Internationalization

The PhD in Physics of the University of Bari Aldo Moro has active cooperation agreements and research collaborations with the following institutions:

The accreditation of the PhD courses in Physics takes place under an agreement with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), a public research body with high cultural and scientific qualifications.
The INFN is the Italian research body dedicated to the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the laws that govern them, under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). It conducts theoretical and experimental research in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear and astroparticle physics. All INFN research activities are carried out in a framework of international competition, in close collaboration with Italian universities on the basis of solid academic partnerships that have lasted for decades.

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers study the fundamental structure of the universe. They use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter - the fundamental particles. Many research groups of the Department of Physics in Bari collaborate with CERN (see details in the research activity webpage). Students are strongly encouraged to spend part of their doctoral program at CERN.

The theoretical groups of the Departments of Physics of the University of Bari and Waseda University have had a long-standing collaboration since 1988. The research focuses on Quantum Technologies and Applications, Quantum Field Theory, Quantum Phase Transitions and Complexity, and has produced a large number (about 100) of joint publications. The scientific activities have been supported by Joint Projects of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Internationalization Projects of the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), and Significant Research Projects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), as well as by Japanese funding agencies. Reciprocity of funding and visits is a cornerstone of this research activity and has always involved PhD students and young researchers.

A new international research collaboration is underway between Production Technology West, PTW, at University West (Trollhättan, Sweden) and the Department of Physics "M. Merlin", University and Polytechnic of Bari, Italy. A first step is the 50% employment for two years of Antonio Ancona from CNR-IFN at the Department of Physics in Bari as a professor at University West. He will work together with the welding automation group in a project "Hybrid sensing for understanding of laser welding technology for process control (Hy-Las)" funded by the MoRE program of the Region Västra Götaland, with the aim of strengthening the PTW group and increasing networking between the two research organizations. A research agreement involving the exchange of PhD students between the two universities is under consideration.

Since 2009, the Gas Detection Group of the Department of Physics, led by Prof. V. Spagnolo, has been in close collaboration with the Rice University Laser Science Group of Prof. Frank K. Tittel, in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). This joint research activity is aimed at the study, design and construction of new trace gas detectors with record levels of sensitivity. As part of this collaboration, PhD students working in Prof. Spagnolo's group have the opportunity to spend up to 18 months in the laboratories of the Rice University Laser Science Group. Current research activity includes the development of new sensors for trace gas spectroscopy based on cutting-edge techniques such as intracavity and single-tube quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) and optical frequency combination spectroscopy.

Since 2011, the University of Bari and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC) have been organizing doctoral programs in Applied Physics and Atmospheric Physics with reciprocal exchange of students between the two institutions. The doctoral student will have the duties and privileges of a full-time student enrolled at both the University of Bari and UMBC. UMBC will reimburse the cost of university fees up to 20 credits per year and will provide the candidate, during the period of residence in the United States, the conventional salary assigned to the Graduated Research Assistant. The title of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.C.) and Doctor of Research will be awarded by the respective universities. Health care in Italy and in the United States will be provided to the student in accordance with the Italian and US rules and laws currently in force.

Thorlabs, Inc. is a vertically integrated manufacturer of photonics equipment for research, industrial, medical and defense applications. We have initiated joint research and technological innovation in the field of optical gas sensors, and in particular in the development and implementation of novel gas detection techniques and highly sensitive trace gas sensors. The goal is to design portable, compact and rugged devices for real-time, in-situ detection. Potential applications are breath analysis, environmental monitoring, leak detection, hydrocarbon gas monitoring, hotspot area monitoring (explosive precursors, narcotics).

The International Doctorate Network in Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology (IDPASC) is an interdisciplinary network whose aim is to produce new high-level experts in the fields of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

International School on Astroparticle Physics, European Doctorate School

International collaborations in the field of Medical Physics

We have fruitful collaborations and frequent visits with several international institutions: (i) Department of Data Analysis, Ghent University, Belgium, (ii) Biocruces Health Research Institute and University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain, (iii) Laboratory for Network Physiology, Boston University, USA.