The call for the 41st cycle of the PhD in Biotechnology is available at the address:
http://www.unina.it/didattica/post-laurea/dottorati-di-ricerca/bandi-di-ammissione
(Italian version)
The English version will be available soon at the address:
http://www.unina.it/didattica/post-laurea/dottorati-di-ricerca/english-version
Number of positions available: 7, funded by the Federico II University
The topics available for the 7 positions funded by the Federico II University are:
1) Development of a bioconversion process for the production of high added value products
2) Identification and characterization of bio-active ingredients from natural sources for nutraceutical and cosmeceutical applications
3) Microbial cell factories for biosensing, bioremediation, nanomaterial biosynthesis, and circular valorization of waste into high-value products
4) Production of high-valuable metabolites in fast-growing microalgae and plants using synthetic biology approaches
5) Development and Implementation of Modified Oligonucleotides for Advanced Biotechnological Application
6) Production and characterization of low environmental impact bioplastics produced from renewable sources
7) Discovery, characterisation and engineering of carbohydrate-active enzymes from hyper(thermophilic) microorganisms for biocatalysis and biotransformation
How to write the research project
The research project, in Italian OR in English, must, UNDER EXCLUSION, clearly indicate which topic of the 41st cycle of the PhD in Biotechnology, chosen among those reported above, refers to and must not be longer than 1000 words (about two typewritten A4 pages).
The text must describe a possible PhD thesis project, illustrating the scientific premises, objectives, implementation methods, and the scientific and technological approaches to be followed. Figures and tables may not be included.
RESULTS OF THE TITLES AND PROJECT EVALUATION
results
The interviews for the PhD in Biotechnology will be on 16/07/2025 from 9:00 am (Central European Time) in the room BIO6 of the Department of Biology, Building 7 Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli.
The candidate have to bring the ID included in the application.
Those unable to attend in presence because abroad, can join at the link, and have to inform the Commission by e-mail (marco.moracci@unina.it; antonio.marzocchella@unina.it; mdmonti@unina.it) describing a valid reason not to be in presence
link to the page of the 41st cycle
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The PhD in Biotechnology has the mission to train highly educated students on Biotechnological Process. To achieve this goal, the PhD course combines the theoretical knowoledge with practice tools on the modern Biotechnology. The education path developes the following skills within the student:
- Advanced molecular and cellular knowledge on biological systems;
- Fundamentals of process development for biotechnological applications;
- Research metholodology aimed at developing innovation in biotechology;
- Knolwdge of legislation, deonthology and ethics issues in the field of biotechnology;
- Managment and coordination of human resourses as well as technical tools and materials involved in the development of biotechonological applications;
- Advanced knowledge and scientific practice of at least one language (preferably english) from a EU country other than Italy;
- Managment and communication of up-to-date information in biotechnology.
The members of the Board of Teachers belong to the Dept of Chemical Sciences, Biology, Agriculture, Physics, Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering. The Board of Teachers includes also several members from prestigious foreign universities. Moreover, the PhD commission always includes two foreign members. Indeed the PhD course has a strong international footprint, being subsidised on this aspect by the Italian Minister of Education and University (MIUR) and keeping several connection and relationship with excellences coming from foreign Universities or Research Institues. Thanks to a long lasting relationship between the "An-Najah National University", Nablus, Palestine and the University of Naples "Federico II" in the field of higher education and scientific research, the PhD course in Biotechnology reserves a position in each cycle for students graduated at the An-Najah University.
The heterogeneity and trasversality of the professional competences point out the multidisciplinarity of both the topics and the methodologies of the research fields, which are specifically suited for industrial application. This represent a clear peculiarity of the PhD in Biotechnology with respect to the other PhD courses at University of Napoli Federico II.
Moreover the PhD route is based also on several connections established by the members of the commissions with industrial environment at regional, national and international level. A specific PhD program mainly established in regional SME is also active ("Dottorato in azienda"), which fooster the connection between the PhD student and the local industrial substrate.
The PhD students in Botechnology have been sensibly appreciated in their specific research field by the academic community and private companies. As an example, the number and quality of pubblications achieved by the PhD students is very high with respect to other similar PhD courses and the Thesis level is approved by an international commission. The evaluation panel of the University has always graded the PhD in biotechnology at the highest positions within the list of all the PhD courses.
Since 2018 the PhD in Biotechnology dedicates a scholarship to the memory of Giulio Regeni.
A survey on the enployment of the PhDs in Biotechnology, over 90 people who got the title from 2011 to 2020, revealed that:
 | - The average time for employment is 4 months. (Only three PhDs had no position one year after the defense of the thesis.) - 70% found a position in Italy, 28% found a position in Europe and 2% found a position in US | ||
These data show that the training of the PhD in Biotechnology fully meets the needs of the research community (public and private) and of the business world, contributing to the training of a professional figure who does not encounter difficulties in finding a job.
The PhD in Biotechnology was born in 2001 with the mission to answer at the demand of new professionalities in Biotechnology as a new discipline involved in several research fileds in public and prvate sectors in the world. In the next years the course started to belong to the PhD school in Biotechnology, which was constitued by three routes: Industrial and Molecular Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology, and Agricultural Biotechnology. since the 29th cycle (2014-2017) the former PhD course in Bioechnology has been reconstituted.
Active PhD Cycles:
38th Cycle: 2022-2025
39th Cycle: 2023-2026
40th Cycle: 2024-2027
Coming soon:
41st cycle: 2025-2028
STUDENT SERVICES
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Course Calendar
The calendar of courses held in 2025 is available on this page (for the specific teaching offer of each cycle, please refer to the web page of the corresponding cycle: 38th, 39th, 40th)
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Organizational Chart
The list of the Committees supporting the activities of PhD students is available on this page
Orientation Activities
Orientation activities carried out by the PhD in Biotechnology can be found on this page
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Equipment and Common Spaces
The list of study rooms, computer rooms, libraries, cafeterias, scientific and technological instruments accessible to the students of the PhD in Biotechnology is available on this page
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FAQ and forms
A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available on this page to simplify the work of doctoral students.
1) START OF THE PhD2) INSURANCE FOR PhD STUDENTS
3) TEACHING
4) OTHER ACTIVITIES OF PhD STUDENTS
5) ADMISSION TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR OF THE DOCTORATE
6) CONFERENCES, MEETINGS
7) PERIOD OF STUDY AND RESEARCH ABROAD
8) MISSIONS AND STAYS FOR SAMPLING, CONFERENCES, SHORT PERIODS AT OTHER LABORATORIES
9) PURCHASES, REFUNDS AND USE OF DOCTORAL FUNDS FOR RESEARCH
Main Universities and Research Institutes scientifically collaborating with the PhD course in Biotechnology:
 | Aix Marseille Université Marseille, France | |
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 | An-Najah National University Nablus, Palestine | |
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 | Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Germany | |
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 | Gdansk University of Technology (Politechnika Gdanska) Gdansk, Poland | |
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 | Lisbon Unversity (ULisboa) Lisbon, Portugal | |
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 | Newcastle University Newcastle, UK | |
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 | Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid, Spain | |
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 | UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA | |
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 | Western University London, Ontario, Canada | |
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