Description and educational objectives

The PhD course in Food Science is structured into two curricula and aims to train young professionals in applied research within the field of food sciences.

Designed with a "from farm to consumers" approach, the course addresses key strategic issues as local and sustainable food systems, circular bioeconomy, product and process innovation, the relationship between nutrition and health, and the impact of climate change. The objective is to provide candidates with the skills needed to proactively tackle the challenges related to food safety, quality and innovation.

Ph.D. students will have to interact with the central topics of the food sector, which can be synthesized in the search for cognitive and methodological tools to ensure food safety from a One Health perspective, integrity and authenticity of the food system, and drive innovation in processes and products, including the recovery and upcycling of by-products, the use of alternative food sources also through biotechnological and fermentation processes, the protection of biodiversity, the understanding of consumer behavior, and the design and promotion of policies supporting healthy and sustainable diets. This is achieved by understanding, measuring and controlling the relationships between microbiological, chemical, toxicological-functional, economic and management factors within effective and efficient technological processes.

The research activites, rooted in a highly multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary environment, take place mainly within the Department of Food and Drug and involves the following areas:

• Food microbiology;
• Food technology;
• Human nutrition;
• Food chemistry and food safety;
• Bio-organic chemistry and circular bioeconomy;
• Plant and animal production and biotechnology;
• Agro-economics, consumer science and food systems;
• Inspection of foods of animal origin. 

The PhD course in Food Science aims to train highly skilled professionals, able to face current and future challenges in the agri-food sector. The training plan is designed in alignment with the Next Generation EU strategy. The high-level training courses are accompanied by a dedicated program in the following areas: 

• Circular bioeconomy;
• Sustainable and precision agriculture;
• Innovative and sustainable production;
• Sustainability from a nutritional perspective;
• valorization and upcycling of by-products. 

These areas of study are complemented by cross-cutting expertise essential to support innovation, including the use of big data and artificial intelligence methodologies.

Throughout the doctoral cycle, candidates also participate in high-level courses dedicated to entrepreneurship and exploitation of inventions, thanks to the collaboration with the regional ART-ER structure.

The program places strong emphasis on skill integration, multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary training and internationalization, through PhD students participation in international research projects and interaction with leading foreign experts by dedicated seminars and meetings.

Additionally, PhD students are encouraged to take part in public engagement initiatives and interaction with the territory, to develop skills of knowledge transfer and dialogue with all stakeholders in the food system.