Molecular sciences for earth and space (MOSES)
– laboratory studies, both experimental and theoretical, ranging from spectroscopic investigation to organic synthesis, chemical reactivity, and photochemistry;
– astronomical observations ranging from identifying molecules in the interstellar medium to characterizing planetary atmospheres;
– atmospheric observations ranging from pollutant identification and quantification;
– astronomical/astrochemical modeling ranging from deriving the abundance of chemical species in different astrophysical environments to inferring their physical properties;
– Modeling the chemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Selection is made through evaluation of the candidate’s submitted qualifications and proposed research program, as well as an English-language interview. A “short list” of those admitted to the oral examination will be published. The number of places put up for competition is determined each year by the relevant bodies of SSM and indicated in the relevant notice.
Nadia Rega, Ph.D.
Full Professor of Physical Chemistry
Department of Chemical Sciences
University of Naples Federico II
Via Cintia I-80126 Napoli, Italy
nadia.rega@unina.it
&
Area MOSES Coordinator
Scuola Superiore Meridionale
Largo S. Marcellino 10, I-80138, Naples, Italy
n.rega@ssmeridionale.it
Nadia Rega
University of Naples Federico II (UniNa)
Vincenzo Barone
Normal High School
Malgorzata Biczysko
University of Shanghai, China
Paola Caselli
Max Planck, Garching, Germany
Cristina De Castro
UniNa
Claudio De Rosa
UniNa
Michael J. Frisch
Gaussian Inc, CT, US
Concetta Giancola
UniNa
Xiaosong Li
University of Washington, WA, US
Paola Manini
UniNa
Ana Belen Munoz Garcia
UniNa
Alessio Petrone
UniNa
Cristina Puzzarini
University of Bologna
John Scalmani
Gaussian Inc, CT, US
John Talarico
UniNa
Nicholas Tasinato
Normal High School
Marco Trifuoggi
UniNa
- Edward Buttarazzi
- Silvia Di Grande
- Gabriele Iuzzolino
- Eugene Romano
- Attila Tortorella
- Rachele Zunino
38th Cycle
- Raoul Carfora
- Olga D’Anania
- Susan Mohammadi
- Yolanda Rusconi
- Lina Marcela Uribe Grajales
Educational activities are spread over four years in order to allow continuous contact between teaching staff and doctoral students. Teaching activities are more concentrated in the first year of the course, while, in the following three years, doctoral students are engaged in conducting research and periodically reporting on its progress, both in individual interviews and in periodic seminar meetings.
The teaching activities of the first year are structured on the basis of compulsory courses with final examination (“pillar” courses) for a total of 24 CFUs (one CFU, university educational credit, consists of 6 hours of frontal teaching + 18 hours of individual study or, alternatively, 24 hours of study, research work, seminar activity). These courses, which are general in nature, are intended to develop common languages and skills among learners generally from different educational backgrounds. They are to be chosen from the following table of educational offerings. In addition to these courses, monographic courses (at least for 6 CFUs) may be added, which are indicated gradually by the Teaching Board. Some of them are shown in the table below. Training may be supplemented with courses borrowed from other SSM doctoral programs, with courses taught at UniNA, at SNS, and at other Italian and foreign locations, with specific doctoral schools, with participation in national and international conferences or workshops, subject to the approval of the Coordinator and/or the Academic Board. The total teaching load, for each student, must be 240 CFUs to be achieved over the four years of the doctoral program.
Seminar activities are also planned during which students can discuss specific aspects of doctoral work, invited lectures by faculty from outside the college, and activities in scientific training and management and exploitation of research results.
The transition from the first year to the second year is decided on the basis of the submission of an articulated research project including a three-year work plan discussed in an interview attended, for each doctoral student, by at least three members of the College, who may ask the doctoral student, in addition to a discussion of the project itself and any scientific articles she/he may have submitted or published, to discuss the seminar courses she/he has taken, and the way in which she/he intends to develop her/his future research.
The transition from the second year to the third year takes place on the basis of the discussion and approval of an indicative but detailed outline of the thesis, which the doctoral student proposes to develop, and the discussion of submitted or published articles.
The transition from the third to the fourth year takes place on the basis of the presentation and discussion, and then approval by the tutor, of the thesis to be refined and completed during the fourth year.
First-year teaching activities are spread over two terms: November-January and March-May.
In particular, the teaching and training activities (totaling 80 CFUs + 160 CFUs for the thesis) must be advanced in nature. Participation in seminars, workshops and research groups will be widely favored and encouraged. The training activity is specifically organized as follows:
Year I: compulsory coursework teaching (total 24 CFU), attendance of laboratories, active participation in conferences and seminars organized by the doctoral program or other university and research institutions, preparation of the articulated research project for the transition to the 2nd year of the program (14 CFU) – Tot. 60 credits.
Year II: Active participation in conferences and workshops organized by the School or other academic and research institutions; research progress presentation days in the presence of mentors and the college; research work in preparation for the Tot thesis. 60 credits.
Year III: Seminars presenting current research in the presence of mentors and the college and active participation in lectures and workshops; research work to the thesis-Tot. 60 credits;
Year IV: completion and thesis writing (60 CFU).
The research and teaching topics are as follows:
- molecular spectroscopy
- computational spectroscopy
- Computational chemistry applied to chemical reactivity
- atmo-/astrochemical modeling
- Chemical-physical systems for experimental atmo-/astrochemical modeling
- Organic chemistry of prebiotic processes
- synthesis and transformations of complex organic systems under extreme conditions
- Bioorganic chemistry in extreme systems and conditions
- Organic photochemistry and the evolution of excited states
- Modeling of photoinduced pre-biotic processes and their dynamic out-of-equilibrium behavior
- Modeling ultrafast reactivity and interconnected transient spectroscopy techniques (femtochemistry)
- Chemistry and physics of surfaces and interfaces
- astrobiology
Ad hoc courses will also be provided to fill any gaps for students, such as:
- Organic chemistry (for physicists, astronomers, and geologists)
- astronomy (for chemists, physicists, geologists and engineers)
- photochemistry and photophysics
- elements of computational modeling
- elements of quantum mechanics
theoretical description and application of state-of-the-art experimental and computational techniques used in this discipline. The Ph.D. student at the end of the course will have acquired in addition to this knowledge the critical sense necessary for understanding and organizing a research activity in astrochemistry.
organized in series on a weekly basis and are conducted by invitation by internationally renowned faculty and researchers from national and international Academies and Research Institutions. These seminars aim to deepen the core subjects of the doctoral course (astrochemistry, atmospheric and environmental chemistry, physical biological chemistry, photochemistry) and promote connections and interdisciplinarity with other Areas of the School (astrophysics, astrobiology, life sciences). Students also have the opportunity to attend seminars hosted in the various departments of the Federico II and the Scuola Normale Superiore. Most of these seminars are organized in a mixed mode (in-person and telematics).
PhD course with a distinctly experimental character. Depending on the project, the Ph.D. student will have the opportunity to attend laboratories for chemical synthesis, spectroscopy, chemical-physical characterization, and theoretical-computational activities. These laboratories may be among several at the Federico II University and/or the Scuola Normale Superiore, or at the institutions at which the doctoral student will carry out the research of his or her project and the planned periods abroad.
The research activity is carried out by each doctoral student under the supervision of a thesis director assigned by the College at the transition from the first to the second year. The thesis supervisor is chosen both from within and outside the College itself. The thesis director designated by the college can be joined by a second thesis director chosen possibly also by activating the institution of co-tutorship by agreement.
The transition from the first year to the second year is decided on the basis of the presentation of an articulated research project including a state of the art and a three-year work plan discussed in an interview attended for each doctoral student by at least three members of the college, who may ask the doctoral students, in addition to the discussion of the project itself and the papers they have prepared for the seminar courses they have taken, to read a bibliography relevant to their future research.
The transition from the second to the third year will take place on the basis of the discussion and approval of an indicative but detailed outline of the thesis that the doctoral student proposes to write and a chapter.
The transition from the third to the fourth year will take place on the basis of the presentation and discussion, and then approval by the thesis director, of an additional thesis chapter and a detailed table of contents.
The Ph.D. in “Molecular Sciences for Earth and Space” was established as an innovative doctoral program with an international and interdisciplinary characterization with the aim of attracting the best students and constantly involving leading international experts on doctoral topics in the teaching activity, in addition to scholars working at foreign university sites that are part of the College. Web page, notices and supporting materials are in Italian and English.
It is mandatory for every doctoral student to spend at least six months at foreign academic and research institutions. The languages of the doctoral program are Italian and English; courses and seminars can be taught in either language.
The Ph.D. provides for and fosters extensive faculty and student mobility, also stimulated by the scientific ties of the college members with various prestigious international and foreign institutions. Among these we point out in particular:
- Physical and Theoretical Chemical Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- King’s College London, UK
- Astronomy Department, UCL, UK
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Germany
- Université Gustav Eiffel, France
- Université de Rennes 1, France
- Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
- Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Germany
- 6Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
- ELTE Eötvös Lorànd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Universidad de Valladolid, Spain
- Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- University of Washington, Seattle, USA
SSM organizes cross-curricular activities for doctoral courses on major information systems, including specialized ones. In addition, computer skills are given attention in courses and seminars devoted to sources and methodology (seminars are held, at the University Library System, to train doctoral students in the critical use of digital resources and seminars to familiarize students with tools such as reference managers and spreadsheets, etc.). Courses and exercises devoted to the use of the main quantum chemistry programs will be given by various lecturers.
Course Duration: 4 years
Scholarships: each year SSM puts up for competition 6 scholarships of €19,000 each.
Each fellowship is supplemented by additional funds for research activities in Italy and abroad.