online): by 22/05/2026
Publication of ranking lists: by 05/06/2026

Confirmation of the PhD position - 1st Call

Applicants with scholarship: by 18/06/2026 (by noon local time)
Applicants without scholarship: from 19/06 until 03/07/2026 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: Starting from 19/06 until 30/10/2026 (by noon local time)

Total Positions: 8

1st Call

Positions with scholarships: 4
Positions with scholarship bound to specific topic: 2
Positions without scholarship: 2

1st Call

At this link you can find a list of potential research projects and their corresponding proposed supervisors.

Applicants may also wish to consider other research projects offered by members of the Advanced Systems Engineering PhD Lecturers' Committee.

At this link you can find a list of research projects bound to specific research topic/areas and financed by external Istitutions/Organizations.

In order to apply to this programme you need one of the following qualifications:

• 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 (university level education of at least five years).

If you have not yet achieved one of the above mentioned titles within the enrolment deadline, you will be admitted conditionally to the selection procedure and you must produce the degree certificate within the enrolment’s deadline. If not, your application is considered null and void. 

Prerequisites for admission to the doctoral programmes are an appropriate educational and/or cultural background and/or experience in the research. Qualifications in the field of interest of the PhD programme are preferred.

The Commission reserves the right to decide and to assess whether or not previous qualifications are suitable for admission purposes.

The official language of the PhD programme is English and applicants are expected to possess a very good working knowledge of English.

The English proficiency of each candidate will be assessed during the interviews.

To apply to the PhD programme, applicants must include the documentation listed below. Incomplete applications will be excluded from the competition. 

In case of an Italian university degree: 

• The Diploma Supplement relating to the “laurea specialistica” / “laurea magistrale”, or a self-declaration including the list of examinations taken (if the degree has already been awarded) or a transcript of records (if the degree has not yet been awarded);  
• The Diploma Supplement relating to the qualification that granted access to the “laurea specialistica” / “laurea magistrale”, or a self-declaration in lieu of the relevant degree certificate.  

In the case of a “laurea del previgente ordinamento” or “laurea magistrale a ciclo unico”:  

• The Diploma Supplement relating to the degree, or a self-declaration in lieu of the degree certificate, including the list of examinations taken (if the degree has already been awarded) or a transcript of records (if the degree has not yet been awarded).  

In the case of a foreign university degree: 

• The Diploma Supplement or degree certificate relating to the master’s qualification, including the list of examinations taken (if the degree has already been awarded) or a transcript of records (if the degree has not yet been awarded), in Italian, German or English;  
• The Diploma Supplement or degree certificate relating to the previous bachelor’s qualification, including the list of examinations taken, in Italian, German or English.  

In the case of a foreign university degree:

• The Diploma Supplement or degree certificate relating to the master’s qualification, including the list of examinations taken (if the degree has already been awarded) or a transcript of records (if the degree has not yet been awarded), in Italian, German or English;
• The Diploma Supplement or degree certificate relating to the previous bachelor’s qualification, including the list of examinations taken, in Italian, German or English.

In the case of a foreign long single-cycle degree (i.e. an undivided degree programme entered directly after secondary school and leading to a qualification giving access to PhD programme):

• The Diploma Supplement or degree certificate relating to the qualification that gives access to the PhD programme, including the list of examinations taken (if the degree has already been awarded) or a transcript of records (if the degree has not yet been awarded), in Italian, German or English.

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. unibz reserves the right to request a description of the contents of the single courses and/or teaching hours where necessary.

• Curriculum vitae (CV) in English (possibly following the EU format that can be downloaded here). The CV must be updated with all data and information of the current year and eventually including a list of publication indicating the Digital Object Identifier (DOI);
• Motivational letter in English (maximum 2 pages), in which up to three research projects should be indicated, including the name of the supervisor if known. If applicable, applicants should also state their preference for topic-specific scholarships, briefly explaining the reasons for their choice. Finally, they may mention why they consider unibz and this PhD programme suitable for their academic background and research activities

Other documents to be included in the application if available:

• up to a maximum of 2 letters of reference, in English and in digital format, written by university professors or researchers of research institutes, indicating names and institutional contacts.

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 (50 €). This registration fee cannot be reimbursed under any circumstances.
In order to apply, you need to follow these steps:

1. 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);
2. In the application portal, select the PhD programme and pay the registration fee of 50 € (see instructions in the portal);
3. 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.

After the 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.

The selection process consists of three steps:

Stage 1

Applications are first reviewed for completeness and eligibility by the competent unibz offices. Only those applications that are complete and meet the admission requirements at the time of the closing of the applications will move on to Stage 2 and will be evaluated by the Evaluations Committee.

Stage 2

Complete applications that meet the basic admission requirements are then evaluated by the Evaluation Committee, which will take into consideration:

• the applicant’s curriculum,
  
• letter of motivation, qualifications (including publications, if any),
  
• the alignment between the candidate’s profile/interests and
  
• the research topic areas of the PhD programme in the call.

Stage 3

The Evaluation Committee will then draw up a list of applicants to be admitted to Stage 3 of the selection interview process.

The selected candidates will be interviewed to assess their basic technical knowledge and skills in the research topics covered by this call, as well as their ability to communicate orally in English. The interview will be conducted by videoconference. The evaluation committee will rank the candidates on the basis of a comparative evaluation.

Separate rankings will be drawn up for each position tied to a subject-related scholarship.

The final ranking lists will be published here.

Prof. Karl Dietrich von Ellenrieder

Prof. Patrick Dallasega

Prof. Claus Pahl

To create an application in the portal you need to pay the following fees:

• Administrative fees: € 50 

To confirm your study place, you need to log in to the application portal and pay the following fees using one of the payment methods indicated on the portal by the specified deadline.

• One-off registration fee: € 200, including a € 16 revenue stamp

If you fail to meet this deadline, you will automatically lose your place. Once you have confirmed your place by paying the instalment, there is no refund of tuition fees unless you are a non-EU applicant living abroad and you have not received the necessary documents from the Italian authorities in your country.

There are no other fees to be paid.