Ph.D. Program in Computer Science and Engineering / CSE

Abstract

The doctoral program aims at preparing researchers and professionals with a wide knowledge about the foundations of informatics and information engineering, and about their application to a variety of systems in many different domains. The program introduces new perspectives in formulating and solving technical challenges that are currently a target of very active research areas. The research activity focuses on key aspects of informatics and information engineering such as open-endedness, dynamics and control, autonomy, security, concurrency, cost-effectiveness, quality of services, dependability, optimization, and is concerned especially with the application to networked and large-scale systems with high degrees of interaction.

Research areas

Foundational theories of computer science and information engineering are the basic pillars not only for designing robust and effective software-powered devices, control systems, and tools that increasingly pervade our society, but also for addressing novel theoretical problems.
In particular, the study of models, algorithms, and verification methods for modern distributed systems has fostered the development of such systems over wide area networks; moreover the pervasive nature of data information systems allows the implementation of complex decision-making strategies that make systems react with a certain degree of autonomy to changes of the environment they are operating in. The doctoral students enrolled in the program will acquire extensive knowledge of the fundamentals and applications of architectures and languages for distributed systems and of model-based control and optimization of dynamical systems. Courses will be offered to learn about global and grid computing systems, web systems and services, embedded systems, web data mining, wired and wireless networks, mobile systems, control systems, optimization, and techniques for functional, qualitative and quantitative analysis of hardware and software systems.

Placement opportunities

Graduates from the program are qualified to work in universities, public and industrial research centers, and to take on professional roles and high-profile tasks and responsibilities in both private companies and public institutions
Perspective students should preferably have an undergraduate background in computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, or management science.

Relevant Research Units

• SYStem Modelling and Analysis (SYSMA), lead by Prof. Rocco De Nicola, whose research is focused on concurrent (distributed, mobile, autonomic) systems modelling and analysis.
• DYnamical Systems, Control, and Optimization (DYSCO), lead by Prof. Alberto Bemporad, whose main research activities are in the area of model predictive control of dynamical systems and of its applications to automotive, aerospace, financial, and energy systems.
• Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis (PRIAn), lead by Prof. Angelo Bifone, investigates techniques to identify complex patterns in large data sets, such as in biological and medical images, in close collaboration with experimentalists.

The PhD students enrolled in the CSE program also have the option of following a joint doctoral track with the PhD program in Economics, Markets, and Institutions (EMI), developing multi-disciplinary methods, theories, and techniques for the analysis of vast amount of data and of complex interactions between society and information technologies, and for creating innovative services, improving the quality of life, and enabling people and businesses to make better decisions.