The PhD program in Materials Science and Nanotechnology aims at preparing young researchers to achieve competence and working independence in the emerging fields of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, both from a fundamental and applied point of view. The PhD program offers a rich activity, including: (1) closely supervised research at the Materials Science Department, (2) a minimum of six months spent doing research abroad, hosted by foreign universities or labs (including industrial ones), (3) organization of courses, summer schools and advanced seminars with the participation of world- renowned scientists, (4) interaction with the industrial companies often offering specific PhD scholarships to pursue our program.

Moreover this doctorate hosts the headquarters of the European doctorate in Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials (PCAM) network which presently includes 14 European universities (http://www.pcam-doctorate.eu). The PCAM network promotes internationalization through the exchange of both students and faculty members, organizes a yearly European school on frontier  topics in materials science and nanotechnology, and stimulates joint applications for EU funding.
This Doctorate is also  partner of the "International Doctoral School in Functional Materials & Innovation" funded by the European Institute of Technology through the KIC-Raw materials. This activity involves seven universities and five industrial companies/public research centers in different European countries.

Educational objectives
The PhD program in Materials Science and Nanotechnology aims at preparing students to both experimental and theoretical research, spanning from fundamental to applied and industrial, (i) in those fields of Physics and Chemistry which are fundamental topics in Materials Science and in its technological applications; (ii) in a scientific area which involves growth, characterization, functionalization, and simulation techniques down to the nanometric limit. Such topics are intrinsically interdisciplinary, comprising chemistry, engineering, physics, biology and medicine.

Research areas
Theoretical and experimental studies are carried out in several fields including the design, synthesis, growth and functional characterization of  nanostructured materials for applications in microelectronics, optoelectronics photonics, molecular electronics, sensors, materials for energy, electrochemical devices and biomedical applications. The materials studied include inorganic and organic semiconductors, amorphous materials for photonics, polymers and organic materials for advanced applications, hybrid organic/inorganic systems.
The research activities are carried out within several international and national projects which lead yearly to a large number of publications and patents. Detailed information of the different research topics can be found in the report on the activity of the Materials Science Department available at the webpage http://www.mater.unimib.it/en/research.

The activities are organized in two curricula: a curriculum in Materials Science and a curriculum in Technology of Materials.
The curriculum Technology of Materials includes activities carried out in close collaborations with industries that provide Phd scholarships for specific research projects. Aspects of finance and economy needed for research management are part of this curriculum together with typical patenting procedures and notions of intellectual property.

Director: Prof. Francesco Montalenti

Deputy Director: Prof. Cristiana Di Valentin

Organizing Secretariat: Dr. Maria Cristina Fassina – mariacristina.fassina@unimib.it; phone: +39 0264485029