PhD Position

Dear all,

I am sharing the announcement for a PhD position on “Urban soils in historical cities: Criticalities, potentialities, and future prospects for the smart cities” from our research units at DAGRI – UNIFI.

Please feel free to share with everyone interested.

Best Regards,

Fabio Salbitano


The Soil Science and the Urban Forests research teams at the DAGRI-Department of Science and Technology in Agriculture, Food, Environment, and Forest – University of Firenze, Italy, in conjunction with the soil chemistry group at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, jointly invite application for a 3-year PhD project on “Urban soils in historical cities: Criticalities, potentialities, and future prospects for the smart cities”, starting on November 1st, 2020. The doctorate will provide a double University degree, recognized both in Italy and Spain.

Task and opportunities: The selected PhD student will take an interdisciplinary approach to advance the knowledge of urban soils in the historical cities of Florence and Santiago de Compostela (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites), developing strategies and providing a framework for a management aimed at best emphasizing all their ecosystem services and cultural values, and to explore the potential to project artificially assembled soils (Technosols) with high energy and environmental performances for the smart cities of the future.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a relevant Master’s degree (or graduate within the 31st October 2020. We are looking for enthusiastic, perseverant and highly motivated candidates, with good organizational and communication skills, able to work autonomously, and highly interested in analytical and field methods. A robust expertise in environmental analysis is welcome. Good knowledge of English is essential, as well as the willingness to learn Italian (if not already known).

Place of Employment and Place of Work: The place of employment is the University of Firenze, and the place of work is Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 – Firenze, Italy. The Ph.D. course includes some months to spend at the University of Santiago De Compostela, Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Praza Seminario de Estudos Galegos, 15782 – Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Salary and Terms of Employment: Salary and terms of employment are according to current regulation from the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research. The net salary level for PhD students is approx. € 13.600 per year, with a 50% increase for research periods abroad (Spain or elsewhere).

Application: For further information and details on how to apply please contact:
Prof. Giacomo Certini giacomo.certini@unifi.it, or
Dr. Giovanni Mastrolonardo giovanni.mastrolonardo@unifi.it.