Coordinator

prof. Maria Chiara Monti

Educational goals

The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (DSF) aims at the scientific training of young graduates in research activity and its application in the technological field in disciplines oriented to Pharmaceuticals and health products, aiming at an integrated vision of the sciences pharmaceutical, biological and biochemical-molecular.

In particular, the DSF aims to prepare highly qualified and specialized experts, capable of carrying out research activities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, biomedical, but also cosmetic, nutraceutical and food sectors, both in the academic and industrial fields.

Training is carried out in the research laboratories of the Department of Pharmacy and through numerous external collaborations (in Italy and abroad) with research centers and companies in the sector.

All laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation in their field of expertise. This provides the PhD candidate with a deep understanding of the research undertaken, as expected from the Dublin descriptors. In compliance with them, seminars, theoretical-practical courses, and workshops provide a transversal preparation that leads to a level of independence in the design of experiments, analysis of results and autonomous research of experimental alternatives even outside the laboratory to which they belong.

Professors from the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Salerno participate in the organization of the DSF, which has a three-year duration. Pharmaceutical and Biomedical through basic and advanced research and training activities in the disciplinary areas that address the study of pathophysiological mechanisms and the discovery and development of agents, preparations, methodologies, techniques and therapeutic approaches for the health and well-being of the 'man. The teacher-tutors belong to complementary and integrated disciplinary areas of the chemical, pharmaceutical and biological fields, different in methodologies and contents (also with reference to the ERC sectors), but coherently grouped around the central theme of drug sciences and health products.

The idea of ​​the drug as a common denominator and point of convergence of different research skills and interests is the innovative and distinctive element of the DSF, also expressed by the logo designed for the PhD: this, in fact, represents a stylized membrane protein, in which the drug (represented by the red hexagon) interacts at the interface between the two subunits; but it also symbolizes the two "souls", chemical-technological and biological-pharmacological, which meet and are united through the drug.

Expected occupational and professional opportunities

With the achievement of the PhD title and the experience acquired, professional activities can be carried out in: • Public and private research centers;• Pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies, in the sectors Management, Research and Development, Safety Evaluation, Chemical and Biological Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Activities, Production, Marketing;• Companies operating in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors;• Service centers operating in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, biomedical, cosmetic, nutraceutical and dietetic-food sectors;• Freelancer Structure of the training activityThe DSF has a duration of three years, divided into six semesters, during which the theoretical-practical training of PhD students is pursued through the carrying out of theoretical-experimental research activities and the participation in monographic seminar courses, held by internal or teachers and external experts.The aim is to enrich and diversify the knowledge of PhD students on innovative aspects and on the most relevant experimental techniques for research activity in the disciplines that revolve around the drug sciences. The topics and structure of the monographic courses are established annually by the Academic Board, who will be supported by other teachers and scholars, experts in the world of work, including foreigners, external to the College, whose skills are deemed pertinent and relevant for the purposes of scientific training of doctoral students.In particular, the didactic activity aims to:1. provide advanced knowledge of the disciplines covered by the research topics, by attending institutional courses with a high level of specialization, possibly also offered by other doctorates or by experts in the sector;2. exchange interdisciplinary skills with young researchers through participation in congresses, conferences and schools, where possible international;3. effectively disseminate the results of one's research both in written form (writing of reports) and orally (presentation of communications in seminars, workshops, schools and congresses). The didactic-training paths foreseen are supported by internal teachers belonging to DIFARMA and by researchers from Institutes, public research bodies and private companies, with which structured collaborations or agreements have been established, by teachers of other PhD courses of the University or by invited experts and researchers. These theoretical-practical activities will make it easier to benefit from the contribution of a teaching staff with different and high-level specific skills, and, at the same time, to offer doctoral students’ specializations in fields other than the disciplines of the degree courses from which they are selected.The Academic Board of the Doctorate indicates the training program for the doctoral students on the basis of the training activities activated and the proposals formulated by the doctoral student and the supervisor. Furthermore, the Academic Board also defines the supplementary teaching and tutoring activities for each student. During the three-year period, PhD students will be engaged in frontal teaching and specialist training courses chosen by the student and in agreement with the tutor and with the Academic Board, for the following activities:-attendance of seminars;-National and international schools;- other suitable training activities (for example, training activities carried out abroad). Description of training activitiesBriefly, the educational-training path includes:• the planning, under the guidance and supervision of a professor, of carrying out the experimental activities of an original research project, within the research lines developed at DIFARMA, which will form the subject of the Doctoral Thesis. Within the first semester of each cycle of studies, PhD students will have to draw up and illustrate in a public presentation the research project they intend to develop. The Academic Board, after collective evaluation, will proceed with the approval or correction of the same and will appoint the Professor (Tutor) to whom to entrust the PhD student;• basic laboratory training and use of specialist equipment;• carrying out theoretical-experimental research activities at the DIFARMA research laboratories, with the supervision and coordination of the tutor;• ongoing critical analysis of intermediate results with the tutor;• drafting of annual reports on the progress of the research project and presentation of the results, with critical evaluation by the Academic Board;• participation in specialized theoretical-practical training courses, monographic seminar courses, seminars, conferences and schools both at DIFARMA and at qualified Italian and foreign institutions and research bodies.• during the three-year period, preferably the first year, doctoral students will have to follow the free English course offered by the University's language center to improve their knowledge of the foreign language.In relation to the research topics of the doctoral students, participation in schools belonging to the sectors of reference of the DSF will be encouraged.In particular:• European School of Medicinal Chemistry - ESMEC (School of Urbino)• European Training School in epigenetics• SSPA (Summer School on Pharmaceutical Analysis)• School of doctoral students in Pharmacology and related sciences, based in Siena;• AItUN - AAPS (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) Italian Universities Network annual meeting• Annual conference of PhDs belonging to ABCD, Association of Cell Biology and Differentiation, based in Rome• Annual Conference of the Cellular Stress Group, based in Rome;• International Summer School of Natural Products (ISSNP)• Summer School on Organic Synthesis (Gargnano School)• Winter School of physical organic chemistry (School of Bressanone)• Doctoral school for advanced training in technological-pharmaceutical disciplines (ADRITELF)• Mass Spectrometry Course for Pontignano PhD Students (DSM-SCI)Furthermore, participation in schools belonging to similar sectors is favoured.The courses belong to the following categories:• specific courses offered by the teaching staff of the PhD and the Department of Pharmacy. These courses are provided with a frequency established on the basis of the needs of the doctorate, according to the calendar on the department's website in the PhD section.• courses and seminars held by foreign professors or professors from other universities, and qualified representatives of industries and research institutions. These teachings are provided on an occasional basis, according to a schedule made known to students on the department's website in the Research Doctorate section.•The Coordinator informs the PhD students of any courses and seminars organized in other areas and in any case pertinent to the topics of interest to the PhD.The hours of attendance at the seminars are converted into credits (8 hours/credits). The Board evaluates the relevance of the topics of the seminars to the PhD student's training and research plan.At the end of each year, the Academic Board of the Research Doctorate validates the training program for doctoral students on the basis of the activities carried out. Teaching ActivityThe courses will take place from January to JulyThe oral test will take place in September.