Environmental Health Sciences

  • Duration: 3 years
  • Admission: academic qualifications and interview


Course objectives:

The aim of the Doctorate in Environmental Health Sciences is to train young scientists to meet the demand for experts in the field of human health promotion and environmental protection with a holistic view of mankind and the environment. The training programme is designed to enhance PhD students' critical evaluation skills and to develop their scientific autonomy. It includes both highly qualified teaching courses and experimental research activities, which are crucial for their future career development. In addition, the course offers the opportunity to study and research in collaboration with international institutes that will enable doctoral students to further expand their knowledge and get an internationally recognized training. Students will be trained to develop interdisciplinary skills enabling them to understand, use and develop innovative solutions in the field of human health promotion, disease prevention, but also in inthe protection of environment, biodiversity, ecosystems and the services they provide. In this area, knowledge will be deepened on how alterations in the environment, also related to ongoing climate change, can affect environmental quality, the biosphere, and human health. The training programme includes the study of the molecular mechanisms regulating the pathophysiology of ageing and of the main chronic diseases, and the identification of specific biomarkers for exposure assessment. These skills aim to catalyse the development of innovative strategies to improve human health and environmental quality status. Another key aspect concerns the study and research of natural substances and phytochemicals that can improve life quality and exert a protective action to prevent diseases, thus contributing to maintain healthy even the elderly population. Attention is also paid to the study of the geochemical compositions of magmas and gas emissions (mainly CO2 and CH4) to assess the risks for human health derived from natural and anthropogenic events. The course is designed to broaden knowledge of advanced, state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies for the study of:

(a) chemical and microbiological contaminants in the environment and their impact on human health and living organisms;

(b) natural and anthropogenic factors that pose a risk to human health and ecosystems;

c) strategies to combat the effects of climate change, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services;

d) methodologies for the protection of the environment and plant species of conservation interest;

(e) methodologies for environmental protection and restoration;

(f) physiological, cellular and molecular mechanisms of development of pathologies related to pollutant exposure;

(g) intracellular biomarkers or pathways relevant in various physio-pathological contexts;

(h) nutraceutical compounds and biomolecules derived from plant or animal organisms;

(i) sustainability and healthiness of food production;

(l) biological function and activities of phytochemicals and their role in the prevention and control of ageing and disease;

(m) petrographic and geochemical characterisation of natural and anthropogenic geological materials for the study of natural events related risks.

Training activities

The training activities of the PhD Course include lessons, courses and seminars on specific topics held by the members of the Doctoral Board and/or by qualified experts from national or foreign institutions or companies. The teaching activities will be carried out mainly in the first two years of the Course, to allow the PhD student  to devote more time to research activities during their third year. Teaching activities will include participation in summer schools and attendance of interdisciplinary seminars organised within PhD courses with related topics. In addition, transversal training activities are planned to enhance language skills, intellectual property protection, diffusion and dissemination of research results, etc. The research activity will be planned with one or more tutors from the Doctoral Board and will involve the drafting and realization of a project constituting the experimental activity plan of the Course. Doctoral students will be encouraged to continually deepen and update their knowledge, especially in the research topic covered by their thesis. The research activity will be carried out in laboratories equipped with modern instruments and will be supplemented with training periods in foreign laboratories for a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 12 months. There is also the possibility to carry out research in private or public companies’ research centers. Each year, doctoral students will present their research work to the Doctoral Board and report on their teaching activities for the periodic learning assessment. At the end of the PhD course, students will have to present the main research activities they carried out, and will also have to document their training and participation in events to disseminate and publicise the results achieved.

 

Research topics

- Studies on preclinical models of biological effects of new compounds or plant and animal derivatives/extracts, also with a view to the reuse of waste material from agriculture or animal husbandry/aquaculture. These models will be used to study events both at molecular and at cellular and tissue levels, with morpho-functional approaches.

- Studies of biomarkers or intracellular pathways relevant in various physio-pathological contexts, such as in physiological changes related to ageing and in diseases with a high welfare impact such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, new infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, considering sex/gender differences where possible.

- Studies of the protective and/or therapeutic effects of pharmacological combinations with natural compounds on physiological or pathological models.

- In vitro studies for the biological characterization of new materials, including bioplastics and green polymers, for the preparation of medical devices and/or sensors for monitoring morphological and physiological parameters correlated with environmental factors.

- Study of the presence of organic and inorganic contaminants in biotic and abiotic samples.

- Development of innovative methodologies for the determination of contaminants in environmental matrix.

- Development of innovative technologies for environmental quality assessment and restoration.

- Study of biological diversity and ecosystem services with special reference to transitional ecosystems.

- Study of the ecotoxicological effects of contaminants using vertebrate models in nature and in the laboratory.

- Study of the response of plants of agronomic interest to environmental variations attributable to global climate change.

- Development of new products for marine environment and agriculture application, to prevent environmental pollution and the entry of pollutants into the food chain.

- Petrographic and geochemical study of soils and interstitial waters.

- Development of innovative methodologies for food safety and traceability.

- Study of the spread of natural contaminants induced by climate extremes, alteration of natural regeneration cycles and overexploitation of geo-resources (water, soil and mineral resources).

- Development and comparison of acellular, cellular and tissue methods for the study and characterization of the processes and mechanisms involved in toxicity from exposure to pollutants of anthropogenic origin, also with reference to their chemical characterization, with a view to their reduction and prevention in human health.