Biosciences
The course offers the opportunity to complete training in the field of biology within the context of world-class research and an international environment in which interdisciplinary education is strongly encouraged.
Further information
Aims of the course
The main aim of the Course is to train highly qualified researchers who have acquired the cultural and technical tools needed for the interdisciplinary study of the structure and functions of biological systems and biotechnology. The educational pathway is aimed at developing advanced specialist and transferable skills, in line with the current and future needs of scientific research and the labour market, both nationally and internationally.
Educational activities
Specific knowledge in the various fields of Biosciences, provided by the different curricula of the PhD Programme in Biosciences, will be broadened through shared events (for example Ph.D. Day, seminars) and shared courses, both theoretical and practical, designed to provide a solid understanding of fundamental biological phenomena and the most modern techniques. Research activities by PhD students can rely on the extensive laboratory equipment available to the research groups and on the services of the Department of Biology (it is a Department of Excellence) and of Palazzo Vallisneri (e.g. electron and confocal microscopy, ultracentrifugation, controlled animal and plant breeding facilities, laboratories for cell cultures at different containment levels, technology store, the “A. Vallisneri” biology library, etc.). PhD students on the Biosciences Course also have access to a well-equipped station for lagoon and marine hydrobiological research in Chioggia (VE) and to the University Botanical Garden of Padua.
Research areas
The PhD Programme in Biosciences offers a three-year educational pathway structured into four curricula covering the main research areas in the field of life sciences: Biochemistry and Biotechnology; Cell Biology and Physiology; Evolution, Ecology and Conservation; and Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics.
The scientific objectives of the Biosciences Course are organised into a range of research areas that include the most important advanced sectors of modern biology, from basic to applied research. The research carried out by the lecturers who are members of the Board covers all levels of biological organisation, from molecules to organisms, from cells to ecosystems. The focus on the molecular components of life is therefore combined with attention to the environment and ecology, through the convergence of broad but integrated scientific expertise in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, botany, plant biology, zoology, comparative anatomy, physiology, anthropology, ecotoxicology, ecology, evolutionary biology, philosophy and the history of biological thought. Such a disciplinary structure within the Department encourages the promotion of applied projects rooted in the local area, with important social and economic implications. The diversification of research aims also has a very positive impact on the research training of PhD students.
Professional profile
As with every PhD programme, the natural career destination is the world of research. This includes the national and international academic sphere, and private research organisations such as pharmaceutical, biotechnology and biochemical industries. Other career opportunities for graduates of the PhD Programme in Biosciences include: analysis laboratories; the health system; organisational activities within companies in the biological and biotechnological fields; advanced tertiary sectors (agri-food, conservation and management of protected areas, fish production facilities); teaching. Various lecturers who are members of the Programme Board collaborate with companies operating in the biochemical, pharmacological, biotechnological and agri-food fields and with public bodies responsible for the management and conservation of natural resources.
Curriculum
Biochemistry and biotechnology
Cell biology and physiology
Evolution, ecology and conservation
Genetics, genomics and bioinformatics
Further information
Syllabus
Curriculum
Biosciences
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY (DiBio)
Viale G. Colombo 3 (Pedestrian access) 35131 Padua
Via U.Bassi 58/ B (Vehicle access) 35131 Padua
Chiara Romualdi (Coordinator)
chiara.romualdi@unipd.it
Administrative Contacts
phd.biosciences.biologia@unipd.it