The PhD programme in Physics shapes professional researchers in the field of theoretical and experimental physics, specifically in the fields of Physics of Matter, Physics of Complex Systems and High Energy Physics. The natural career opportunities in these areas are:
- Research and academia
- Industry, businesses and professional studios
- Entrepreneurship and start-ups
- Public sector and public organizations
In particular, industrial research and development are significantly important for PhD students whose research is carried out in the Physics of Matter, which, thanks to the specific skills of the DISAT teachers, also involves distinctly applicative aspects linked to nanosciences and nanotechnologies. In general, the PhD in Physics obtained at the Polytechnic of Turin ensures good chances of entering the world of work in Italy and abroad. In particular, concerning the inclusion in the academic field, the profile of the research doctorate is highly competitive at an international level, as evidenced by the many of our former doctoral students who have found employment in prestigious research centers and universities.
In the year 2022/2023 the grants PNRR DM351 (1 grant) and DM 352 (2 grants) of 2022 for the 38th cycle, as well as DM117 and DM118 of 2023 for the 39th cycle (still being assigned ) have had a significant impact: By involving a compulsory period abroad with an external institution, they have been a springboard with respect to points A, B, and partly C. In particular, the scholarships DM 117/118 provide for a 50% sharing with the business world.
International collaborations have always been a strength of the PhD programme in Physics. Among the foreign institutes of excellence which, in recent years, have hosted PhD students of the Doctoral Course in Physics for periods of several months, there are, for example, the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Lyon (FR), the University of Cambridge (UK) , the University of Dresden (GE), the Molecular Foundry of Berkeley (USA), the University of Eastern Finland (FI), the AMOLF Institute of Amsterdam (NL), CERN (CH). Over the years, professors from the PhD course in Physics have co-supervised several foreign PhD students in the context of co-tutorship contracts signed by the Polytechnic of Turin with foreign universities, such as, for example, the University of Concepción in Chile, EDITE in Paris, Sorbonne Université in Paris, NTNU in Norway, etc.
There are several collaborations with companies involving teachers of the PhD course in Physics. For example, as part of the two DM 352 scholarships opened on our PhD programme, agreements were signed into in 2022 with ENI for a research project in the field of thermonuclear fusion and with Informatica System s.r.l. for a project on the development of biosensor printing technologies through eco-sustainable photosensitive inks. As part of the MATERIALS AND PROCESSES FOR MICRO & NANO TECHNOLOGIES project, which involves teachers of our Course, collaborations are active with various companies, such as Vishay Semiconductor Italia SpA, SMAT SpA, etc.