APPLAuSE

Curricular units

The modules are organized into four curricular units (click for a detailed description)

  1. Fundamentals of Plasma Physics, Nuclear Fusion and Lasers (7.5 ECTS)
  2. Diagnostic Methods for Plasmas (7.5 ECTS)
  3. Advanced Topics in Plasma Physics, Nuclear Fusion and Lasers (7.5 ECTS)
  4. Advanced Computation in Physics and Engineering (7.5 ECTS)

Laboratory rotations

Each student undergoes two rotations in two teams (out of about 20 rotations offered at IPFN per year). In each rotation (4 weeks) a small project is developed and presented at the end of the rotation. The goals are to initiate the immersion in the research context and to promote the interactions with possible PhD supervisors. The laboratory rotations are integrated in the curricular units 3 and/or 4.

Transverse skills package

Includes a 1-week intensive training on ethics and communication/presentation skills (1.5 ECTS), complemented by the programs offered to all IST PhD students (IST Bootcamp on Entrepreneurship /Innovation/Communication (1.0 ECTS) and the IST PhD Students Research Day).

3 and half years research programme

At the end of the first semester of Year 1, in close interaction with the Program’s Governance, each student defines the thesis topic and supervisor, and designs a thesis project to start at the beginning of the second semester of Year 1. From this tim and until the end of Year 4 students develop their work plans. This period might include a one-year secondment abroad, for example at one of the international leading research institutions / universities that collaborate with IPFN. The students are encouraged to address problems that can bridge different areas to take advantage of the full scope of research at IPFN.

Students are expected to submit and defend their Thesis by the end of their individual program.

Students will be encouraged to become involved in the organization of events such as the IPFN colloquium, the IPFN Research Day and focused workshops. Outreach activities are also encouraged, such as visits to high schools, production of outreach material, and talks for general audiences.