PhD Programme in Agriculture, Food and Environment

 

Introduction

Compared to a few decades ago, agricultural sciences have taken important steps towards the principles of sustainability. The limits of industrial agriculture – based on high consumption of fossil energy and extreme specialization – are now widely recognized, as is the positive value of ecosystem services related to agriculture. Nevertheless, agricultural sciences will face new and important challenges over the next decade. A large part of food in Europe is still produced with unsustainable techniques that involve a strong dependence on external inputs (feed, fertilizers, pesticides), high consumption of natural resources such as water and land, high levels of carbon and nutrient emissions in the environment and a simplification of production processes, which severely limits the natural cycle of nutrients and the conservation of biodiversity. However, population growth and the need to ensure safe access to food for the greatest number of people in the world are putting pressure on agricultural systems, which are also subjected to the challenges related to climate change. This scenario, on the whole, raises concerns about the resilience of agri-food systems and calls for adaptation and mitigation strategies that have also been mentioned in the recent COP21 agreements.

The FAO, in defining the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has clearly indicated that agriculture in the coming decades will have to constantly reduce its environmental impact, improve access to food and strategic nutrients for a constantly growing world population, while guaranteeing a decent income to agricultural producers and helping to keep rural areas alive. It is therefore a question of guaranteeing the three cornerstones of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. The use of a wide range of new emerging technologies – based on omics sciences, information technologies, robotics, artificial intelligence – will contribute to the achievement of these goals. At the same time there is an emerging need – already recognized by international organizations – for the innovation paths based on these technologies to integrate with agroecological principles, so that production systems are redesigned taking into account the specificities of rural communities and territories in which they develop. In this context of growing demand for enabling technologies capable of improving the efficiency of agricultural systems by reducing their environmental impact, there is the need to fully seize the opportunities offered by the so-called “bioeconomic revolution”, based on strong progress in the transformation processes of biomass in bioproducts.

 

The PhD programme

The PhD program of Agriculture, Food and Environment is a three-year post-graduate research course at the homonymous department (DAFE) of the University of Pisa. The University of Pisa (UNIPI) is one of the most important universities in Italy and has a long tradition of excellence in terms of education and scientific research. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment is dedicated to research at the frontiers of agricultural, food and agro-environmental sciences. The Director of DAFE is currently Prof. Cristina Nali (direttoredisaaa@unipi.it) and the teaching staff consists of 86 professors and researchers.

The PhD program moves from the awareness that food sustainability is a goal to be achieved through a set of activities that range from production to consumption, involves a myriad of actors and mobilizes natural and human-made resources. Focus on sustainability implies that specialization of agricultural science, necessary to deal with increasing complexity, is accompanied by a strong commitment to take into account systemic implications, including unintended consequences of given technological solutions.

Sustainability is also a multidimensional concept, and its assessment can be carried out against a multeplicity of criteria, namely environmental, social, economic, and health-related, so that the choice between technological trajectories may face trade-offs, contradictions, different perspectives and interests. For this reason, a large involvement of stakeholders in the definition of sustainability goals, research goals and methods is needed.

 

Aims and scope

The PhD Programme in Agriculture, Food and Environment aims to train researchers—including through agreements with external public institutions and private companies—who possess the expertise required to address sustainability challenges in the agri-food sector and the need to ensure greater efficiency of production systems, high nutritional quality of food, and secure access to food.

The main research areas developed within the PhD Programme include: i) the study of sustainable and resilient agricultural systems in relation to the challenges posed by climate change; ii) the applications of plant, animal and microbial biotechnology; iii) the applications of agroecological principles to crop and animal production systems; iv) the study of the ecology, physiology, genomics, proteomics and metabolomics of plant and animal organisms used for food production; v) the development of sustainable food technologies; vi) the study of the quality of plant- and animal-derived foods and of the main genetic and environmental factors determining their variability; vi) the application of enabling technologies for the development of precision farming systems in plant and animal production; vii) technologies for plant and soil protection and environmental remediation, including in urban environments; viii) the development of technologies to bioeconomy systems, with particular reference to the use of by-products from agri-food supply chains for the production of animal feed, fertilisers, soil amendments and biostimulants, as well as sources of compounds with nutraceutical properties.

In light of these premises, the central theme of the PhD Programme is “food sustainability”, and the Programme can be placed within the European Commission’s Food 2030 strategy. It relates to several ERC areas, including LS9 (Applied Life Sciences), LS2 (Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology), SH3 (The Social World and Its Diversity) and SH1 (Individuals, Markets and Organisations).

The Programme aims to train researchers with an up-to-date and excellent disciplinary background, a deep understanding of the systemic implications of their specific field of activity, and an awareness of the importance of reciprocal relationships with private companies, public administrations and civil society, as a whole.

To achieve this aim, we have developed an interdisciplinary programme that combines agricultural sciences with a range of biological disciplines. Its scope is divided into three main areas:

* Biological foundations of food sustainability

* Sustainability of food production systems

* Food quality and safety

The PhD Programme promotes the development of common systemic approaches through its training programme, which focuses on the scientific principles of sustainability, and through partnership strategies. In this context, specific agreements have been established with external institutions—including the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and FAO—and with private companies such as ABOCA S.r.l. for selected research topics, with joint supervision by the University and the external institution.

 

The PhD program and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan

Some PhD scholarships have been funded or co-financed by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). In fact, the educational objectives of the PhD course are consistent with the issues of the NRRP relating to the green and ecological transition of the economy and the society and with the digital transition and the technological innovation needs of companies and public administrations. In particular, in the first case, various scientific disciplinary sectors relating to the doctorate have active research lines in the field of agroecology, the protection and conservation of agricultural biodiversity, the circular economy, the reduction of chemical inputs, the reduction of gas emissions with greenhouse effect and the release of nutrients into the environment, with reference to both agricultural processes and those of food processing and conservation.

In the wake of the tradition that has seen the agricultural school of Pisa engaged since its foundation in the development of sustainable agriculture models, the research lines of the department that are expressed in the PhD program pay particular attention to the ecological transition of agriculture through the introduction of innovations that make agricultural systems more sustainable. The experimental facilities of the Centre for Agri-environmental Research “Enrico Avanzi” of the University of Pisa (to which almost all the teachers of the college belong) also guarantees the possibility for PhD students to carry out research on different scales and to obtain results readily transferable to agri-food companies. In the second case, there are just as many research initiatives related to the development of enabling and intelligent technologies to improve production efficiency and the sustainability of agricultural and transformation processes and to make more effective the certification and quality control systems of products and processes. The research lines on precision agriculture cover all areas of agricultural production, from crops to livestock and provide for applications both at the level of primary production companies and at the level of food companies. The models and tools dedicated to fostering the digital transition do not neglect the need to involve the public administration as well, envisaging digitization approaches that are also useful in those sectors of the public administration dedicated to the development and implementation of European policies in the agri-food sector, consistent with plans of rural development. These lines of research are active on both European and national projects. The activity of the scientists of the PhD board in technology transfer is also very significant, an aspect that guarantees a broad applicability of the results of these lines of research to the world of agri-food companies and a higher probability for PhDs to achieve important work positions. In fact, the disciplinary areas and the issues addressed are consistent with the needs of the country, as well as of the regional territories interested in the PhD program, in terms of highly qualified figures oriented to meet the innovation needs of the companies referred to in the PNRR.

 

How to Apply

The call for applications for admission to the 42nd cycle (2026–2029) of the PhD Programme opened on 10 June, and the selection process will take place at the end of September. Prospective applicants can consult the official call for applications at this link for further information, particularly regarding the date and location of the examination.

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification and demonstrate a good knowledge of one of the research areas described above. Each year, the PhD Board identifies a number of research topics available to prospective PhD candidates. These topics are published on this page.

The number of graduates admitted to the PhD Programme varies from year to year depending on the number of scholarships available and the outcome of the selection process. For the 42nd cycle (2026–2029), five scholarships will be available, together with one position without a scholarship reserved for an employee of a partner company operating under a specific agreement with the University.

The PhD scholarship provides approximately €13,600 per year, in addition to social security contributions, for the entire duration of the PhD Programme. The scholarship amount is increased by 50% when the PhD student undertakes a research period abroad of at least 15 days at an academic or research institution. Each year, every PhD candidate also receives an annual research budget of approximately €1,600.

Candidates will be selected on the basis of their academic record—including average examination grades, final degree grade and awards received—their scientific CV—including publications, scholarships or research grants, and periods of study or research abroad—and an interview focusing on their Master’s thesis and research interests.

Particular attention during the interview will be given to the research topics available to prospective PhD candidates, which are identified each year by the PhD Board and published on this page.

International applicants may be admitted at any time as additional PhD students beyond the standard number of available positions if they hold a scholarship funded by the European Union or, in the case of non-EU citizens, by their country of origin.

 

Research Topics Available for 2026

For this year only, all PhD scholarships will be reserved for the following research topics:

* “Behavioral ecology, advanced monitoring and sustainable management of Auchenorrhyncha

acting as vectors in agricultural and natural settings”

* “Genetic and phenotypic characterization of Salicornia genotypes in the Mediterranean area”

* “Early diagnosis of plant diseases and physiopathies and eco-sustainable crop protection strategies”

* “Circularity and diversification strategies in livestock systems”

* “Sustainable strategies for the containment of mycotoxins in cereals”

 

Events

2024 – Nourishing the Planet: The Future of Food and Farming in a Climate-Changing World

20–21 November 2024

Main Lecture Hall, Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences

As every year, first- and second-year PhD candidates organise a scientific conference at which they present their research together with national and international experts from their respective fields.

TENUTA LAB: CO-CREATION LABORATORY FOR SUVIGNANO – 1st Edition

25–30 September 2023

Tenuta di Suvignano, Monteroni d’Arbia

The Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences is organising the first edition of the Tenuta Lab in Suvignano as part of RinnovaMENTI RURALI: Major Rural Challenges Enabling Territorial Innovation and Regeneration.

The initiative is a training and co-design programme focused on nature, legality, entrepreneurship in rural areas and communities in transition. Five days of study, research and co-creation will involve the community of PhD candidates, researchers and professors from the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences of the University of Pisa.

PhD candidates from different academic backgrounds and disciplines will have the opportunity to meet and work together in groups. Research and study activities will alternate with experiential and team-building activities.

Through the acquisition of facilitation techniques, creative research methodologies, design thinking and participatory approaches, PhD candidates will experiment with new ways of working and conducting research, generating research ideas and projects, and mapping and analysing the farm’s resources while enhancing local resources through transdisciplinary and innovative approaches.

The Tenuta Lab training programme for PhD candidates includes practical discussion sessions, field activities, direct observation, thematic workshops and meetings with local administrators, entrepreneurs and stakeholders, conducted in both English and Italian.

For further information, please contact Prof. Andrea Serra (andrea.serra@unipi.it).

“Strengthening Cross-Sectors to Integrate Humans–Animals–Ecosystems: A One Health Approach in Agricultural Science”

22–23 November 2023

Main Lecture Hall, Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences

As every year, first- and second-year PhD candidates organise a scientific conference at which they present their research together with national and international experts from their respective fields.

 

Contacts

  • Coordinator: Prof. Daniele Antichi, DAFE,
    via Del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy)Tel. +39 050 2216 663; email: phd_coordinator@agr.unipi.it
  • Administrative Office: Dr. Stefano Fanti, DAFE,
    via Del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa (Italy)Tel. +39 050 2216 083; email: stefano.fanti@unipi.it