Academic Year 2026-2027 - XLII Cycle
The newly established PhD programme in “Frontier Sciences in Sustainability, Diplomacy and International Cooperation” is designed for those who wish to pursue a rigorous scientific research path, exploring the interaction between various scientific disciplines.
The doctoral programme, housed within the Department of International Human and Social Sciences (SUSI), represents the ideal progression for those who have completed first and second cycle studies. It is structured into two curricula and reflects the main research and teaching areas of the Department.
The integration of sustainability and diplomacy is the programme’s most innovative feature, reflecting the SUSI Department’s vision, as set out in its 2022-2024 strategic plan: “to develop integrated and complex knowledge that brings together aspects of scientific and technological innovation with the fields of human and social sciences, from the perspective of connecting knowledge, with particular attention to the international relations system, cooperation, sustainable development, media ecosystems, and communication flows.” In line with this vision, the proposed programme offers a strong representation of the research, teaching, and third mission activities that have characterised the SUSI Department since its establishment in January 2021.
The PhD in “Frontier Sciences in Sustainability, Diplomacy and International Cooperation” offers a training and research pathway with a transdisciplinary approach, targeting strategic issues for contemporary society. Research tracks address a range of topics across the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, social, environmental), aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda, with particular focus on diplomacy, international cooperation, and situations of vulnerability.
The programme is based on a methodology designed to tackle complexity through the interaction of multiple perspectives, creating a transdisciplinary research environment. Its primary aim is to advance research and training that develops in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills capable of analysing, addressing, and managing situations characterised by multiple factors, within an international and sustainable framework and adhering to the principles of open science.
The programme is consistent with many of the United Nations 2030 Agenda objectives. In particular, it addresses:
The general educational objectives of the programme are:
- to promote and strengthen the main research areas of the Department of International Humanities and Social Sciences and of the University
- to encourage the exchange of scientific experiences, theoretical models and methodologies from different disciplinary and professional backgrounds
- to train highly qualified researchers in each of the two curricula, enabling them to use the most up-to-date tools for scientific research and to work effectively in both national and international contexts
Upon completion of the doctoral programme, students will be able to:
- understand the main types of writing and dissemination related to research and grasp the theoretical approaches and methodologies underlying the disciplines of the two curricula
- use analytical and empirical research tools specific to their fields in order to address innovative questions arising from professional contexts and participate in international research networks
- apply their knowledge and understanding, particularly with regard to the skills needed to submit articles to scientific journals (especially open access and top-tier journals), present research projects to scientific committees (also to secure funding and continue postdoctoral research), and effectively present research findings in public settings
The specific objectives of the “Liberal Arts and Sciences in Sustainability” curriculum are to train scholars and professionals, in both the public and private sectors, capable of working in contexts requiring complementary approaches and perspectives, given the increasing fluidity of traditional disciplinary boundaries.
The specific objectives of the “Diplomacy and International Cooperation” curriculum are to train professionals able to work in complex international environments, where traditional political dimensions intersect with the new frontiers of technology and innovation. Another objective is to prepare scholars capable of addressing international relations topics in innovative ways.
The doctoral programme will facilitate access to academic careers in the specific fields of the two curricula, also through participation in research projects with national and international universities, including those within the University.
This programme is also particularly suitable for scholars interested in future non-academic career paths, including management and representation roles in national, European, and international institutions; roles in the development of environmental, economic, and social policies; and positions related to the implementation of environmental, cooperation, and sustainable development projects.
It also aims to provide specialised skills that can be applied in various sectors of the public administration, business, the third sector, and in a range of professional activities, such as:
- positions in public and private organisations in the fields of environmental protection, intercultural dialogue, human rights advocacy, and peacekeeping
- professional roles within national and international public institutions, with particular reference to diplomatic careers and positions in development cooperation institutions, as well as ministries, institutions, and agencies operating on the international stage
- companies with an international focus operating outside Europe
- professional roles related to environmental consulting and reporting, the preparation of sustainability reports, the design and promotion of best practices in ecological transition
Curricula
The “Liberal arts and sciences in Sustainability” curriculum was established as part of the “Fenice - Internationalization and promotion of the territory, educational pathways in tourism, food and wine, sustainability, and digital cultures” Project, funded under the Call by the Agency for Territorial Cohesion for the selection of projects to be financed in the regions of Lazio, Abruzzo, Umbria, and Marche affected by the seismic events of 2016.
The curriculum’s activities took place during cycles XL and XLI at the Norcia teaching site; as the Fenice project is drawing to a close, from cycle XLII onwards, the curriculum’s activities will be held in Perugia.
The curriculum’s innovative approach is to foster a synergy and dialogue between the humanities and social sciences and the hard sciences, in line with the most advanced academic programmes offered at leading Italian and international universities.
The curriculum features two main lines of training and research, which are in constant dialogue with one another:
- the field of environmental sustainability, from a technical and engineering perspective
- the field of social and economic sustainability and its narration and communication, viewed from the vantage point of international social sciences
The curriculum's main research areas are:
- the study of migration phenomena
- the study of environmental pollution and climate change
- the study of energy and digital transition, and the green and circular economy
- the study of emergency management, reconstruction, regeneration, and revitalisation of vulnerable territories
These themes will be addressed through a gender-based, data-driven, and transdisciplinary perspective, explored from historical, sociological, economic, legal, environmental, and engineering viewpoints.
A shared research topic with the other curriculum is the geopolitics of energy and water resources, and international cooperation for managing crises and climate change.
The launch of cycle XLII for the “Liberal arts and sciences in Sustainability” curriculum will include:
- a themed scholarship, funded by ENEA, National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, entitled “Social acceptability of nuclear power. New-generation nuclear technologies and the energy transition: social representations, risk perceptions, and public debate dynamics”
- two industrial PhD positions, reserved for SOGIN employees, focusing on “Nuclear Power as a Guarantee System for a Just Energy Transition.” Research will focus on the so-called “energy trilemma,” namely energy security (supply), economic equity/accessibility (costs for consumers), and environmental sustainability (decarbonisation)
These two partnerships highlight the doctoral programme’s appeal for both research and industry, on issues that combine energy and sustainability aspects with social, economic, and communication dimensions, fully in line with the spirit of the curriculum.
The “Diplomacy and International Cooperation” curriculum builds on a decade of doctoral research experience and is closely linked to the Master’s programme in International Relations and Development Cooperation (RICS) offered at the University.
This pathway combines research on international actors and policies, adopting a gender-based and data-driven approach with a transdisciplinary perspective, and provides a focus on emerging actors and on the role of science and technology in redefining the international political landscape.
The curriculum’s main research areas are:
- the international role of states, both within Europe and in non-European countries
- key issues in international politics and human security
- analysis of global interdependence phenomena, with particular attention to Africa, Latin America, and, more generally, to South-South dynamics
- the study of relations among countries, particularly regarding interaction between political regimes with different social structures and intercultural dialogue
- humanitarian crises; the technological dimension of international relations
A shared research theme with the other curriculum is the geopolitics of energy and water resources, and international cooperation for crisis management and climate change.
The curriculum strongly promotes the integration of PhD students into international networks and benefits from an international Advisory Board, which has been active since the XVIII and XXXIX cycles of the previous curriculum in Diplomacy and Development Cooperation within the PhD programme in Linguistic, Philological-Literary and Political-Social Sciences. The curriculum is further enhanced by the structured partnership between the University for Foreigners and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, as well as by the vast number of collaboration agreements (over 400) the University has established with foreign universities, institutions, and organizations.