Printable versionDetails about funded positions - 40th Cycle - Curriculum 2
(2A) Turbulence and Climate Change in the Mediterranean: Medicanes and Extreme Events
Funding institution: University of Calabria & Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - INGV
Doctoral site: University of Calabria
Contact: Prof. Vincenzo Carbone [vincenzo.carbone [at] fis.unical.it]
Funds: Project funds
Mobility abroad: compulsory, minimum 6 months
Periods in companies/research centres/public administrations: optional
Our planet is experiencing unprecedented climate change. In the Mediterranean region, the emergence of phenomena like the Mediterranean hurricanes represents a unique and fascinating challenge. This doctoral scholarship proposal aims to explore atmospheric turbulence through advanced data analysis, innovative statistical methods and numerical simulations. Extreme phenomena are influenced by the climatic alterations of anthropogenic origin. The use of satellite data reanalysis data such as ERA5 and MSWX and integration with satellite data in near real-time (e.g. GOES) will guarantee a solid basis for analyses. The candidate will have the opportunity to contribute significantly to the development of methodologies advanced for the analysis of atmospheric data, providing an important contribution to understanding the links between atmospheric turbulence, extreme events and climate change in the Mediterranean region.
(2B) Space weather and Sun-Earth interaction (CUP E66E24000000001)
Funding institution: SpaceItUp!
Doctoral site: SpaceItUp! - University of Calabria
Contact: Prof. Vincenzo Carbone [vincenzo.carbone [at] fis.unical.it]
Funds: NRRP, M4C2 Inv. 3.3, Innovative PhDs
Mobility abroad: compulsory, minimum 6 months
Periods in companies/research centres/public administrations: compulsory, minimum 6 months
The Sun determines the physical conditions of the heliosphere and near-Earth space and acts as the main engine on the climate of our planet. Fluctuations in the magnetic field modulate the conditions of the interplanetary space, the fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEP) and cosmic rays, the UV component of the solar spectrum and coronal mass ejections (CME). These events are associated with the origin of magnetic storms, which have important effects on our technological society and possibly change the climate conditions through complex interactions with the Earth's atmosphere. The PhD project concerns the nature of variability of solar activity, the physics of interplanetary space, including the effects on Space Weather and Earth's climate through the analysis of data obtained from observatories in space and ground-based, through the construction of theoretical models, and through direct numerical simulations of the basic physical processes, not excluding AI techniques.
(2C) Remote sensing for precision monitoring of vineyard diseases (CUP E66E24000190005)
Funding institution: University of Ferrara
Doctoral site: University of Ferrara
Contact: Prof. Fabio Mantovani [mantovani [at] fe.infn.it]
Funds: NRRP, M4C1 Inv. 3.4, Digital Transition
Mobility abroad: compulsory, minimum 6 months
Periods in companies/research centres/public administrations: compulsory, minimum 6 months
The accurate and timely monitoring of vine diseases is, in the current context of climate change, an essential and mandatory tool for viticulture. The constant rise in temperatures, drought, and the occurrence of extreme events negatively affect the spread and impact of pathogens, altering pre-existing balances and introducing new risks for crops. In this scenario, a precision monitoring system becomes indispensable for promptly identifying the onset of infections, thereby limiting the economic losses of winegrowers. The ability to early detect disease symptoms through advanced and non-invasive monitoring techniques, such as remote sensing, allows for targeted intervention strategies, reducing the impact of epidemics and optimising the use of phytosanitary resources, in compliance with the principles of sustainable and responsible agriculture. The research project aims to develop an early warning system for the prevention and monitoring of vine yellows, particularly Flavescence Dorée, which along with Black Wood, is certainly one of the most serious and quarantine-subject vine diseases across Europe.
(2D) ASI SPACE IT UP SPOKE 5 - Study of Lithosphere-Magnetosphere interactions using data from space borne e ground based instruments, a new tool for natural hazard mitigation (CUP E63C24000530003)
Funding institution: University of Trento
Doctoral site: University of Trento
Contact: Prof. Roberto Battiston [roberto.battiston [at] unitn.it]
Funds: Project Funds
Mobility abroad: compulsory, minimum 6 months
Periods in companies/research centres/public administrations: Optional
CSES is a multipayload detector launched in 2018 aboard CSES-02 (China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite). A second, identical satellite will be launched at the end of 2024 providing the first satellite constellation able to measure, simultaneously low energy particles, plasma, electromagnetic fields at altitudes around 500 km. Together with data from ground based instrument network, these data will allow the modelling of the interaction between the lithosphere and the magnetosphere, in particular to address effects due to rapid ground motions (e.g. earthquake, volcanic explosions, tsunamis) [1]
Ref: [1] Magnetospheric–Ionospheric–Lithospheric Coupling Model. 1: Observations during the 5 August 2018 Bayan Earthquake, Remote Sens. 2020, 12, 3299; doi:10.