Evaluation and mitigation of urban and territorial risks

Responsible Coordinator: Prof. Antonino Cancelliere

Overview

The PhD program primarily encompasses topics related to civil engineering and architecture, with a particular focus on the environmental sustainability of interventions, in line with the cross-cutting objectives of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The educational themes of the PhD are organized into curricula and concern the design and analysis of earthquake-resistant structures, the renovation of existing buildings and monumental heritage, the regeneration of urban fabric, the enhancement and protection of architectural and historical assets, and the planning, design, construction, and management of road, hydraulic, and environmental health infrastructures, as well as the territorial interactions among various infrastructural systems. It also addresses land protection from a geotechnical, hydraulic, and hydrological perspective, and the sustainable management of water resources. In line with the cross-cutting strategy proposed by Horizon 2020, environmental risk prevention topics complement the need to achieve energy-efficient project design. The program promotes an approach that emphasizes both environmental and economic sustainability of interventions.

Course Objectives

The objectives of the PhD program are to train highly qualified professionals capable of independently and creatively using advanced technologies to address problems faced by communities due to urban and territorial risks, particularly prevalent in Eastern Sicily and, more broadly, at the national level. Specifically, the PhD program aims to provide tools, skills, and knowledge to tackle a wide range of issues including seismic risk, road safety, hydraulic and hydrological risk, sustainable water resource management, environmental protection with a focus on waste management, and energy requalification. The program prepares individuals to integrate into both national and international scientific communities, fostering research collaborations and encouraging PhD candidates to pursue their research activities independently. Furthermore, the program seeks to develop effective communication skills for presenting research results to a broad audience, promoting participation in national and international meetings and conferences. Where possible, PhD candidates are involved in ongoing research projects to refine their abilities in formulating and managing national and international research initiatives.

Expected career and professional opportunities

The PhD graduate will have acquired advanced knowledge and skills suitable for entering the fields of research, planning, design, and management of civil engineering and architecture interventions aimed at reducing natural and anthropogenic risks, as well as for roles within technical offices of public administration. In this context, they will be qualified to participate in national and international collaborations with public and private research and high-level institutions (universities, research institutes, government bodies, and planning agencies), engineering design firms, construction companies, and technical offices of public administrations such as, for example, Civil Protection, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, and District Basin Authorities. PhD graduates trained at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Catania in recent years have, in fact, found positions as researchers at Italian and foreign universities (Catania, Turin, Florence, Padua, Perth, Messina, Enna, Lyon, Delft), at research institutions (CNR), as experts in Civil Protection technical offices, in construction companies, in design agencies as sector managers, in civil engineering offices, in water authority districts or have started freelance activities in design and consultancy.