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Structural Engineering, Geotechnics and Seismic Risk (39th cycle)

  • Description

    Educational purposes

    The Ph.D. program in Structural Engineering, Geotechnics and Seismic Risk (DISGERS) offers high technical and scientific training aimed at increasing the analytical and research skills, so that the placement of students is facilitated both in the field of public and private research, as well as in other highly qualified sectors. By virtue of multidisciplinarity of the scientific sectors that characterize it, the DISGERS provides physics and math background and an advanced knowledge of the scientific aspects that contribute to the evaluation, mitigation and monitoring of risks, for civil engineering structures and infrastructures, with particular reference to seismic risk. The training will make use of Federico II labs, as well as the relevant network of collaborations of the Ph.D. board with the major public and private institutions having to do with the central themes of the doctorate. PhD students are expected to spend periods of study and research at other institutions/universities, in Italy and abroad, in order to deepen their knowledge. DISGERS intends to encourage the participation of PhD students in national and international research projects.

    Research fields

    The prediction of risk phenomena, in particular of the seismic one, and the estimation of the expected damages, seen as tools for the consequent mitigation choices, require the development of a synergistic approach to the problem. To this purpose, seismology and geology contribute to the correct characterization of the seismic hazard as a specific property of the territory, as well as structural and geotechnical engineering both for the assessment of the vulnerability of buildings and for the correct design of the new ones. Furthermore, studies in the engineering and seismological fields are preparatory to a correct temporal and spatial allocation of the resources available for the most critical situations, as well as the imposition of sustainable constraints on building activities and, more generally, on the use of territory according to the different levels of danger. Therefore, the research topics connected with the risk are of particular interest and importance for our country, which is often subject to the occurrence of seismic events, landslides, flows, subsidence, etc., causing considerable damage both from the point of view of material possessions than in terms of loss of human lives. Ultimately, the transversal and interdisciplinary nature of both the topics studied and the research fields addressed make DISGERS a unique example of its kind in Italy, so as to make it particularly attractive.

  • Cycle:

     39

  • Board committee:
    1. BARRETTA Raffaele (resume)
    2. COSENZA Edoardo (resume)
    3. DE LUCA Antonello (resume)
    4. EMOLO Antonio (resume)
    5. FLORA Alessandro (resume)
    6. FORTE Giovanni (resume)
    7. FRALDI Massimiliano (resume)
    8. IERVOLINO Iunio (resume) – Coordinator
    9. LANDOLFO Raffaele (resume)
    10. MAROTTI DE SCIARRA Francesco (resume)
    11. NIGRO Emidio (resume)
    12. PICOZZI Matteo (resume)
    13. ROSATI Luciano (resume)
    14. RUSSO Gianpiero (resume)
    15. SILVESTRI Francesco (resume)
    16. VERDERAME Gerardo Mario (resume)
    17. ZOLLO Aldo (resume)

  • Organization of courses and educational activities:

    The PhD program requires the acquisition of 180 ECTS (60 ECTS per year), divided into:

    Educational activities (courses and/or seminars): 30 ECTS

    During the entire PhD course, no more than 5 ECTS can be awarded in seminars. Typically, one credit is equivalent to three seminars. The credits relating to the courses are acquired only after passing the final exam that may consist, in addition to the traditional forms of examination, in the discussion of a report briefly showing:

    • works on topics related to the course published in the international literature
    • results of the experimental tests conducted during the course.

    Courses can be chosen among those proposed by the tutor/Board or by the PhD student itself and are subjected to approval by the Tutor and the Board. The list of appointed courses for a.y. 2023-2024 will be available at the dedicated webpage by October 2023.

    Teaching activities: 35 ECTS

    Research activities: 115 ECTS
  • Admission test:

    This year the selection procedure will be an interview held in telematic mode for foreign candidates. Candidates should submit their application through the online system PICA.
  • Admissions exam topics:
    1. Continuum mechanics (balance and kinematics of continuous systems, deformations, constitutive bonds, stability, etc.)
    2. Dynamics of material systems (discrete systems, continuous discretized systems, continuous systems, seismic dynamics, etc.)
    3. Numerical and computational methods for solids mechanics problems (finite elements, finite differences, etc.)
    4. Physical, mechanical, and experimental characterization models (mechanical tests, influential variables on mechanical behavior and typical behaviors, monitoring tools and their purposes, etc.)
  • Available positions: 24
  • Course length: 3 years
  • Credits: 180 ECTS
  • Requirements:
    • Specialized or Master's Degree.
    • Degree obtained with previous teaching regulations, lasting at least four years.
    • Equivalent academic qualification obtained at foreign Universities.
    • Undergraduates can also apply as long as they achieve the degree by October 31st, 2022
  • Notes:

    Scholarships reserved to foreign students: 3
  • Contacts:
  • Course affiliation: Dept. of Structures for Engineering and Architecture - via Claudio 21 (80125 Naples, Italy) - Building 6, 1st floor
  • Candidatures deadline: August 2nd, 2023
  • Test calendar: September 1st and 12th, 2023

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