The University of Pavia provides graduate students with a unique experience.
The PhD programs offered by the University of Pavia are supervised by SAFD (Scuola di Alta Formazione Dottorale), the PhD Higher Education School. Our programs cover a wide range of topics and are organized into three disciplinary groups (macro-area): Science and Technology, Life Science, Human and Social Science.
The University of Pavia is very much involved in developing new pathways that allow doctoral students non only to develop their skills useful for future careers in academia, but also the abilities necessary to be active outside the University. The Board of our PhD Higher Education School is constantly engaged in improving the quality of the PhD programs and consequently the preparation of doctoral students. In particular, the School is promoting interactions between University and Industry, as well as international programs allowing our PhD students to obtain a joint degree with other European institutions. Our mission is to make sure that highly motivated students from all over the world are admitted to our PhD programs and will successfully interact with our best faculty members.
Being one of the oldest academic institutions in the world, the University of Pavia combines a prestigious history with a clever mix of cutting-edge innovation. Students have access to a vast library system and may be included in the research teams of internationally recognized laboratories.
Besides studying and carrying on research, doctoral students can experience living in Pavia, a city-campus with intense cultural life, offering an experience which is unique in Italy and rare in Europe.
Prof. Giuseppe De Nicolao
PhD Higher Education Director
1) Macro-area of Science and Technology:
Higher Education School Members
Prof. Piersandro Pallavicini
Prof. Silvana Quaglini
PhD courses in:
- Bioengineering, Bioinformatics and Health Technologies
- Computational Mathematics, Learning, and Data Science
- Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Related Industrial Innovation
- Design, Modeling and Simulation in Engineering
- Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Electronics, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (Industrial PhD program)
- Mathematics
- Micro-and-Nano Electronics (National and industrial PhD program)
- Physics
2) Macro-area of Life Science:
Higher Education School Members
Prof. Antonio Torroni
Prof. Martina Gandola
PhD courses in:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Experimental Medicine
- Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology
- One Health Approaches to Infectious Diseases and Life Science Research (National PhD program)
- Psychology
- Public Health and Lifestyle
- Translational and Precision Medicine
3) Macro-area of Humanistic and Social Science:
Higher Education School Members
Prof. Paolo Renon
Prof. Arianna Arisi Rota
PhD courses in:
- Communication Sciences and Practices (Industrial PhD program)
- History
- Linguistics
- Private Law, Roman Law and European Legal Culture
- Public Law, Criminal and International Justice
- Philosophy – FINO
- Sciences of the Literary and Musical Text
Courses administered by other universities in cooperation with the University of Pavia:
- PhD program in Economics
Administred by Università degli Studi di Milano
Website - PhD program in Economic Sociology, Organisation and Labour
Administred by Università degli Studi di Milano, with Università degli Studi di Bergamo.
Website - PhD program in Political Studies
Administred by Università degli Studi di Milano, with Università degli Studi di Genova and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano.
Website - PhD program in Earthquake Engineering
Administred by Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia
Website - PhD program in Biomolecular sciences and biotechnology (Industrial PhD program)
Administred by Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia
Website - PhD program in Cognitive Brain Sciences
Administred by Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia
Website - PhD program in Sustainable Development and Climate Change (National PhD program)
Administred by Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia
Website - PhD program in Artificial intelligence (National PhD program)
Administred by Campus Biomedico di Roma
Website - PhD program in Earth observation (National PhD program)
Administred by Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”
Website - PhD program in Catalysis (National PhD program)
Administred by Università degli Studi di Perugia
Website - PhD program in RNA Therapeutics and Gene Therapy (National PhD program)
Administred by Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”
Website