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Course objectives

The program's educational objectives address the specific need to create a cross-sector training program capable of providing specialized skills for high-level research, both in academic and industrial settings.
These educational objectives are achieved through:
1) the development of research methodological skills, such as the ability to conduct structured reviews of scientific literature and to select and apply the most appropriate research methodologies based on the objectives of the study. It is essential, in this regard, to continue organizing meetings where doctoral students can present their intermediate progress, receiving input and suggestions not only for the specific scientific advancement of their project, but also feedback on the research methodologies adopted and the presentation and communication techniques for their work and the results obtained.
2) the acquisition of soft skills, such as the ability to effectively present research results to various audiences, both academic and industrial, and the ability to broaden potential entrepreneurial prospects, thus strengthening their confidence and developing the necessary skills. The current curriculum is enriched with several courses aimed at developing these skills, including specific modules on entrepreneurship and computer programming in engineering disciplines, from learning statistical tools to CAD modeling.
3) The acquisition and strengthening of disciplinary and transversal skills aimed at training professionals capable of driving innovation in the design of components (Mechanics of Materials), machines (Mechatronics), industrial plants, and the supply chain (Logistics). Doctoral students are expected to develop skills in managing complex, long-term, and highly uncertain projects, a crucial skill in advanced research and development contexts. This includes the ability to identify weak signals of emerging innovation trends, anticipating market changes and new technological opportunities.
From a university perspective, the multidisciplinary nature of the curriculum, supported by leading research groups recognized nationally and internationally, allows doctoral students to focus their scientific training on diverse research areas. The excellence of the research conducted by the members of the Faculty is also demonstrated by the relevance of their publications and the results obtained in the latest VQR.
From an industrial research perspective, the objective is to train outstanding professionals capable of supporting innovation in companies in the Veneto "Mechatronics and Innovative Mechanical Technologies District" and in the Veneto-Emilia automatic machinery sector, and more generally in the Italian and European metalworking and manufacturing industry. This is demonstrated by internships at foreign universities and companies. These fields require highly qualified professionals with transversal skills related to component design (materials mechanics), mechatronic systems, plant design, and logistics.

Educational activities

The Doctoral Program is structured to deeply integrate multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity, essential for addressing the complex challenges of contemporary technological innovation. This approach is ensured through various training and research strategies.
Multidisciplinarity manifests itself in the coexistence and contribution of different disciplines, each with its own methodology and perspective, to the study of a problem. In the context of this doctoral program, this is evident in the fusion of its research areas:

-Mechanics: in-depth study of the design, analysis, and optimization of complex mechanical systems.
-Electronics and Automation: integration of sensors, actuators, control systems, and artificial intelligence for the autonomous and intelligent operation of products.
-Computer Science: development of algorithms for control, simulation, and data management in mechatronic systems.
-Materials: study and application of innovative materials to improve product performance and sustainability.
Industrial Plants and Logistics: Optimization of production processes and industrial logistics, viewed from a systemic perspective.
Doctoral students, while specializing in a specific field, acquire a solid foundation in all these disciplines through courses, seminars, and research projects that expose them to various methodologies and technical languages.
Interdisciplinarity promotes the integration and exchange of disciplines to solve complex problems that no single discipline could address alone. This is achieved in the doctoral program through:
Integrated research projects: Many doctoral thesis projects require the combination of knowledge from different areas.
Transversal courses and seminars: The program includes courses that blend different disciplines, providing doctoral students with tools and methodologies that can be applied in various contexts.
Internal and external collaborations: Collaboration between faculty and researchers from different scientific areas within the department, and with other departments or research institutions, fosters synergies and integrated approaches.
-Coordination and Teaching Staff: The Teaching Staff includes experts from various scientific fields, ensuring an integrated approach and promoting integration between research fields.
Transdisciplinarity aims to generate new and unified knowledge, often with a strong focus on solving real-world problems that also involve non-academic stakeholders. In the doctoral program, this takes shape through:
-Product Innovation: The focus on mechanical product innovation implies a transdisciplinary approach, as innovation concerns not only technical aspects but also the impact on the market, society, the environment, and the end user.
-Industrial Application and Technology Transfer: The doctoral program aims to train highly qualified professionals for both academia and industry. Collaboration with external companies and research centers allows doctoral students to address real-world problems and develop innovative solutions that have a direct impact on industry.
-Development of Transversal Skills: In addition to technical skills, the program emphasizes the development of soft skills.

Research areas

Training objectives of the PhD program in "Mechatronics and Product Innovation Engineering" are particularly based on automated machines and plants manufacturers needs and, more in general, on the electro-mechanical industry needs. Automated machines and equipments find large employ in a number of industrial sectors, as mechanical, wood, textile, packaging, pharmaceutical, food, ceramics industry and further more. In such working contests high qualified professionals are required with cross sectional skills and competences concerning advanced components design and testing (Materials Mechanics), automated machines design and configuration (Mechatronics), plant layout design and optimization with particular regards with the inbound supply chain integration (Industrial plants and Logistics). From these considerations, the PhD school subdivision into 3 different PhD curricula has been derived:

1) Mechanical of Materials (Contact person: Prof. Franco Bonollo)
The PhD Programme in Mechanics of Materials is focused on the design and development of the mechanical components by which an automated machine system is made up. Mechanics of materials competences are essential to an high professional qualification of new graduate students in Mechatronic Engineering and Product Innovation Engineering. PhD programme committee professors belong to a new scientific and interdisciplinary sector in which Metallurgy and Machine Design competences are integrated. Moreover, the discipline represents the main topic of many international journals: the high number of DTG Department professors who published works in international journals represents a big opportunity for future PhD students, which will be actively involved in these research fields since the beginning of their PhD course. In relation with the theoretical aspects of the education activities offered, students enrolled in the Mechanics of Material Programme will be engaged in high quality research projects related to develop methodologies, procedures, criteria, significant examples for the industrial introduction of innovative materials and innovative components in machine design. In particular, they will work on studies concerning the physical and chemical behavior of innovative metallic and composite materials, their intermetallic compounds, and alloys, heat-treating and chemical-heat treatments, dislocation theory and phase transformations analysis. In conjunction or in alternative, the theoretical training activity for some students will regards Structural Mechanics computations (deformations, deflections, and internal forces or stresses within structures analysis and testing) and Fracture Mechanics and analysis of fracture surfaces, (threshold stress intensity factor, Paris law, fatigue life, initiation phases).
These competences are of particular interest both in academic and industrial field in order to permit the machine components reliability analysis and testing, when often traditional approaches cannot be sufficient. Moreover, training activities will provide students competences regarding the simulation of metallurgical processes (welding, foundry, steelworks) with particular regards to numerical simulation of welding processes and magnetic levitation casting. 

2) Mechatronics (Contact person: Prof. Paolo Mattavelli)
The PhD Programme in Mechatronics couples two different research areas: Industrial Engineering and Information Engineering and is the most cross-disciplinary. This programme is oriented to create conceptual designers of automatic machines. In particular the major programme educational objectives address:
- the functional design of mechanic and mechatronic systems (kinematics and dynamics of machines, mechanisms and manipulators; machine design optimization models and procedures; modeling and state estimation of flexible-link mechanisms and manipulators);
- the design of automatic machines, and robots (simulation and prototyping of industrial robotic and mechatronic systems; serial and parallel robotics; robot calibration and performance analysis; cable-driven robots; master-slave robotic systems for haptic teleoperation; rehabilitation robots);
- the control techniques for mechatronic systems (digital control of electric drives for robots, control of flexible-link mechanisms and manipulators, control systems for internet-based teleoperated tasks, cable and wireless industrial field busses, computational vision applied to autonomous robotics, adaptive control in vehicles);
- power electronics and power conversion systems (electronic interfaces for renewable-energy sources, micro-controllers and DSP in industrial electronics, soft-switching converter topologies and control;
- electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic actuators (permanent magnet motors, high-efficiency motors, electric traction motors, sensorless actuators, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators modeling and control). 

3) Industrial plants and Logistics (Contact person: Prof. Paolo Mattavelli).
The PhD Programme in Industral plants and Logistics arises from the recognition that manufacturing companies nowadays need high qualified professionals with cross sectional competences linked with the design and management of the industrial plant, seen by an holistic point of view. In particular students enrolled in the Logistics Programme will be engaged in high quality research projects related to the modeling and design of complex logistic systems, such as integrated supply chains, distribution networks and flexible and integrated manufacturing systems. Education activities will concerns supply chain operations and modeling, logistics strategy, distribution network design and optimization, product packaging design and testing, transport and person/asset info-mobility management, industrial plants maintenance, reliability analysis of machines/equipments and reverse logistics. These research topics are strategic in nowadays industrial environments, characterized by highly customized products (the ones that can survive in Italy) and time-oriented and resilient production systems, which need to respond quickly and efficiently to market demand, variables strongly affected by logistic choices (i.e. the way components, sub-assemblies and products are supplied and delivered, outsourcing decision vs. internalization, service operations and transportation modalities).

Professional profile

The program has specific training requirements, specifically those specific to the automatic machinery and automated systems manufacturing sector and the metalworking and mechanical engineering industry. Automatic machinery manufacturing companies, in particular, represent a key industry excellence in the Veneto region and in Italy as a whole, and have long stood up to international competition thanks to their high performance. This sector is highly diverse, as automatic machinery can be used in a variety of product sectors. Therefore, the need to train highly qualified professionals with transversal and multidisciplinary skills related to the design of components, machines, systems, and logistics is evident.
The professional profiles trained by the program meet this need, being suited to conducting scientific and industrial research activities characterized by the multidisciplinary nature typical of the mechatronics and innovative mechanical technologies sector, and the systemic vision typical of industrial plant engineering. Graduates will be able to fill corporate roles throughout the entire supply chain: from the supplier of parts and components to the end user.
The program is fully consistent with the career opportunities offered by the two master's degrees offered in Vicenza: Product Innovation Engineering and Mechatronics Engineering.
Finally, the program highlights both the program's ability to provide highly transferable skills in a variety of professional contexts, and the program's profound scientific and methodological foundation. The program aims to:
- Prepare professionals with high scientific and technological expertise, capable of effectively integrating into research, development, and innovation applications in industry and research.
- Develop critical, analytical, and design skills that are essential both in the university context for advanced research and in the corporate context for designing and solving complex problems related to mechatronics engineering and product innovation.
- Stimulate the internationalization of doctoral students' careers, making them competitive on a global scale and preparing them to operate in an increasingly interconnected and technologically advanced job market.
In a context of growing integration between public and private research, the distribution of employment opportunities tends to confirm the consistency of the doctoral training objectives with the needs of the labor market and with national and European strategies for the development of knowledge and innovation, particularly in the fields of automation, robotics, intelligent systems, and advanced manufacturing.

  Curriculum

- Mechanical of Materials

- Mechatronics

- Industrial plants and Logistics

  Other information

• Calls and Admissions
• Administrative information
• The International PhD guide