Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
International PhD in Food Engineering and Biotechnology
Bolzano, Italy
PhD
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
EUR 200 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 11th June 2025 (12:00 noon)
** 200 € for the first academic year
Key Summary
About: The International PhD in Food Engineering and Biotechnology at The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano is a three-year programme at a trilingual campus between German-speaking and Italian regions. It focuses on research in food production, process set-up, management, validation of food processes, and omics to characterize food products, notably fermented foods. It uses an interdisciplinary approach with internationally recognized scientists and facilities.
Career Outcomes: You’ll be full-time; after the doctorate you can work in academia, research centers, industry R&D, or consultancy. Roles include researcher, R&D specialist, and QA scientist; skills cover biotechnology, food engineering, fermentation science, omics, and process validation.
The three-year program mainly focuses on research concerning primary food production, set-up, and management, as well as the validation of food processes, and the application of omics techniques to condition and characterize food processing and food products, with a particular emphasis on fermented foods. The main features of the PhD are an interdisciplinary scientific approach and the participation of internationally renowned scientists on the Scientific Committee.
If you have excelled in higher education, this PhD will enable you to continue your career in academia in a stimulating, multilingual environment with fellow researchers from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. During the course, you will gain the competences required to carry out innovative and methodologically rigorous and advanced research projects. For this purpose, you will be required to design an original research project under the supervision of an Italian and/or foreign lecturer, to spend at least six months at a renowned foreign research center and, concurrently, to develop the ability to work both independently and in a team.
This International PhD opens up several career opportunities. Once you obtain your doctorate, you will be able to continue your research activities in academia, in public or private research centers, in leading food industries, or as a business consultant within the specific research areas of the program.
The Ph.D. covers the research areas of Food Processing as one of the focuses of the faculty. Engineering and Biotechnology are the high throughput approaches to food processing science. Upon acceptance into the program after a public selection procedure, you will be required to design a research project and write a prospectus with your supervisor, including the purpose of your project and the steps necessary to implement it. Occasionally, you will be required to update the steps in consideration of the progression of your work and the latest developments in your research field.
Your stay for at least six months at a foreign research center is mandatory and you will be required to publish or submit for publication at least three articles in international peer-reviewed journals. During the three-year program, you will also be required to regularly attend classes and seminars specifically designed for Ph.D. students.
The Stages of the Ph.D.
The Ph.D. program consists of five stages, which end after 2, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively.
- During stage 1, you will define your research plan, also prepare a draft of the prospectus.
- During stage 2, you will define your research project in more detail based on the pertinent literature.
- During stage 3, you will start your work in the lab by applying the approach defined for your project.
- During stage 4, you will continue your research, you will plan your stay abroad, and you will be expected to begin preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
- During the final stage - stage 5 - you will complete your research project, the publication of your manuscripts, and your dissertation.
Semester 1
Theory of Scientific Method
Semester 1
Chemometric approaches to study the chemical and sensory markers of food processing
Semester 1
Materials and sensors for Food Engineering and Biotechnologies
Semester 1
Food-human axis: the gut microbiome
Semester 2
Meta-omics approaches to study the food fermentations
Semester 1-2
Optional activities for 3rd year
Semester 1-2
Final year seminar 2nd year - admission to 3rd year
Semester 1-2
Optional activities 2nd year
Semester 1-2
Research activities 3rd year - admission to final exam
Semester 1-2
Optional activities 1st year
Semester 1-2
State-of-the-art seminar
Semester 1-2
Final year seminar 1st year - admission to 2nd year
Semester 1-2
Final exam
During the three years of the PhD program, you will be required to commit to your research project full-time. Your stay at a renowned foreign research center for at least 3 months is compulsory. This will be an opportunity to diversify your study experience, by conducting research in highly stimulating and competitive contexts, exchanging ideas with other researchers, and, thereby, networking with international colleagues.