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

School

IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca is a public graduate school and research institute that focuses on the analysis of economic, societal, technological and cultural systems. The School has been under the direction of Prof. Pietro Pietrini since November of 2015. Since IMT’s institution by ministerial decree of November 18th 2005, the School has distinguished itself thanks to the quality and innovativeness of its research and doctoral program and its interdisciplinary nature, characterized by the complementarity and discourse between methodologies drawn from economics, engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, physics, archeology, art history and the analysis and management of cultural heritage. The fusion between art and technology is also reflected in the School state-of-the-art campus, located principally in the newly restored San Francesco Complex. The entire campus is found within the historic city center of Lucca, which is completely surrounded by fully-intact Renaissance-era walls. The campus includes spaces for research and laboratories, courses, and living and recreation. The campus is completed by the IMT Library, which offers a plethora of resources and offers additional working and research areas for the IMT community, and the city of Lucca in general.

Research and Educational Mission

IMT researchers carry out cutting-edge methodological research to generate knowledge, apply knowledge to solve problems of an economic, industrial, societal and cultural nature, and transmit knowledge through highly specialized graduate courses and seminars. Starting from the overlying fundamental principle of scientific excellence, which applies to all areas and levels of the IMT research community, the School distinguishes itself through its interdisciplinary orientation to develop innovative research and acquire greater international visibility. The School’s interdisciplinary research program is articulated in four scientific macro-areas: Economics, Management Science, and Complex systems; Computer science and Systems engineering; Cognitive and Social Neuroscience; Cultural heritage. The School’s interdisciplinary research program is articulated in four scientific macro-areas of Economics Management science and Complex systems, Computer science, Systems engineering, Cultural heritage, with an additional area of Political History The School’s research is further organized into distinct yet multidisciplinary research units (RU). Most RUs are characterized by a pyramidal structure where the vertex is occupied by a prominent senior researcher, junior faculty members constitute the intermediate level, and the base is formed by a small group of doctoral students, actively contributing to the research as part of their studies. Other RUs instead are structured in a multipolar fashion, with highly specialized research centered on thematic nuclei and the contribution of diverse methodologies. The work carried out in the research units is intimately linked to IMT’s multidisciplinary Ph.D. program, which provides a unique and characteristic patrimony of competences within the broad framework of the analysis and management of a plurality of systems. The program is articulated in curricula that share common core courses and provide specialized training in the specific discipline of the doctoral thesis. At the end of the program, students can successfully face appointments in and outside academia because of their ability to recognize and solve new and increasingly complex problems.The hunger to learn, analyze and resolve problems, the ability to embrace an approach to problem-solving that is not limited by the confines of any single discipline, and the aptitude to quickly familiarize oneself with the tools and methods in fields outside of one’s own are the three talents that IMT aims to cultivate in its doctoral students. IMT receives thousands of applications every year for the program from every corner of the globe.

Impact

IMT makes an impact at various levels and in multiple spheres. In terms of research, despite its relatively young age, IMT already enjoys many concrete successes, hosting a variety of international, European and national research projects which account for nearly half of its yearly budget. Furthermore, the high scientific quality of the School's professors and researchers has recently been certified by the ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes). IMT obtained an excellent result, ranking first in area 13 “economics and statistics”, with an average score of 0.91/1 for the publications presented. Also taking into account the other scientific areas of the School, the comprehensive average score was 0.92/1, with an average of 0.98/1 in the areas of computer science, engineering, and mathematics. This represents an extraordinary success, as similar results were not achieved by any other university in all 14 of the areas evaluated. Research at IMT is also carried out in close collaboration with the local territory through various initiatives and projects in a variety of areas (tissue industry, healthcare industry, marine industry, ICT for smart cities and many others) in collaboration with the municipality of Lucca. IMT promotes higher education and research apprenticeships Companies can contact to IMT to activate higher education and research apprenticeship agreements with students that have been deemed eligible to enroll in IMT's Ph.D. program. Companies can also contact the School with profiles of interest (that are also in line with IMT's research agenda) to advertise in the next Ph.D. program call. More info on apprenticeships page. The School continues reinforcing its impact on the territory by intensifying its collaborations with businesses, public entities, institutions, schools and by continuing the successful OPEN IMT Conferences program of open-door cultural and scientific events.