The first joint Ph.D. cycle between Politecnico di Torino and Tsinghua University has been completed
The first joint Ph.D. cycle “Transnational architectural models in a globalised world” between Politecnico di Torino and Tsinghua University in Beijing, has successfully been carried out and the first joint oral defense has been accomplished.
The PoliTO candidate Giorgia Cestaro, recently returned from Beijing, was awarded the first Ph.D. title in Architecture jointly recognized by both universities. Her doctoral thesis was about the Chinese industrial heritage and supervised by prof. Lu Zou and Filippo De Pieri. In the following weeks, Huang Yetong, a candidate from Tsinghua University that is completing her study period at Politecnico di Torino, will discuss her final dissertation.
The joint Ph.D. curriculum was introduced in 2018, within the framework of the Ph.D. program in Architecture. History and Project at PoliTO and the Ph.D. programs in Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning and Landscape Architecture at Tsinghua.
For both the Universities it is the first time that experiment this type of collaboration. Actually, it represents a concrete realization of 15 years consolidated partnership between Politecnico di Torino and Tsinghua University in a research program and high specialized courses in Architecture, Urban Design and Industrial Regeneration fields. The joint PhD Curriculum is focused on the movement of architectural and urban models, design practices, and construction techniques in the globalized world, with a priority (yet not exclusive) focus on the relations between China and the West.
The idea of promoting a joint Ph.D. was inspired by Deng Huishu and Marta Mancini doctoral course within the framework of “Joint Projects with Top Universities” promoted by PoliTO: along with Cestaro, the last week Mancini also defended her Doctoral thesis before Tsinghua University committee, completing her academic career being awarded a Chinese title.
The joint Ph.D. program had seen new candidates in the following years: Camilla Forina, XXXV cycle candidate, Lidia Preti (XXXVI), Giulia Montanaro and Franscesca Moro (XXXVII). In their turn, Gan Cao and Mei Xiaohan, Tsinghua University Ph.D. candidates, are currently in Turin for their mobility period. In this way, all sino-italian team, hitherto all female, is co-present at the Politecnico, encouraging more frequent exchange moments and joint research.