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Course objectives

The PhD Programme in Veterinary Sciences and Food Safety (VSFS) is supported by the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA) and the Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), and is based at the Agripolis campus.
The mission of the PhD programme is to support doctoral candidates in the development of their research projects by providing an environment conducive to the achievement of educational objectives and by fostering scientific collaboration and competitiveness. Applicants may come from different educational backgrounds (Veterinary Medicine, Biological and Biotechnological Sciences, Agricultural and Animal Sciences); however, access to clinically oriented projects is reserved for graduates in Veterinary Medicine.
The main objective of the programme is to encourage doctoral candidates to conduct research in a progressively independent manner, albeit under supervision, through a problem-solving approach.
Doctoral candidates are also expected to develop the ability to carry out systematic studies and to critically place their work within the broader framework of scientific knowledge relevant to their specific field of research.

Educational activities

The training programme includes transversal and multidisciplinary courses aimed at providing doctoral candidates with advanced and flexible skills that are also applicable in professional contexts beyond those traditionally associated with the veterinary sector.
Doctoral candidates meet regularly with their supervisor and, at the end of each academic year, are required to prepare a report on the progress of their research activities, which is presented to the Board of Professors in the form of a seminar.
The presentation of research results at major national and international scientific conferences is strongly encouraged. Starting from the XXIX cycle, a mandatory requirement for admission to the evaluation of the PhD thesis by the Board of Professors is the publication, or final acceptance, of at least one scientific paper related to the doctoral research project in an international peer-reviewed journal, as first author.

Research areas

The PhD Programme in Veterinary Sciences and Food Safety conducts research across a broad range of scientific fields, adopting an interdisciplinary and translational approach. The main research areas include

 Basic veterinary sciences

 Veterinary epidemiology, hygiene and public health

 Food safety and food science

 Animal models for the study of human diseases

 Animal diseases

 Biology and pathology of aquatic species

Within these areas, research activities are structured into specific research topics, including:
 Analytical, environmental and molecular pharmaco-toxicology
 Biology and pathology of aquatic, wild/exotic and domestic animals
 Ethology and animal welfare
 Food science, technology and nanobiotechnology
 Infectious and parasitic diseases, including zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance
 Physiology, reproduction and medicine of farm animals
 Regenerative medicine and physiology, reproduction and medicine of small animals
 Genomics, 3D in vitro modelling and intercellular communication in veterinary pathology
 Diagnostic imaging
 Innovative teaching methodologies
 Translational medical research

The complete and updated list of research topics is available at: https://www.dottorato.veterinaria.unipd.it/research-topic

Professional profile

The programme trains highly qualified experts who may pursue careers in academia, continuing their research activities at universities and public or private research institutions. Graduates of the PhD Programme in Veterinary Sciences and Food Safety (VSFS) may also find employment within the National Health System (Istituti Zooprofilattici Sperimentali, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Local Health Authorities – Aziende Sanitarie Locali, and the European Food Safety Authority), where activities in control and prevention are closely integrated with research.
VSFS PhD graduates have strong employment opportunities in the fields of veterinary clinical practice, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, the pharmaceutical and agro-industrial sectors, and biomedical research, where they may hold highly qualified and managerial positions related to research, health surveillance and control, and animal welfare.
The professional sector readily absorbs a significant number of VSFS PhD graduates, as the programme maintains a strong professionalizing character comparable to the European “Professional PhD” model. For this reason, a key objective of the programme is to preserve a practical and applied orientation of research projects and to provide doctoral candidates with the tools and skills necessary to pursue diverse career paths beyond that of the purely academic researcher.

  Other information

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