PHD in Physics

Description

The PhD course in Physics at UNIBA is aimed at second-level graduates interested in acquiring and developing knowledge and methodologies of study and analysis in the physical sciences, with the ultimate goal of independently carrying out a research project. The project must have highly original characteristics in the context of basic or applied physics research with demonstrable relevance in the context of international scientific production.
Participation in the PhD is expected for students who graduated from non-Italian universities. The training activity includes disciplinary teaching activities, of a general and specialized nature more specifically linked to the research topic of the thesis project identified by the PhD student, accompanied by other teaching activities of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature. The choice of the supervisor is accompanied by the inclusion of the PhD student's activities in those of a research group that contributes to the training of the PhD student with seminar and laboratory activities. The relevance in an international context of the research project chosen by the doctoral student is supported by the strongly recommended possibility of spending a research period abroad, in laboratories of important international academic or research institutions, on study topics related to the thesis project. The presence of laboratories with appropriate instrumentation for the various possible activities in the doctorate and of an advanced computing center at the Department of Physics act as an important and additional support for the realization of the project.

The PhD Course in Physics at the University of Bari Aldo Moro aims to:


a) train researchers with adequate skills to carry out highly qualified research activities, in an autonomous and original way, at public and private institutions and entities. PhDs must be able to operate profitably in national and international universities and research centers and to effectively promote innovation and research also in the world of industry and business;
b) promote, through the study and research activities of those enrolled in the PhD course, the advancement and deepening of knowledge in the various fields of Physics and related sciences, through the implementation of projects that have highly original characteristics and strong scientific relevance recognized at an international level;
c) contribute to the development and improvement of instrumental techniques, analysis and management methods for applications in different sectors and disciplines, also in the context of interdisciplinary research (Biology, Medicine, Environment, Cultural Heritage, Economics, Data Science, Mechatronics);
d) train highly qualified professionals in the knowledge of physics and in the ability to apply its methodologies in contexts of higher education and teaching.

PhD Course Curricula

Curriculum Description
Nuclear, Subnuclear and Astroparticle Physics  

The Nuclear, Subnuclear and Astroparticle Physics curriculum aims to train new researchers on projects related to the following fundamental questions of today's science: i) study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the laws that govern them, analysis of the unsolved issues of the Standard Model and search for signals with the large experimental apparatuses CMS, ALICE and LHCb at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and future colliders ii) study of the nature of neutrinos with T2K and of astrophysical sources with Km3net, study of cosmic rays, and of the evolution of our universe through high-energy gamma-ray sources with the Fermi, Dampe and CTA experiments ii) study of fusion reactions in nucleosynthesis at astrophysical temperatures at the Luna experiment.

Particular emphasis is placed on the mastery of the most modern technologies in the field of detectors, electronics, data acquisition, simulation and analysis systems through the use of multivariate analysis and machine learning techniques and the use of advanced computing tools.

PhD students, placed in an environment of large international collaborations, will have the opportunity to study at the frontiers of understanding by spending long periods at CERN or other laboratories, participating in international schools and conferences.

 
Condensed Matter Physics, Photonics and Quantum Technologies The training activities related to the Condensed Matter Physics, Photonics and Quantum Technologies curriculum focus on four main research lines, which can be summarized as follows:
1) Study and development of new quantum imaging and sensing methods that exploit the quantum correlations of light to overcome the intrinsic limits of current devices.
2) Laser micromachining and power lasers. The research focuses on the study of light-matter interaction at extremely short time scales and on the fabrication of microfluidic devices and surfaces with advanced tribological properties.
3) Development of gas sensors based on the quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) technique and quartz tuning fork photodetectors, in particular within the public-private laboratory PolySense in collaboration with THORLABS.
4) Nanostructured interfaces for the development of innovative electronic and photonic devices: creation and study of functionalized surfaces for transistor biosensors at the physical limit of detection (single molecule) and THz radiation modulators based on graphene and electrolytic gates.
The training project includes a) teaching activities on the topics indicated, b) the participation of students in international doctoral schools on topics related to their research activity, c) agreements with international universities and research institutions that allow students to spend extended periods abroad to develop topics related to their research project.
Applied Physics The Applied Physics curriculum of the PhD program aims to train researchers who master the most innovative physical, computational and instrumental methodologies for the physical analysis of complex systems, and who are able to cooperate with interdisciplinary groups on biological, medical, economic and social issues. Some of the most active research lines concern (i) medical diagnostics from imaging with a “big data” approach in a distributed computing grid environment, (ii) inference and analysis of brain connectivity with complex networks, (iii) development of methodologies for the analysis of socio-economic systems, (iv) design, implementation and characterization of thin films and nanomaterials, (v) research activities in remote sensing for satellite Earth observation, in collaboration with national and international space agencies. All these activities are framed within international collaborations of the research groups of the Department of Physics. 
Theoretical Physics  The Theoretical Physics Curriculum aims to train researchers with adequate skills to carry out highly qualified research activities, in the context of theoretical physics. The training project aims to transfer advanced knowledge and methodologies, both analytical and numerical computational, for study topics related to physics and quantum computation, high-energy physics and astrophysics, cosmology, complex physical systems in the field of statistical mechanics and various multidisciplinary applications, for example in biology. These objectives are achieved through a) teaching activities on the indicated topics, both general and specialized, b) participation of students in international doctoral schools on topics related to their research activities, c) agreements with international universities and research institutions that allow students to spend extended periods abroad to develop topics related to their research project.

Events

School: Frontiers in Nuclear and Hadronic Physics 2025

School: Frontiers in Nuclear and Hadronic Physics 2025 - 18 Feb 2025

The school is primarily addressed to Ph.D. students in Theoretical Nuclear and Hadronic Physics.