PhD School of the Politecnico di Milano Regulations of the PhD Programme in Aerospace Engineering Cycle XXXI Location: Milano Bovisa 1
1. General Information PhD School of the Politecnico di Milano PhD Programme: Aerospace Engineering Location of the PhD Programme: Milano Bovisa Subjects (SSD): /03 Flight mechanics /04 Aerospace structures /05 Aerospace systems /06 Fluid dynamics /07 Aerospace propulsion PhD School Website: http://www.polimi.it/phd PhD Programme Website: www.aero.polimi.it 2. General presentation of the PhD Programme: The PhD Programme in Aerospace Engineering aims at educating students and creating world-class researchers in all the main technological disciplines relevant, but not limited, to the aerospace field. It is embedded in the Department of Aerospace Engineering (DIA) and is part of the PhD School of the Politecnico di Milano. The PhD Programme covers a wide range of topics related to the aerospace engineering field. Based on historical aerospace disciplines such as, for example, Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Structures and Material, Flight Mechanics and Control, the Programme includes currently emerging disciplines requiring an enhanced multi disciplinary approach. Particular emphasis is given to research on rotary wing aircraft which requires understanding of the underlying physical processes, integration of multiple disciplines, an effective use of sophisticated mathematical models and of numerical and experimental methods. Successful programme graduates are expected to be able to conduct and manage original, cutting edge research in the rotorcraft technology domain, with the ability to rapidly move to neighbouring areas, such as wind power, fixed-wing and automotive engineering, or other related high-tech engineering fields. Indeed, over the years PhD students in Aerospace Engineering have developed research relevant to aircraft and space applications but also to technical areas not strictly related to the aerospace field. Examples of research topics in which PhD theses have been recently developed are: Computational and experimental fluid mechanics; Passive and active control of turbulence; 2
Aeroservoelasticity, dynamic and control of aerospace structures; Passive structural safety of both aerospace and non-aerospace vehicles; Space missions analysis and planning; Advanced materials and structures: design and testing; Innovative space propulsion systems; Identification, dynamic and control of structures and complex systems. Mechatronics Advanced rotors Maintenance-based design Mathematical modelling and simulation Airworthiness and certification 3. Objectives The aim of the PhD programme is acquisition of the high level of competence required to carry out innovative research and/or state of the art advanced applications in: industries, research centres, Universities and service companies operating in the aerospace industrial and research area, including all fields having any connection with aerospace. The level of the programme should allow graduates to compete well in both the European and International aerospace environment. 4. Professional opportunities and job market Due to the breadth and interdisciplinary nature of the aerospace arena, the professional skills attainable span a wide area and are not limited to just a few specific topics. The PhD therefore aims to create high level specialists in most domains related to aerospace activities. In such context, a high level of competence can be gained either in a single subject or in the integration of multiple subjects such as: dynamics and control, fluid mechanics, systems and equipment, flight mechanics, passive structural safety, intelligent and automated systems, structures and materials, aeroservoelasticity. In this light, a number of examples of professional skills acquired during the past 27 years of the PhD programme are provided below: 1) expert in computational and/or experimental fluid mechanics, with capabilities to develop methods and models for both aerospace applications and generic vehicles; 2) expert in active and passive control of the dynamics of aerospace structures, integrating global and subsystem design; 3) expert in active and passive structural safety of vehicles, both aerospace and non-aerospace; 4) expert in vibration and noise control, including modelling, analysis, system design and implementation of specific subsystems; 5) expert in the dynamics and control of aerospace vehicles and related operational missions; 6) expert in integrated design of complex aerospace systems. The possible employment positions for graduates can be inferred from past experience and include: 3
highly qualified activities in spin-off companies and/or small and medium high technology enterprises; research in public institutions, e.g.: Italian or foreign Universities; management of research in medium and large industries. 5. Enrolment at the PhD Programme 5.1 Admission requirements Italian and foreign citizens can apply. They are required to have graduated in accordance with the preexisting laws MD 3.11.1999 n. 509 or to have a master of science degree in accordance with MD 3.11.1999 n. 509 or a master of science in accordance with MD 22.10.2004 n. 270 or similar academic qualification obtained abroad, equivalent in duration and content to the Italian qualification and for an overall duration of university studies of at least five years. The certified knowledge of the English language is a requirement for admission. Please refer to the Ph.D. School web site for details. The admission to the programme will be decided according to evaluation of the curricula of the studies, the motivation letter and according to an illustrative paper about the development of possible PhD research, which candidates will send contextually with their application to the admission announcement. 5.2 Admission deadlines and number of places available The number of vacancies is indicated in the Call for admission to the 31 st cycle of PhD Programmes: http://www.polimi.it/phd Scholarships both on general and on specific topics are available, in accordance with what is specified in the call for admission. 6. Contents of the PhD Programme 6.1 Requirements for the attainment of the title The attainment of a PhD in Aerospace Engineering requires a study and research activity of at least three years equivalent to full time study, research and development of PhD thesis. The PhD in Aerospace Engineering foresees 30 credits from PhD level courses to be acquired as indicated in paragraph 6.3 below. Among the 30 credits, at least 10 credits must be acquired through PhD courses characterizing the PhD program in Aerospace Engineering (Type A), at least 5 credits from PhD School Courses (Type B) and 15 or less credits may be acquired through external PhD courses, e.g. from other PhD programmes (Type C). All the mentioned courses foresee an evaluation of the PhD student in order o acquire the corresponding credits. Master of Science courses may be inserted in the curriculum of the student, in agreement with the 4
Supervisor (see below) and the Tutor, but do not contribute to the acquisition of credits. In addition to the above requirements, the PhD candidates must complete, during the course of the program, at least one of the following activities: 1. present a paper, as co-author, at an International Conference 2. submit a manuscript, as co-author, to an International Archive Journal 6.2 Development of research and the PhD thesis The aim of PhD programmes at the Politecnico di Milano is the development in candidates of a research-oriented mind-set, with expertise and skills in a specific research topic. To develop a research-oriented mind-set, candidates must acquire problem-solving capabilities in a complex context, including in-depth analysis of the problem, identification of an original solution and the capability of evaluating a solution and its applicability in given contexts. These skills provide PhD candidates with major opportunities of development in their research both in the academic field and in public and private organisations. The main objective is the development of an original research contribution. The PhD thesis must contribute to increasing knowledge in the research field of the candidate. Besides, it must be coherent with the research topics developed in the department in which the PhD Programme chosen by the candidate is carried out. The original research has to be submitted via a PhD thesis which contains and discusses the contribution, also in the field of the state of the art in the research community on the research issue. The PhD research will be developed under the guidance of a supervisor who supports the candidate in the setting-out and in the everyday activities regarding the development of the thesis. The supervisor does not have to be a member of the Professor Board and can also belong to an institution other than the Politecnico di Milano. The supervisor can be supported by one or more co-supervisors. To develop the capability of carrying out research activities, the candidate must attend courses according to the PhD programme, defined for his/her study plan and pass them with a positive evaluation. For each candidate admitted to the programme, a tutor, belonging to the Board of Professors, is appointed. The tutor supervises and supports the candidate in the overall training path. The supervisor and the tutor can coincide. The choice of courses will be overseen by the tutor, and will be formalized in a study plan and approved by the Coordinator of the PhD Programme. Other activities for the development of personal skills and research expertise are encouraged during the PhD programme. The candidate has to acquire the capability to present and discuss his/her work in his/her research community. Consequently both participation in international conferences and publication of research results in international journals with review are strongly encouraged. Candidates are also encouraged to carry out part of their research activities in contact with other research groups in their field of interest, preferably abroad. Research visits of at least four months and up to 18 months to research groups and international institutions, through which the candidate can acquire further skills to develop his/her research work and the thesis, are strongly encouraged. The duration of the programme is normally three years. 5
6.3 Objectives and overview of teaching activities The Ph.D. Programme and the Ph.D. School may activate various types of training with different valences (courses, seminars, project workshops, laboratories). All activities will aim at: creating common starting knowledge common to the PhD programme; examining the basic research issues (problems, theories, research methods) which represent the founding element of the PhD Programme and which identify clearly its cultural position; exploring in a specialised manner some research issues connected with the problems developed in the thesis. Lessons are usually in English language, except when indicated otherwise. At least one path entirely in English is foreseen in the PhD programme. Certain teaching activities entitle to acquire ECTS credits (structured teaching activities); other activities, typically specialised and for which it is difficult to make an assessment of learning and quantification of the same, fall within the scientific activities of which the Board of Professors takes into account in the overall evaluation, but whose value is not quantified in ECTS. Courses and activities are developed as follows: 1. Main courses: they are designed to develop PhD students expertise in structuring research programmes in the area of their thesis. These courses should be attended in the first two years (mainly in the first year) in order to refine tools and methods to fully develop high-level research in the last part of the PhD period. 2. Other activities: internships, external courses (held by companies or other institutions), national and international seminars, conferences and workshops, participation in national and international research projects, scientific paper writing and paper presentations on research results, support to teaching activities. 3. Development of the PhD thesis: all thesis related activities. A typical scheduling of PhD activity is given in the following figure. 6
The following table shows the foreseen path for candidates and refer only to coursework activities. At the same time, the programme foresees that the candidate is devoted to research activity in a continuous manner, following the guidelines of his/her Supervisor and of the Board of Professors. First/Second Year (proposed structure to be personalised) Courses PhD School Courses Courses characterising the PhD Programme Other PhD Courses Possible details or reference to following tables Number of credits (min-max) Note Min 5 See: http://www.dottorato.polimi.it/en/durin g-your-phd/phd-school-courses/ Table A Min 10 These must be selected from the PhD courses offered by the PhD Programme in Aerospace Engineering. Max 15 These should be selected on topics connected with the research subject from PhD courses offered by the Politecnico di Milano and/or other Universities, subject to approval of the Supervisor. Second and Third year In the second half of the second year and during the whole of the third year the candidate should be devoted entirely to research and development of the PhD thesis. 7
PhD PROGRAMMES MAIN COURSES For admission to the final exam acquisition of at least 30 credits of Main Courses is mandatory. These credits must be acquired as follows: courses offered by the PhD Programme (A): see Table A courses offered by the PhD School (B); The list of Ph.D. courses organized by the PhD School is available at the following page http://www.dottorato.polimi.it/en/during-your-phd/phdschool-courses/ PhD-level courses offered by the Politecnico or other Institutions (C) Credits selected from courses belonging to set A should be at least 10. Credits selected from courses belonging to set B should be at least 5. Credits selected from courses belonging to set C must be approved by the supervisor, the tutor and the PhD Programme Coordinator. PREPARATORY COURSES If the supervisor and the tutor find it useful or necessary for the candidate to attend preparatory courses (chosen among the courses activated at the Politecnico di Milano) the Board of Professors of the PhD programme can assign a number of extra-credits to be acquired to complete the training path. The credits acquired in this manner will be considered as additional, in relation to the mandatory credits to be acquired with the PhD courses. SPECIALISTIC COURSES, LONG-TRAINING SEMINARS Attendance of Specialist Courses, Workshops, Schools, Seminars cycles is strongly encouraged and can be inserted in the study plan, even if they are not evaluated (and therefore not qualified as credits), as optional supplementary teaching. In the following table, the schedule for the 2015-16 academic year is provided. It is possible that other courses are subsequently activated at the PhD School; in this case candidates will be promptly informed in order to be able to insert these new courses in their study plan. 8
Table A: PHD COURSES CHARACTERISING THE PHD PROGRAMME SSD Name of Course Professor A.Y./Semester Language Credits /04 /04 /06 /04 /06 /03 MAT /07 ING- INF/04 /03 Mechanics of elastic solids M.Morandini 2015-16 2nd semester Science and engineering of materials G.Sala 2015-16 1st semester Applied computational fluid dynamics L.Quartapelle 2015-16 2nd semester Dynamics of multi-body systems P.Masarati / 2015-16 F. Cheli 1st semester Aerodynamics and aeroacustics of L.Vigevano 2015-16 rotors 2nd semester Flight dynamics and aeroelasticity of G.Quaranta 2015-16 Rotary-Wing Aircrafts 1st semester Introduction to Microfluidics A. Frezzotti 2015-16 2nd semester Advanced identification and control M.Lovera 2015-16 of rotary-wing aircraft 1st semester Nonlinear Optimal Control with F. Topputo 2015-16 Applications 2nd semester English 10 English 10 6.4 Presentation of the study plan Each PhD candidate must submit his/her study plan. Candidates will have the opportunity to review it periodically (every three months) in order to adapt it to possible changes in the training offer or to needs justified by the development of his/her study plan. The study plan is approved by the Coordinator of the PhD Programme, according to the procedures established by the Board of Professors of the PhD Programme itself. 6.5 Instructions for the annual exams The candidate presents his/her work each semester to the Board of Professors for a pre-evaluation and each year for admission to the next year. After each annual evaluation, the candidate will receive an evaluation (A/B/C/D) or, if the candidate does not pass the exam, the candidate will be qualified as a Repeating candidate (Er) or not able to continue with the PhD (Ei). In the annual exam of the third year, admission of the candidate to the final exam (held by an external Commission) is evaluated. In the last year, candidates having achieved sufficient results but who need more time to write their thesis may obtain an extension up to a maximum of 12 months. 9
6.6 Instruction for the preparation of the PhD thesis The PhD study and research work will be carried out, full time, during the three years of the PhD course. The possibility of internships or study periods in Italian or foreign companies or external entities and universities is foreseen. The main objective is the development of an original research contribution. The PhD thesis must contribute to increasing knowledge in the research field of the candidate. The thesis must also be coherent with the research issues developed in the department in which the PhD programme, chosen by the candidate is developed. The candidate must present the original thesis, discussing its contribution to the state of the art in the research field in the research community. The PhD research will be developed following the guidelines of a supervisor who supports the candidate in setting out and in everyday activities regarding development of the thesis. 6.7 Final exam On termination of studies, admission of the candidate to the final exam will be evaluated by the Academic Board. The thesis will then be evaluated by two external reviewers who certify the scientific quality of the performed research or may require an integration of the work during a period of no more than six months. At the end of the procedure, a final exam is taken in order to attain the qualification, in which the research work carried out and the thesis will be discussed in front of an Examination Committee composed of three members, of which at least two external examiners. 10
7. Laboratories, PhD Secretary Services The Department of Aerospace Science and Technology is equipped with many experimental and research labs, including: Structural testing Aerodynamics Space systems Space Propulsion Crash Composites and smart structures Secretary: Laura Lupano Tel: 02-23998339 Fax: 02-23998334 e-mail: laura.lupano@polimi.it Head of Administration: Dr. Francesco Giovanni Cecchet Tel: 02-23998331 Fax: 02-23998334 e-mail: francesco.cecchet@polimi.it 8. Internationalisation and other activities A research period of at least four months to be spent at foreign universities, research laboratories and industries is not compulsory but strongly recommended for all PhD candidates. The University also offers the possibility of PhD programmes with foreign universities as well as double and joint PhD programmes. Further information can be found on the PhD School and PhD programme websites 11