Materials Science and Nanotechnology

The PhD program in Materials Science and Nanotechnology aims at preparing students to both experimental and theoretical research, of fundamental, applied or industrial character, in those subfields of Physics and Chemistry which are the foundation of Materials Science, and of the corresponding technological applications. These typically involve methods for growth, characterization, functionalization, and of multi-scale computation down to the atomic limit. Research topics are  interdisciplinary, ranging from chemistry to engineering, from physics to biology and (nano)medicine. More specifically, research includes synthesis, growth and functional characterization of nanostructured materials for optoelectronics, photonics, microelectronics, molecular electronics, sensing, energy harvesting and accumulation, electrochemical and biomedical applications. The activity is not only experimental: intense theoretical/computational modeling  is performed by several groups, including atomic-scale and continuum modeling also exploiting state-of-the-art artificial intelligence.

Materials under investigation range from organic and inorganic semiconductors to amorphous materials for photonics, polymers and organic materials for advanced applications, hybrid organic/inorganic systems.

Beside standard optical and electrical  characterization, advanced materials analysis is conducted through AFM, STM, ESR, FIB, NMR, luminescence and electronic microscopy.

The research activity is typically conducted in the framework of national and international projects, leading every year to a large number of publications and patents.

More detailed information on the different research areas can be found at: https://www.mater.unimib.it/en/research/research-areas. 

Materials Science and Nanotechnology lay at the very center of technological innovation. We are talking about a strategic area of knowledge attracting huge investments not only from Universities but also from governments and private industries. Considering this framework and that this doctorate program forms young researchers with technical  and scientific skills at the very state of the art, trained to work in a fully international environment, it does not come as a surprise that our doctors find jobs not only within academy or research centers, but also within high-technology companies both in the Lombardy region and outside. This is made even simpler by the direct involvement of some of them through direct financing of scholarships.

Candidates aiming at receiving a PhD scholarship in Materials Science and Nanotechnology are selected within the unified University Selection procedure (which, in the last few years, was divided into one, two, or three different sections), through an in-depth colloquium. Only students presenting sufficient titles to pass the threshold established by the Selection Committee are admitted to the Colloquium.  

The Materials Science and Nanotechnology PhD program offers to students widespread opportunity to visit foreigner research laboratories/university, to participate in international conferences, and to follow schools dedicated to topics of interest for the student research. It is mandatory for every student to spend a minimum of six months within the three years at a foreign University/Research Center.

World-renowned scientists are invited, not only to teach or give seminars, but to collaborate with the students. Often, new ideas leading to scientific publications came from this activity.

Interaction with industry plays an important role in the organization of teaching within the PhD program. All these initiatives also allow the students to become more open minded in both basic and applied/industrial research fields.

It is mandatory for the PhD students to obtain 11 formative credits (CFUs) in the three years from courses, Among them, 8 CFUs must be chosen among the specific courses organized by the Phd Program, while 3 must be chosen among the interdisciplinary courses on soft skills organized by the doctorate school of the University. Every year the student is required to present a written report on her/his research activity and give an oral presentation. 

 All the educational activities offered are available on e-learning platform: https://elearning.unimib.it/course/index.php?categoryid=6410