Introduction
The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) is a doctoral degree program within the University Federico II, Napoli, Department of Pharmacy. The three-year multidisciplinary course provides new generations of scientists with a solid, broad spectrum, background in disciplines dealing with chemical, pharmacological and technological aspects of drugs.
The Ph.D. Committee will assign to each Ph.D. student a tutor (supervisor) who will follow his/her research activity. The research project aims to reach relevant scientific results that will be the object of a final written thesis. Ph.D. students will present, periodically, the obtained results to the Committee board in order to ascertain their knowledge and skills. During the Ph.D. program (possibly between the second and third year), students are invited to spend at least three months as visiting scholars in a foreign university or research institute, according to their research interests. At the end of the Ph.D. program, Ph.D. candidates can be admitted to the final exam only if they have contributed, as authors, to at least two papers published on international journals. The final exam will be judged by an external Committee, which has to include among its members one or more components from foreign institutions.
During the three-year programme, PhD candidates will have the opportunities to co-operate with both Italian and foreign research institutions.
Brief description on the PhD course
The three years multidisciplinary course trains the new young generation of scientists with a solid broad-spectrum background belonging to 03 and 05 CUN and several ERC areas. The aim of the course is to train doctoral graduates with high qualifications and scientific autonomy in pharmaceutical research.
The course provides the skills necessary for i) the identification of new leads, ii) the rational design of new drugs, iii) their synthesis using traditional and innovative methods, iv) the identification of molecular and cellular targets of drug action, v) the study of their pharmacological properties and vi) the design of innovative pharmaceutical formulations. During the Ph.D. program, the students are invited to spend at least three months as visiting scholars in a foreign university or research institute. The purpose of the Ph.D. program is to satisfy the need to provide interdisciplinary knowledge in the training of qualified professional figures working in the field of both basic and applied research in public and private working environments.
Tab1
I dottori di ricerca al termine del loro ciclo di studio universitario di terzo livello avranno acquisito conoscenze e competenze scientifiche tali da renderli completamente autonomi nella pianificazione, nello sviluppo e nella gestione della ricerca, nella valutazione dei risultati ottenuti e nella loro divulgazione.
Gli sbocchi occupazionali per le figure formate da questo dottorato sono previsti nell'ambito di Università, Centri di Ricerca pubblici o privati, Industrie Farmaceutiche e Biomedicali, Ministero della Sanità, Regioni (Settore farmaceutico e ricerca scientifica), AA.SS.LL. Le collaborazioni esistenti tra i docenti del Dottorato e le altre istituzioni accademiche, la Pubblica Amministrazione, i centri di ricerca e le industrie, sia nazionali che estere, favoriscono l'inserimento dei dottorati nel mondo del lavoro ed accademico attraverso borse di studio, contratti, assegni di ricerca, percorsi post dottorali e posizioni equivalenti. Dall'esame negli anni degli esiti occupazionali degli iscritti a questo Dottorato risulta che una maggioranza ha trovato collocazione lavorativa in strutture ed enti di ricerca pubblici e privati non solo in Italia ma anche all'estero dove i dottorandi trovano ulteriori e maggiori possibilità di inserimento lavorativo in ambito scientifico.
Training experience
The graduate students of the School are requested to improve their knowledge on frontier topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences by attending a number of specific courses (in English, upon request) and seminars given by members of the School and by academic or professional external experts in order to collect 60 credits.
The Spring School on Transferable skills is held each year during May. The School is organized in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and has a strongly interactive setting intended to improve soft skills by PhD students.
The students are expected to plan and perform personally high impact scientific projects, that will be discussed with – and constantly monitored by – their supervisor.
Very often the research projects pursued within the School are part of international collaborations. Accordingly, the students are encouraged to perform part of their research project (min 1 month, max 18 months) in a collaborating foreign scientific Institution. They are also encouraged to attend to national or international Symposia, presenting a scientific contribution.