Objectives and Professional Opportunities
Course Objectives
The Ph.D. Program in Smart and Sustainable Industry aims to train experts with a high scientific profile, capable of contributing to technological innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable development of the significant production chains in the national and European landscape, providing students with a solid background for understanding fundamental physicochemical phenomena and the most complex and challenging engineering problems, as well as a thorough knowledge of the numerical and experimental methodologies and approaches necessary for their analysis and implementation. The Course uses a significant network of research interactions in several application areas and the powerful synergies between the active regions of the Politecnico di Bari and the University of Bari Aldo Moro, capitalizing on the expertise developed in the numerous technology transfer programs of the proposing universities, the potential of the many public-private laboratories that long present within them, and the industrial research initiatives underway in the regional and national territory. The Course is divided into two interconnected cultural macro-environments to ensure the strongly interdisciplinary educational objectives: · Core technologies that include embedded systems, smart sensor networks, ICT, Internet of Things, Industrial Internet, Big Data and Analytics, Fog/Cloud/Mobile Edge Computing, cybersecurity, industrial automation and measurement systems, robotics, smart machine development, mechanical design and machining technologies, process engineering, evolutionary and adaptive manufacturing systems, efficient and sustainable energy systems, organizational process innovation and models business. · Emerging technologies, including nanotechnology and advanced materials, additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, industrial tribology, advanced devices and sensors, smart systems, quantum technology, smart wearable devices, collaborative robotics, advanced human-machine interface, cognitive automation, advanced machine learning, virtual & augmented reality, metaverse, digital twin and simulation, human-centered artificial intelligence, blockchain, smart education and training for technology transfer. Technologies will be explored with a sensitivity aimed at social, economic, and environmental sustainability and improving human well-being. To train Ph. D.s capable of contributing to technological innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable development of the significant production chains in the national and European scene, the Teachers’ Board identifies for each student a personalized training path that allows an adequate degree of in-depth study in line with specific interests and talents. This course includes, together with the specifically defined research activity for an overall commitment of 120 credits, also a teaching activity for a maximum number of credits equal to 60, by the didactic regulations of the Doctoral School (SCUDO) of the Polytechnic University of Bari (https://www.poliba.it/sites/default/files/dottorati/regscudo2021.pdf) , to be carried out preferably in the first two years. The teaching activity, typically in the first year, is geared toward making the fundamental skills more homogeneous, including attending basic teachings. After that, students can take specialized instructions activated to achieve the specific objectives of the Course. Specifically, the doctoral teaching imparted within the Course includes teachings offered by SCUDO (http://www.poliba.it/it/dottorato-di-ricerca-pagina/offerta-didattica) from which the student can choose the most suitable ones to enrich their education in agreement with the Supervisor and the Teaching Staff. The course offerings defined by the SCUDO College, upon a proposal of the individual Doctoral Colleges, are usually updated annually to allow doctoral students a plurality of content throughout the cycle. Doctoral didactics is complemented by seminar tracks (http://phd-ssi.poliba.it/scientific-events) focusing on specific aspects related to technological innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable development of industry, also organized in collaboration with large companies, PMI, and research centers, with which there are already numerous and well-established collaborative relationships. Students are also strongly advised to study at foreign Universities or Research Centers of relevant international prestige and to interact closely with the industrial world, which is also functional for a better understanding of technology transfer processes and implicit for educational paths with a more robust characterization in this direction.
Career opportunity
The ALMALAUREA 2022 report on the profile and employment status of PhD testifies to the high effectiveness (about 72%) of the skills acquired during the doctoral course on the specific work activity, as well as the high employment rate (about 91%) about one year after obtaining the PhD degree, only three months for finding the first job opportunity with a high degree of specialization on average. The occupational status of PhD is, therefore, better than Master Degree in the same SSDs, with about 83% of the employed who carry out a “intellectual, scientific and highly specialized profession”. Moreover, nowadays, companies are called to invest in digital technologies useful to support the transition to Intelligent Industry and Sustainable Development and, consequently, need to find qualified personnel for this purpose. The Excelsior report of June 2022 foresees a total need of 4.1/4.4 million workers in the period 2022-2026, with a clear growth in the demand for technical figures that will represent about 41% of new hired. However, despite the estimate sharp increasing of employed, it remains a critical situation about skills which do not fully match the needs of technological innovation and digital and sustainable industry transformation. The specific skills acquired at the end of the PhD program in Smart and Sustainable Industry fully meet the needs of key professionals in the development of high-tech systems, expressed by the modern manufacturing industry that is called to constantly invest in process, product, and service innovation. Among the sectors of industrial outlet, and of particular interest in the regional and national area, it seems relevant to mention: aerospace, automotive, mobility and transport, smart city, biomedicine, mechanics and mechatronics, agribusiness, electronics, information technology, telecommunications, energy, logistics, steel, textile-clothing-footwear, manufacturing. In addition, trained PhD can find professional opportunities in research and development field for the service industry, as well as for systems, products and services related to resource management. The PhD in Smart and Sustainable Industry will be able to work as professional consultants for industrial companies to manage innovation processes and as experts in development of European Union research programs. Finally, some of the PhD will be able to be absorbed into Italian and foreign universities as well as becoming researchers in public and private research institutions, and in consortia for sustainable development and technological industry innovation.