PhD in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Industrial Innovation
The PhD Program in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Related Industrial Innovation aims to train young graduates in basic and applicative research and its applications in the industrial field, in particular in the following sectors: organic synthesis and reactivity, photochemistry, synthesis and structural and functional characterization of organic molecules, inorganic and coordination compounds, synthesis of new multifunctional polymeric, metallic, ceramic and composite materials (including meso- or nanostructured ones), chemico-physical and functional properties of materials, design and development of new drug candidates, advanced analytical methodologies in the chemical and chemical-pharmaceutical field, design and development of innovative drug delivery systems (including micro- and nanosystems) and medical devices.
The program is provided by the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Drug Sciences.
Università degli Studi di Pavia Presentation Video
Affiliated Departments:
Department of Chemistry
Department of Drug Sciences
This PhD program is part of the Science and Technology area of the PhD Schools of the University of Pavia
Duration of the Program
3 years
Future Employment and Job Opportunities
PhD students, having completed their training, will be able to contribute to the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge in both the academic and industrial fields.
Doctors will therefore be able to pursue a university career or find employment in public and private research organizations or in companies in the chemical, analytical, chemical-pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical technological, nutraceutical, cosmetic, green-tech and energy sectors.
Information
To be eligible for the PhD School in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Industrial Innovation, a Masters’ Degree in related areas is required.
Further information and documents for the applications can be found here.
Coordinator:
Prof. Giorgio Colombo
e-mail: phd.cfi@unipv.it
phone: +39 0382 987044
Deputy Coordinator:
Prof. Silvia Rossi
e-mail: silvia.rossi@unipv.it
phone: +39 0382987357
Secretary:
Eleonora De Lorenzo
e-mail: eleonora.delorenzo@unipv.it
phone: +39 0382987908
PhD Student Representatives:
Miriam Parmigiani; Cristian Nomicisio
Teaching Committee:
The objective of the PhD School is the training of young researchers in the design, synthesis and characterization of new multifunctional materials and bioactive compounds, and the development of appropriate carriers. The industrial application of such methodologies is another important training objective of the PhD Program.
The objectives are pursued through educational-training activities and experimental research, carried out at the laboratories of the University of Pavia and/or at extra-university structures (companies or public/private research organizations).
The Teaching Committee proposes and coordinates the teaching activities, defines and approves the research program with each PhD student by appointing a "Supervisor" chosen among the teachers of the Departments involved. The Supervisor is assisted by a second supervisor, who can be an academic or an employee of the extra-university structure where the PhD student completely or partially carries out his/her research activity.
The research activity of PhD students is carried out full-time on topics of significant scientific interest in the chemical and pharmaceutical fields. The PhD student is trained to achieve high autonomy in planning and carrying out his/her scientific activity. The teaching activity aims to provide: i) advanced knowledge on the disciplines covered by the research topics, through attendance at institutional courses; ii) interdisciplinary skills through the participation in international conferences and schools; iii) skills necessary for disseminating the results of his/her research in both written (report, paper) and oral form, in seminars, schools and conferences.
Students have the possibility to freely choose the courses to include in their study plan, even outside the courses offered by the Doctoral School, within third level teaching offered by the University of Pavia or other universities. The study plan proposed by the doctoral student must be approved by the student's tutor before passing to the Teaching Committee.
The following educational offer is active for the PhD year 2024-2025 (cycles 38, 39 and 40)
Advanced Diffraction Techniques for Structural Investigation in Material Science * (6 ECTS)
*taught in alternate years starting from 2020 Inactive 2025/2026
Proff. Lorenzo Malavasi and Doretta Capsoni
Asymmetric synthesis (3 CFU)
Docente: David Sarlah
Chemosensors, Biosensors and Electronic Noses and Tongues (6 ECTS)
Prof. Giancarla Alberti
DOE: Application to Pharmaceutical Formulations (2 ECTS)
Prof. Maria Cristina Bonferoni
Elementary Electronic Structure of Solids (6 CFU)
Prof. Liberato Manna
Experimental Model in Biopharmaceutics (2 ECTS)
Prof Giuseppina Sandri
Food Chemistry and Analysis (6 ECTS)
Prof. Daniele Merli
Get Prepared for the Next: How to build an Effective Scientific Research Project, tools and tricks (2 ECTS)
Prof. Giulia Grancini
Green analytical chemistry: evolution, applications and greenness evaluation (6 CFU)
Prof. Andrea Speltini
Green approaches in food processing and analysis (4 credits)
Prof. Adele Papetti
Guide for a Cost-effective Organization of Experiments and Synthetic Representation of Massive Dataset (6 ECTS)
Prof. R. Biesuz
How to write an (effective) scientific paper (2 CFU)
Prof. Lorenzo Malavasi
Innovative Analytical Methods in Drug Discovery (4 ECTS)
Prof. Enrica Calleri
Introduction to the Chemistry of Complex Systems (6 ECTS)
Prof. Umberto Anselmi Tamburini
Manufacturing and Control of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and Excipients (4 ECTS)
Prof. Carla M. Caramella
Manufacturing of Sterile Pharmaceutical Products (4 ECTS)
Prof. Bice Conti
Metals in Medicine. Metallodrugs and disorders associated with metal metabolism (6 CFU)
Prof. Simone Dell’Acqua and Dott.ssa Chiara Bacchella
Modern NMR Spectroscopy in Organic Chemistry (6 ECTS)
Prof. Mariella Mella
Molecular Simulations in Chemical Biology (6 ECTS)
Prof. Stefano A. Serapian
New Frontiers in Inorganic Catalysis (6 ECTS)
Prof. Yuri Diaz Fernandez
New Frontiers in Photovoltaics: Materials and Technologies (2 ECTS)
Prof. Giulia Grancini
Patent Law (2 ECTS)
Prof. Lauretta Maggi
Peptides and Eptidomimetic Therapeutics: Scientific Approaches (6 ECTS)
Prof. Simona Collina
Photocatalysis in Technology and Synthesis: Past, Present and Future (6 ECTS)
Prof. Davide Ravelli
Physical Properties of Powders (2 ECTS)
Dr. Barbara Vigani
Rational Drug Design (4 ECTS)
Prof. Daniela Rossi
Technological Controls of Semisolid Drug Delivery Systems (2 ECTS)
Prof. Silvia Rossi
TRANSVERSAL COURSES
to enroll in these courses, after approval of the study plan, follow the instructions indicated here https://phd.unipv.it/corsi-trasversali-per-dottorandi/
Basics of Intellectual Property (5 ECTS)
Teacher: Prof. Alessandro Pontiroli
An 8-hour “Research and Nanomedicine” workshop will be held in June
Origins of Life (6 ECTS)
Prof. Daniele Dondi and Prof. Dhanalakshmi Vadivel
Educational activities carried out by PhD Students in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Related Industrial Innovation in the three-year period are summarized in the following table. To pass to the next year, or acquire the final PhD title, the students are required to fulfill the requirements reported in the table.
| Activity |
Year I |
Year II (ECTS) |
Year III (ECTS) |
Total (ECTS) |
| Mandatory PhD courses | 12 | 12 | – | 24 |
| Seminars | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Other educational activities (other courses, Conferences, Schools, etc.) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Experimental Research | 42 | 42 | 43 | 127 |
| Dissertation | – | – | 12 | 12 |
| TOTAL | 60 | 60 | 60 | 180 |
The educational-training program is characterized by three types of activities: (i) mandatory PhD courses, (ii) seminars, and (iii) other educational and training activities, such as other university courses, attendance of PhD schools or national and international conferences.
The hour equivalence of university ECTS (“CFU” in Italian) for mandatory courses and seminars is 1 ECTS = 4 hours of lectures, according to the rules of the University of Pavia.
Students have the possibility to freely choose the courses to be included in their study plan (even outside the courses offered by the PhD School), within the third level teaching at the University of Pavia or other universities. The study plan proposed by the PhD student must be approved by the student’s supervisor/s before discussion in the Teaching Committee. At the end of each year PhD students are required to fulfill 24 ECTS.
Every academic year, the Teaching Committee prepares a list of school-specific educational and training activities, which is published online on the PhD program website and constantly updated.
As far as seminars are concerned, seminar programs are usually announced through flyers, e-mails and updates on the PhD program website.
The most significant part of the total number of ECTS required is represented by the experimental research activity and preparation of the PhD dissertation (1 ECTS= 15 hours of work).
In the course of three years, each PhD student carries out his/her research on a full-time basis, on an original and scientifically relevant subject, under the guidance of the Supervisor/s. Part of the research may be carried out also at other Universities or Research Centers, in Italy or abroad.
At the beginning of the program the PhD student proposes, in written form, his/her research topic (within the subject areas pursued in the two Departments) and the corresponding experimental plan, to be approved by the Teaching Committee. At the beginning of year II and III, the PhD student presents also an educational report, including a summary of the activities of the previous year and of those proposed for the incoming one, to be examined and approved by the Teaching Committee.
The PhD Program in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Related Industrial Innovation is divided into three curricula: Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Industrial. PhD students can access all the research laboratories of the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, where numerous research topics of significant interest are active.
CHEMICAL CURRICULUM:
- Mechanistic studies of 1,3 cycloaddition reactions and investigation of the reactivity or resulting compounds;
- Green synthesis for sustainable chemistry, photochemical reactions and microwave assisted reactions;
- Chiral Catalysts for asymmetric synthesis;
- Synthesis of pharmacologically and biologically active compounds;
- Computational methods in bioorganic systems;
- Organic ligands for nucleic acids and their applications in diagnostics and pharmacology;
- Optically active macrocycles for chiroptic sensing and for the assembly of chiral nanostructures;
- Photophysical and photochemical compounds of pharmacological interest;
- Selective receptors for anionic species;
- Electrochemical, thermodynamic, and structural studies of new materials;
- Reactivity, structure and properties of ternary oxides and “Host-Guest” structures;
- Characterization of solid adsorbents and their analytical applications;
- Surface modification of electrodes using “Self-Assembled Monolayers” and nanomaterials for electrochemical applications;
- Biomimetic chemosensors;
- Materials for the protection of stone and wooden supports in the context of cultural heritage;
- Mechanistic studies on model systems of enzymes and on the structure-property relationships of metalloenzymes;
- Modification of proteins via reactive species generated by metalloproteins;
- Functionalization of nanoparticles and surfaces with organic molecules for multifunctional nanomaterials;
- Controlled synthesis of functional polymers for applications in the energy and environmental/biomedical fields.
PHARMACEUTICAL CURRICULUM:
- Design of compounds of pharmaceutical interest: functionalized inhibitors of intregrins, selective ligands of sigma receptors, compounds interacting with the protein kinase C/ELAV-like proteins/mRNA system; tubulin and microtubule ligands; natural and modified nucleotides; oligosaccharides and glycopeptide vaccines.
- Biological screening systems for docking bioactive molecules onto silicon chips.
- Study of compounds of natural origin: drug discovery from plants and characterization of phytocomponents, water-soluble components of foods with anti-adhesive activity towards the main etiological agents of tooth decay and/or antibacterial one, study of nutraceuticals on the expression of miRNAs in inflammatory processes.
- New analytical methods: “Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs)” and interaction studies with specific biological targets, study of chiral compounds, integrated LC-MS systems in the characterization of the proteome.
- Formulation development: characterization of solid state pharmaceutical substances and stabilization of drugs; design and development of micro- and nanoparticle systems for the delivery of poorly soluble drugs, proteins and vaccines; design and development of in situ gelling systems for mucosal application; design and development of new platforms for tissue repair and regeneration; development of innovative biomaterials with improved functional properties for application in regenerative medicine.
INDUSTRIAL CURRICULUM:
- Scale-up of chemical and pharmaceutical products and processes;
- Development of formulation strategies of industrial interest.
By September 15th of the academic year, all doctoral students (with the exception of students who began their PhD courses with the ter or quater calls) must submit the necessary documentation (vide infra) for admission to the following year in electronic format (pdf and word), delivering the files by filling in all the fields of the Google form that will be sent via email by the coordinator, typically in the months of April/May preceding the deadline (to send the documents you simply need to drag/upload them into the appropriate spaces/ link).
The documentation includes:
a) A self-certification (an example is in the “Documents and Forms” section of this website) which certifies the compliance with the teaching requirements and the program defined upon delivery of the study plan, indicating the courses followed with related exams passed with their grades, and participation in conferences, schools and seminars scientific interest. The document must be signed by the doctoral student and his/her guardian.
b) a short report in English (maximum 2 pages, including the title and a summary in Italian of maximum 500 characters) on the research activity carried out by the doctoral student during the first year of the course. The report must bear the signature of the doctoral student and his/her tutor and must be sent in Word and PDF format.
IMPORTANT: The Coordinator asks each PhD student to kindly take part in soliciting their Supervisors to draft and send to the Coordinator (at phd.cfi@unipv.it), to the vice-coordinator (silvia.rossi@unipv.it) and to Mrs. Eleonora de Lorenzo (eleonora.delorenzo@unipv.it) the evaluation of the research activity by 15 September preceding the end of the academic year (unless otherwise specified for students enrolled with subsequent calls for a given cycle )
This last document must be sent by email by the Supervisor.
Templates of the documents are available in the "Documents and Forms" section of the doctoral website.
Presentation of Research Projects for First Year Students
In the month of September preceding the end of the academic year (the precise date will be communicated from time to time) all doctoral students at the end of the first year (Institutional, PON, PNRR, regardless of the date of enrolment) will have to present their research project (not necessarily results but only the outline of the research that you intend to carry out during the doctorate years) with a poster (dimensions A0) that will be exhibited in the location that will be communicated in due time. This poster presentation will parallel the final research presentations of the third year doctoral students. The poster will be evaluated by the members of the Faculty Committee through questions and discussions aimed at evaluating the competence of the topics covered. The evaluation of the overall activity carried out by the Faculty Committee will consider: evaluation of the research activity by the tutor, average of the exam results, evaluation of the annual scientific report relating to the research activity and of the scientific poster.
Oral Presentations of Research Results for Second Year Students
In the month of September before the end of the academic year (the precise date will be communicated from time to time), the seminars for second year students will be held at the Department of Chemistry of Unipv in Viale Taramelli 10/12. Given the large number of students, the Faculty Committee, following the suggestion of the student representatives, decided to divide the presentations into groups consistent on the basis of their disciplinary sector. The presentations of the various groups will take place in parallel on the dedicated day and will be evaluated by committees made up of members of the Board of the specific sector.
Second year student presentations are typically 15-minute seminars, followed by a discussion with members of the Faculty.
PROCEDURES FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE DOCTORAL PATH, EVALUATION OF THE THESIS AND FINAL EXAMINATION
In the month of September of the last year of PhD program, PhD students will have to present their research work in the form of a seminar in front of the Teaching Committee. Seminars are typically given in two days, fully dedicated to PhD students.
THESIS, EVALUATION AND FINAL DEFENSE
FOR STUDENTS
By 30 September of the last year of PhD program (unless otherwise defined depending on the starting date of a PhD student), the students will have to upload the documents (hereafter reported) necessary for their thesis evaluation using google-module forms provided by the coordinator.
- copy of the thesis (pdf), with a short summary in Italian and English (word file, about 1000 characters);
- title page of the thesis;
- report, personally written and countersigned by the supervisor, on the activities carried out during the PhD program (pdf file; all activities except research);
- list of publications and conference communications, distinguishing between poster and oral ones;
- self-declaration regarding the congresses/seminars/workshops attended during the 3rd year only.
In a separate e-mail, if needed, the PhD students will have to send the coordinator (phd.cfi@unipv.it) the request for the embargo of their thesis according to rules established by UNIPV (http://phd.unipv.it/esame-finale-e-conseguimento-del-titolo/).
The above-mentioned documents, together with the evaluation of the research seminar, will be considered by the Teaching Committee (called at the end of September) with the aim of deciding the admissibility of the theses for the evaluation by the reviewers.
Students will then have to register for the final exam by 15 October (unless otherwise specified) with the payment of a MAV, sending a pdf copy of the thesis to at least two reviewers, suggested by the supervisors. The Teaching Committee will have to approve the proposed reviewers.
FOR SUPERVISORS
The supervisors are invited to indicate the thesis reviewers, who will also take part in the final exam evaluation committee for the PhD defense. Supervisors will have to indicate a third member (internal member) of the final exam evaluation committee belonging to UNIPV (according to the new procedures, it is necessary to electronically sign the verbal). The data (name, affiliation, tax code, date and place of birth - if abroad -, email address) of each committee member will be sent to the coordinator (phd.cfi@unipv.it) and to the secretariat (Eleonora De Lorenzo, eleonora.delorenzo@unipv.it) by the supervisor within 30 days following the approval of the thesis by the Teaching Committee.
To summarize, the reviewers, who will also be part of the final exam evaluation committee, must be:
- at least two researchers/professors who do not belong to UNIPV (from Italian and foreign universities, CNR, IIT, EMBO researchers, etc.);
- a UNIPV teacher, as internal member, not necessarily from the departments of Chemistry or Drug Sciences.
SENDING THESIS TO THE REVIEWERS
For the admission to the final discussion, the judgments of the external reviewers are mandatory.
It is the responsibility of each PhD student to send by e-mail the thesis to the reviewers, together with the evaluation form, copying the coordinator (phd.cfi@unipv.it) and the secretariat (eleonora.delorenzo@ unipv.it).
The reviewers should return their evaluations to the coordinator (phd.cfi@unipv.it) and to the secretariat (Eleonora De Lorenzo, eleonora.delorenzo@unipv.it) within 30 days following the sending of the thesis. It is necessary to receive positive judgments from both the two external reviewers for the admission to the final exam.
FINAL DEFENSE
It is the task of the internal member, once the judgments of the reviewers have been considered, to indicate the date for the final exam. This information is necessary to open the official session on ESSE3. The organization of the final session (online or in presence) is the responsibility of the internal member and the supervisor.
Supervisors will have to provide the coordinator (phd.cfi@unipv.it) and secretariat (eleonora.delorenzo@unipv.it) with the tax code of the reviewers or, in the case of foreigners, the details for calculating it (date and place of birth, gender, name and surname).
IMPORTANT: at least 20 days before the final exam, the PhD students must upload on ESSE3:
- final version of the thesis
- reviewers' judgments
taking care to indicate the validation by the Coordinator.
The internal member of the final exam evaluation will be responsible for reporting and verbalizing on ESSE3 the committee's evaluations (there is no longer anything on paper).
General instructions can be found on the UNIPV PhD website (http://phd.unipv.it/esame-finale-e-conseguimento-del-titolo/).
June 27th, 3.00 P.M.
ROOM CO1 - DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Dr. Paolo Giusto
Max Planck Institute, Potsdam, Germany
"2D Covalent Thin Films for Energy Applications"
May 28th, 3.00 P.M.
ROOM CO1 - DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Dr. Michele Benotti
ACS Dobfar S.p.A.
"Process Scale-Up: Lab vs. Plant"
May 23rd, 3.00 P.M.
ROOM CG3 – DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Prof. Xavier Daura
Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) and Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona
“Identification of new therapeutic targets in nosocomial Gram-negative bacteria as an alternative to current antibiotics"
March 12th, 3.00 P.M.
ROOM CG3 – DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Dr. Laura Galbiati
Senior Scientific Officer
Fondazione AIRC
"From bench to bench side.
A scientific path through the author, the editor, the publisher and the funder perspectives"
ROOM CO1 – DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Prof. Robert R. Knowles,
Princeton University, NJ-USA
“Organic Synthesis Away From Equilibrium.”
January 24th 2024, 3:00 pm
ROOM CG1 – DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Prof. Carlo Santulli
Materials Science and Technology
School of Science and Technology, Geology Division (SST)
Università degli Studi di Camerino
“Fabrication of drop cast films by keratin from chicken feathers"
February 7th, 3:00 pm
ROOM CG1 – DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Prof. Andrea Paolella
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
"From Materials synthesis to lithium metal batteries"