PhD in Systems Science

The IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca is seeking 10 talented doctoral candidates for its Systems Science (SyS) Ph.D. Program.

Students enrolled in the Ph.D. Program SyS will learn the necessary methodologies to analyze technological, natural, economic, and social systems using descriptive and predictive mathematical models. The acquired skills can be spent in academia and research centers and can be applied in many industrial sectors, such as in the automotive, aerospace, chemical, infrastructure, energy, biomedicine, financial, and manufacturing industries.

The SyS Program includes four specialization tracks:

• Computational Mechanics (CM) offers interdisciplinary doctoral training for graduates wishing to specialize in the research of innovative numerical simulation methods, developing digital twins to predict the behavior of materials, components, or processes throughout their operational life.
• Complex Systems and Networks (CN) offers an interdisciplinary program embracing the theoretical and computational tools of complexity science (physics of complex systems, graph theory, statistical mechanics, information theory, inference, data science) as well as their application to real-world biological, social, economic and technological systems.
• Learning and Control (LC) offers interdisciplinary doctoral training focused on becoming an expert in developing new machine learning and numerical optimization algorithms for modeling dynamical systems from data and designing model-based predictive control systems.
• Software Quality (SQ) provides doctoral candidates interested in formal methods, machine learning, modeling and simulation, program verification, cybersecurity, and software engineering with methods for the design, analysis, and validation of software quality and security.

Ph.D. position

• Contract Type: 36-month scholarship (extendable up to 48 months)
• Commitment: Full time
• Location: Lucca (Tuscany, Italy)
• Official language: English
• Starting date: early November 2022
• Benefits: free room and board (on campus, all year round), free access to campus facilities, additional research and international mobility funds, insurance coverages, social security coverage

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, or in a related field (to be obtained by October 31st, 2022)
• High level of proficiency in English
• Demonstrated solid mathematical and programming skills
• Enthusiasm for research, critical thinking

What We Offer

• An exciting multidisciplinary and international research environment with wide opportunities to interact with scholars from related disciplines in several other international Universities
• Work under the supervision of at least one Advisor from the Faculty
• Interact with several other doctoral candidates, postdoc researchers, and Faculty members;
• A tailor-made scientific training program composed of a wide range of courses and seminars by leading researchers
• Mentoring, training, and career development support
• A highly competitive full-time Ph.D. Position with
  • a scholarship for a maximum period of 3 consecutive years, extendable to 4 years
  • social security coverage
  • free accommodation on campus (all year round)
  • free meals on campus (lunch and dinner, all year round)
  • additional research funds
  • additional international mobility funds
  • insurance coverages (liability, accident)
  • no tuition fees

Your Role

• First year: Attend and pass graduate courses, following a customized scientific training program.
• Second and third year: Engage in your own research (both in Lucca and abroad) under the guidance of at least one Advisor you select among the IMT Faculty members.
• Submit for publication three or more research papers related to your doctoral thesis.
• Participate in daily academic and campus life, including seminars, conferences, workshops, public outreach activities, etc.

Career Services

The IMT School’s Placement services aim to support a quick and smooth post-doctoral transition to academia, institutions, companies and entrepreneurial sectors that valorize the PhD degrees earned by the School’s students.

There are multiple tools that are used by the School to support job placement activities in a variety of contexts.

Individual Orientation

Individual orientation activies have the objective of supporting IMT School students and alumni with respect to:

• identifying and guiding personal job placement strategies for academia and/or the labor pool
• managing research and work activities competently and autonomously
• gaining concrete knowledge of the local, national and international job markets

The principle tool for individual orientation are counseling sessions.