Call #3 PhD Research topics

Recruiting university : USMB (France) / Co-supervising university : UNIZAR (SPAIN)

Summary

Entrepreneurs, particularly those engaged in cultural, creative, and artisanal activities, are not only economic actors but also custodians of intangible cultural heritage and identity narratives. Through their practices, they transmit traditions, skills, and collective memories that shape social cohesion and reinforce cultural identities. However, they face a global environment of chronic uncertainty - geopolitical instability, ecological transitions, and the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence - that heightens stress, anxiety, and burnout. These challenges endanger both their personal well-being and the continuity of the cultural values they embody.
The project bridges psychology and entrepreneurship research, fields that rarely intersect, by integrating cognitive-behavioral approaches with cultural heritage and identity narratives in entrepreneurs. The PhD explores resilience, emotional regulation, and stress management as key mechanisms to design evidence-based, context-sensitive interventions supporting entrepreneurs in a context of multiple disruptions.
By focusing on the intersection between entrepreneurship and intangible cultural heritage, this PhD contributes to a deeper understanding of how safeguarding entrepreneurs’ well-being is essential not only for economic performance but also for the preservation and renewal of cultural identities and collective memory in contemporary societies."

Fields of study

Entrepreneurship and Business Management, Entrepreneurial behavior and innovation, Responsible business and human resource, Psychology, Cultural Heritage and Social Sciences

Full description of the project

01_USMB-UNIZAR

Supervisors

Muriel Fadairo (USMB)

Raquel Ortega (UNIZAR)

Recruiting university : USMB (France) / Co-supervising university : UNITO (ITALY)

Summary

This research project proposes a comparative analysis of the novels by Igiaba Scego, Maaza Mengiste, and Alice Zeniter, respectively an italophone, an anglophone and a francophone author. The goal is to explore postcolonial literature from a transnational perspective by highlighting the convergences and divergences in their literary approaches. The project examines Igiaba Scego’s Oltre Babilonia (2008), Adua (2015), La linea del colore (2020) and Cassandra a Mogadiscio (2023), Maaza Mengiste’s Beneath the Lion’s Gaze (2010) and The Shadow King (2019), and Alice Zeniter’s L'art de perdre (2017). Drawing on postcolonial theories, this project examines key concepts such as the agency of colonized and postcolonial characters, the influence of colonial and patriarchal violence, as well as power relations related to gender, race, and social class. The analysis also focuses on how these authors redefine colonial history by deconstructing dominant narratives and giving voice to the often ignored “small voices of history” (Guha 2009). The study also explores the use of colonial languages by these writers, who, after a process of reappropriation, employ them as means of expression to build a complex and multifaceted postcolonial feminine identity.

Fields of study

Literature

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2-USMB-UNITO

Supervisors

Christina Vignali (USMB)

Concilio Carmelina (UNITO)

Recruiting university : USMB (France) / Co-supervising university : UNITO (Italy)

Summary

In recent decades, scholars have increasingly studied fascism from a transnational perspective, emphasising the dissemination of fascist ideas and political practices across European and transatlantic contexts. This research project intends to contribute to this framework by investigating the development of fascist and neo-fascist networks and the circulation of ideas between France and Italy from the 1930s to the 1950s. The presence of a large Italian immigrant community in France represented a strategic asset for the fascist regime, particularly in the 1930s, to strengthen its foreign policy objectives. Through a vast network of associations and institutions, the Italian  regime extended its control over a segment of the Italian community in France, thereby contributing to the dissemination of fascist ideology and political practices within the country.
Beyond the conventional chronological boundaries of the fascist regime, this project aims to analyze the cultural legacy of fascism in France and the construction of neo-fascist political and cultural networks during the 1940s and 1950s. The research will therefore explore, through individual narratives and the history of specific groups, the network engaged in organizing neo-fascist formations in both countries. It will evaluate the theoretical and organizational links among these groups, and the extent of continuity between the fascist experience and the neo-fascists post-WWII. Particular attention will be paid to how Italian and French neo-fascist groups, also connected to regimes such as those of Franco and Salazar, reconceived the idea of Europe during a time when the emerging anti-
communist European order was being shaped.

Fields of study

History

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 3-USMB-UNITO

Supervisors

Emilie-Anne Pépy (USMB)

Pietro Pinna (UNITO)

Recruiting university : UPPA (France) / Co-supervising university : UPNA (Spain)

Summary

Watermills, with their typical paddlewheel or bucket wheel, are an emblematic feature of mountain landscapes. This ancient technology was the backbone of the agrarian, craft and then industrial economy until the 19th century. Yet mills are at the crossroads of several issues dear to the UNITA alliance. Mills are part of our material heritage, bearing witness to an economic, technical and social history, as well as being part of our typical landscape, dotted along the banks of developed watercourses. They also bear witness to the economic and social organization of mountain communities.
The 19th century was the golden age of mills; the invention of the turbine enabled them to be converted into hydroelectric power stations. Then, in the 20th century, the centralization of production led to the abandonment of many micro-power stations. Today, however, there is renewed interest in microhydropower plants as part of the energy transition. Small hydroelectric installations offer several advantages (free resource, decarbonized, controllable energy, local dissemination, local development tool, etc).
Today, many watermill renovation projects are underway, promising to meet ecological and heritage preservation objectives. However, the relationship between heritage and the environment is not self-evident. Mills with the best energy profiles are not necessarily those of greatest historical interest.
By adopting a microhistorical approach to these projects, the research seeks to highlight the tensions and negotiations between economic uses, environmental constraints, and cultural values, thereby situating the patrimonialization of mills at the intersection of economic, environmental, and cultural history.

Fields of study

Antropology, Architecture, Arts and Culture, Geography, History, Environment and Geosciences

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4-UPPA-UPNA 

Supervisors

Loic Artiaga (UPPA)

Jose Lana Berasain (UPNA)

Recruiting university : UPPA (France) / Co-supervising university : UNITO (Italy)

Summary

This project examines the literary representation of the relationship between ecological crisis and technoscientific progress across a broad historical span, from the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution to the present day, in francophone literature.
Building on the historical framing of the Anthropocene by Jean-Baptiste Fressoz and Christophe Bonneuil, and drawing on the theoretical insights of Hans Jonas on responsibility, Ulrich Beck on risk, and Bruno Latour on modernity, the project aims to reconstruct a cultural history of literary representations of the nexus between technoscientific progress and the environment.
The field of inquiry is Francophone literature, approached through methodologies developed in ecopoetics. Particular attention will be given to the contrasting literary models of utopia and dystopia, articulated in both realist and speculative registers. Depending on the candidate’s expertise, the research may either adopt a longue durée perspective or concentrate on a specific period or group of authors (e.g., realism, the historical avant-gardes, existentialism, contemporary ecological fiction). Special emphasis will also be placed on questions of environmental justice, especially the unequal distribution of benefits and harms and their entanglement with colonial and postcolonial histories.
By situating contemporary ecological debates within a long literary history, the project seeks to provide a historical and conceptual framework that is still lacking in environmental studies, while contributing to the development of intellectual tools for the defense of natural heritage.

Field of study

Literature

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5-UPPA-UNITO

Supervisors

Riccardo Barontini (UPPA)

Franca Buera (UNITO)

Recruiting university : UPPA (France) / Co-supervising university : UNITO (Italy)

Summary

Classical music (or what may more widely defined as “western learned music”) is a major part of Europe’s cultural heritage. And it includes the traditional concert or opera performance, which mainly is a 19th century legacy. But ways of listening to music have changed over the last decades (from the triumphant CD’s advent to the era of streaming platforms and You tube) and so has sometimes the rite of classical concerts itself. Contemporary literature and cinema reflect that evolution, associating values and meanings with those different modes of enjoying or discovering European masterworks. By doing so, one can assume that they also (re)shape our image of classical music and concerts.  These interactions between literary/cinematic representations of our modern listening practices and our conception of such a musical heritage can be apprehended in a large spectrum of works varying both in genres and languages. 

Fields of study

Arts and culture, Literature, Sociology

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6-UPPA-UNITO

Supervisors

Yves Landerouin (UPPA)

Chiara Lombardi (UNITO)

Recruiting university : UPPA (France) / Co-supervising university : UVT (Romania)

Summary

The Anthropocene, beginning in the late 19th century with industrialization, marks the first time humankind has caused systemic imbalances in ecosystems shaped over 66 million years. Organizations, as key structures of modern societies, drive demographic growth, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and climate disruption. Among them, the United Nations stands out as the largest global organization, uniting most countries and providing a collective roadmap through its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly designed “to save the world.” Yet, existing tools — standards, certifications, and labels — fail to link organizational activities systematically to the SDGs.
This research proposes a humanistic and systemic methodology to address this gap. It starts with a semantic, cultural, and contextual analysis of organizational activities down to the operational level. Indicators are modeled, measured, and synthesized into simplified visual representations, inspired by the UN’s circle-and-arrow system, to assess positive and negative impacts. Artificial intelligence is employed judiciously to support data processing and reveal complex correlations, while human expertise remains essential for interpretation and ethical validation.
Universities are chosen as the primary application field, for their role in knowledge production, value transmission, and shaping sustainable futures. Testing this methodology in academic institutions aims to create a replicable framework for diverse organizations, helping them align more effectively with the SDGs.
Ultimately, the approach strengthens accountability, transparency, and societal engagement, empowering organizations to amplify positive impacts and mitigate negative ones.

Fields of study

Interdisciplinary research bridging sustainability studies, organizational sciences, and higher education.It develops systemic and humanistic approaches to align universities and other organizations with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goal

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 7-UPPA-UVT

Supervisors

Eric Schall (UPPA)

Alin Speriuși-Vlad  (UVT)

Recruiting university : UNIZAR (SPAIN) / Co-supervising university : UPPA (France)

Summary

The Mudejar legacy constitutes one of the most significant elements of Aragonese cultural heritage. The declaration of Aragonese Mudejar Architecture as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 and 2001 recognizes the value of its artistic and historical contributions to universal culture. This architectural tradition exemplifies the coexistence of Christian and Islamic aesthetics and serves as a visible testimony of a complex intercultural past. However, the cultural contribution of Aragonese Mudéjar and Morisco communities goes far beyond the monumental with particular forms of intangible cultural heritage. As a minority yet diverse group, they also produced a significant body of literary and cultural works in the Spanish linguistic varieties used within Islamic communities that deserves further study and recognition: Aljamiado Literature. Usually written in Aragonese language through Arabic script, these texts aimed to convey ethic and religious teachings and the literary experience.
From Qur’anic translations and religious poems to legends, fables, sermons, and practical knowledge such as popular magic, medical remedies or ethical treatises, Aljamiado texts encode an alternative historical narrative that has been historically silenced or marginalized. Despite its richness, a vast portion of this corpus, mainly discovered in Aragon, remains unexplored, scattered across public libraaries or archives, and private collections. Many texts are only accessible in manuscripts, often in fragile conditions and require both philological and digital intervention to be studied, classified and preserved.

Field of study

Spanish Philology, Literary and Cultural Studies, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Codicology and Palaeography, Art History

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8-UNIZAR-UPPA

Supervisors

Alberto Montaner Frutos (UNIZAR)

Fabienne Plazolles Guillen (UPPA)

Recruiting university : UNIZAR (Spain) / Co-supervising university : UNITO (Italy)

Summary

Are cultural landscapes helping to alleviate the challenges socio-economic decline in mountain regions? This doctoral dissertation will look for answers, based on a historical introduction and a series of case studies in a comparative analysis crowned by conclusions and recommendations for the sustainable upkeeping of this type of heritage ensembles in the future. While regularly based in Saragossa University, the PhD candidate will carry out research stays in villages signified by a strong arts profile in the Pyrenees (Hecho), Picos de Europa (Cerezales del Condado), the Iberian System (Vilafamés), Central System (Olmeda de las Fuentes), Serranía de Ronda (Genalguacil), to conduct interviews, consult local archives or experience in person these realities.
Comparable spots in the Alps and/or the Apennines will be the locations of the study-cases during the second year, when he/she will be based in Turin. The candidate will study examples of patrimonialization in the Alpes (Museo diffuso del Cuneeese), Serra di Vrea (Maglione), Monte Roccatonda (Gibellina) and then investigate the National Database for further examples that may match the Spanish ones.
Similar examples in further countries will be visited and studied during the required research stages in other UNITA universities: for instance in French Pyrenees (Céret) and Alps (St Paul de Vence). Meanwhile, the doctoral student will disseminate his/her findings in international conferences and journals, especially in the third year of the contract.

Fields of study

Arts and Culture

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9-UNIZAR-UNITO 

Supervisors

Jesús Pedro Lorente (UNIZAR)

Silvia Pireddu (UNITO)

Recruiting university :  UNITO (Italy) / Co-supervising university : UPNA (Spain)

Summary

The concept of sustainability and sustainable tourism has often been neglected in previous research regarding tourists' understanding, which has mainly focused on the supply side of tourism and assumed a shared knowledge among all consumers. Most tourists tend to associate sustainable tourism solely with environmental factors and consider sustainability and sustainable tourism as separate concepts.
However, recent environmental crises and technological advancements have significantly transformed the tourism sector, increasing the importance of social sustainability and encouraging accommodations to adopt sustainable practices. This study specifically explores the application of sustainable tourism principles to cultural tourism, highlighting the importance of preserving cultural heritage—such as historical sites, traditions, and cultural resources—along with environmental concerns. It aims to protect these assets for future generations to enjoy in equal or better conditions. Additionally, the research investigates tourists’ perceptions of sustainability within cultural tourism and the critical role of digital technologies like mobile applications and online platforms in promoting sustainable behaviour,  facilitating eco-friendly bookings, and providing informative content about cultural sites. Digital marketing campaigns also play a key role in raising awareness among travellers about the significance of safeguarding cultural heritage. This study further examines how digital tools and marketing strategies impact consumer behaviour in sustainable cultural tourism, encouraging responsible travel choices.
Ultimately, the goal is to foster a conscious and sustainable approach to cultural tourism that ensures the long-term preservation and enjoyment of cultural heritage worldwide. 

Fields of study

Business, Marketing, Tourism, Consumer Behaviour

Full description of the project

 10-UNITO-UPNA

Supervisors

Chiara Giachino (UNITO)

Maria Elena Aramendia-Muneta (UPNA)

Recruiting university : UNITO (ITALY) / Co-supervising university : UNIZAR (SPAIN)

Summary

The project aims to investigate the printed tradition and the botanical lexicon of the monumental work of translation and commentary on De materia medica by Pēdanius Dioscorides, produced by the Sienese physician and humanist Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501–1578). Constantly updated and expanded with the contributions of scholars, physicians, and apothecaries, the work soon developed into a true encyclopedia of medico-botanical knowledge, a summa of both ancient and contemporary learning, primarily in the medical and pharmacological fields, but also, closely connected to these, in the areas of zoology, mineralogy, and, most prominently, botany.

Mattioli translated the text into Latin starting in 1554 to promote its wider dissemination across Europe; it was soon thereafter translated into French (as early as 1561), German, Czech, and Bohemian, and rapidly circulated throughout the continent, becoming the foundational text of European knowledge in its field. Despite its success, editorial fortune, and lasting impact (and thus its enormous significance), a systematic study of the printing tradition and of the lexicon of Mattioli’s Dioscorides is still entirely lacking. This project seeks to fill that gap by offering a digital synoptic edition of the first book from the four most important printed editions of the text as far as an historical-linguistic mapping of the botanical vocabulary, which will contribute to a better understanding of the formation of the Italian (and wider European) scientific lexicon and the transmission of ancient knowledge to Renaissance culture.

Fields of study

Linguistics, History of italian language, Lexicography, Digital humanities, History of science

Full description of the project

11-UNITO-UNIZAR

Supervisors

Francesca Geymonat (UNITO)

Giulia Fasano (UNIZAR)

Recruiting university : UNITO (Italy)  / Co-supervising university : UNIZAR (Spain)

Summary

European culture shares multiple historical legacies, with contrasting voices and plural narratives. This is especially true for heritage related to conflict, discordant stories and lack of agreement and consistency in the way the past is represented in public spheres. The challenge for contemporary museography is to overcome traditional exhibition strategies in conveying the ethical and emotional complexity of these topics and avoiding visitor disengagement or defensive reactions.The design of exhibitions must reveal the diverse positions and address complex themes interdisciplinarily, provide an encompassing and deep perspective, convey awareness in tourism, education and communication of historical heritage.
Technologies like eXtended Reality (XR) and interactive narratives offer significant potential to transform museum mediation, to represent alternative views and have the power to engage young audiences. However, their application in sensitive heritage contexts remains underexplored, especially in the adequate representation of cultural values. The demand is for digital artifacts that are not only attractive but have a significant cultural impact on the audiences.
This doctoral thesis investigates how the design of user-centered technological frameworks can enhance the visitor experience. The aim is to develop and evaluate a methodological framework that guides the creation of ethical digital tools capable of fostering empathy, critical thinking, and multi-perspectivity without trivializing the content. Through a research-creation approach, combining case study analysis with the design and testing of a prototype, this project will offer a robust theoretical and practical model for museums to address difficult pasts more effectively and resonantly in the digital age.

Fields of study

Computer Sciences, Arts and Culture

Full description of the project

12-UNITO-UNIZAR 

Supervisors

Vincenzo Lombardo (UNITO)

Anna Biedermann (UNIZAR)

Recruiting university : UNITBV (Spain) / Co-supervising university : USMB (France)

Summary

Distinct agricultural crops and practices play a central role in shaping the culture and cultural heritage of rural communities in specific regions. The Brașov region in Romania, for instance, is particularly renowned for its potato and sugar beet cultivation, which has earned it the designation 'Potato Country’. However, these traditional crops are increasingly being replaced by others, such as rapeseed, which are more resilient and better adapted to changing climate conditions. This shift contributes to the loss of cultural heritage. Remote sensing, and in particular Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), provides valuable insights into vegetation structure, soil roughness, and soil moisture. The Copernicus program of the European Commission, together with other space agencies, offers free and regularly updated data for
the long-term monitoring of agricultural systems. In this project, conducted in close collaboration between French and Romanian research units, we aim at contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage in the selected region of Romania, while the ultimate goal is to take steps towards the development of global strategies to address climate change. In order to reach the aim, we leverage multi-modal, multi-temporal SAR data to (i) quantify the impact of climate change on traditional agricultural crops, (ii) estimate the water demand of these crops, (iii) evaluate nature-based solutions to preserve soil quality, and (iv) predict future dynamics.

Field of study

Computer Sciences, Environment and Geosciences, Information Science and Engineering

Full description of the project

13-UNITBV-USMB

Supervisors

Mihai Ivanovici (UNITBV)

Yajing Yan (USMB)

Recruiting university : UNITBV (Romania) / Co-supervising university : UPPA (France)

Summary

Historically, tourism sector was based mainly on various tangible assets. In the recent years, the tangible elements of tourism are more and more combined with experiences, as elements of the touristic demand; as a consequence, tourists became part of the co-creation process in the touristic experience – “the creative turn of tourism”.
Cultural tourism made not exception from this trend; moreover, the new paradigm of “cultural tourism” seems to become the result of a synergy between cultural heritage and the specific experience of the tourist. Therefore, developing cultural creative touristic destinations needs a multidimensional and integrated approach and, finally, a comprehensive strategy of the policy-makers. The Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) represents a very generous source of creativity; therefore, it could become a defining element of differentiation, a tool used by the authorities as economic and social driver for the local development, and, also, an important provider of innovation, growth and a job generator.
Despite the fact that some attempts of culture-related indicators tried to assess and to harmonize culture’s contribution at national and international level, there is a lack of information about the possible contribution of ICH at the creative cultural tourism in terms of innovation, competitiveness or sustainability.
The present research proposal focuses on the contribution that ICH might have in the process of co- creation specific to creative tourism, as well as on developing new tools to monitor and to assess the contribution of ICH in the touristic destinatons development.

Field of study

Anthropology, Arts and Culture, Economics, Computer Sciences, Sociology

Full description of the project

14-UNITBV-UPPA 

Supervisors

Bianca Tescasiu (UNITBV)

Christian Sallaberry (UPPA)

Recruiting university : UNITBV (Romania)/ Co-supervising university : UNITO (Italy)

Summary

Since the 1990s, the way of writing about “the self” in Western and Eastern Europe has undergone significant change: the boundary between ‘classical’ autobiography, autofiction, and more theoretical and reflexive forms of self-writing (sometimes referred to as “autotheory”) has become permeable. In France, this field is marked by its theoretical heritage (Lejeune, Doubrovsky) and by a variety of literary practices—Annie Ernaux, Christine Angot, Hervé Guibert, etc.—that reexamine the veracity, ethics, and staging of the “I.” The term “autofiction” was coined in French literary practice (Serge Doubrovsky, 1977) and subsequently spread as a critical category. In Italy, self-writing takes various forms—from “classical” autobiographical narrative to experimental writing—and benefits from an active academic tradition (seminars and collective volumes) that questions the porosity between fiction and memory. In Romania, the reception of French theories (Barthes in particular) and local practices give rise to political and contextual readings of personal writing. On a theoretical level, the notion of “autotheory” (writing that combines essay, testimony, and theory, sometimes claimed as a political/ethical gesture) is increasingly used to consider texts that lie between autobiography and critical reflexive practice; recent journals and dossiers discuss this from an interdisciplinary perspective

Field of study

Literature

Full description of the project

15-UNITBV-UNITO 

Supervisors

Matei Alexandru (UNITBV)

Gabriella Bosco (UNITO)

Recruiting university : UNIBS (Italy) / Co-supervising university : USMB (France)

Summary

Arch bridges are key components of transport infrastructure, valued for their structural sophistication and architectural elegance. Their use in Southern Europe dates back to the Roman era, when masonry construction reached high levels of refinement. At the same time, Roman concrete (opus caementicium), the precursor of modern concrete, enabled the construction of increasingly ambitious vaulted structures, such as the Pantheon dome in Rome. From the late 19th century onward, reinforced concrete gradually replaced masonry in bridge technology (partially not totally), leading to the construction of large span arches still used nowadays for constructing new bridges.
Masonry and concrete arch bridges are widespread across Europe, with Italy and France hosting an extensive heritage. The extensive survey programs promoted by the Italian Government since 2020 revealed the pathologies and the material decay involving a considerable number of existing bridges. Moreover, the steady increase in traffic loads demands continuous safety assessments and targeted retrofitting strategies.
This project aims to advance knowledge of typical arch bridges in Italy and France, with emphasis on both structural and architectural characteristics. Selected case studies will be analyzed through advanced monitoring techniques to identify structural deficiencies and develop innovative retrofitting solutions to mitigate vulnerabilities. The data provided by the monitoring activity will also enable accurate modeling of structural behavior and prediction of deterioration rates, supporting the estimation of residual service life.

Fields of study

Engineering, Architecture

Full description of the project

16-UNIBS-USMB 

Supervisors

Fausto Minelli (UNIBS)

Camelo Caggegi (USMB)

Recruiting university : UNIBS (Italy) / Co-supervising university : UNIZAR (Spain)

Summary

This project addresses the challenge of knowledge transfer in stereotomy, the science of cutting and assembling building stones, which, despite its foundational role in European architecture from Renassaince, is today documented in complex treatises. The research aims to bridge this knowledge gap through the integration of advanced digital methodologies.

I trattati di stereotomia presentano un testo accompagnato da una serie di rappresentazioni tra loro coordinate. Le rappresentazioni sono il risultato di una serie di operazioni grafiche necessarie per scomporre la superficie principale in elementi (voissoirs), e le successive operazioni per tagliare le pietre e apparecchiarle in un unico sistema strutturalmente stabile. 

The study has a dual objective. First, it will establish a formal ontology for the classification of surfaces, tools, and stone element arrangements, followed by the semantic transcription of portions of historical treatises in French, Italian, or Spanish. This process will render their contents queryable and semantically accessible. Second, the project will apply scripting and advanced digital modeling to analyze and virtually reconstruct complex masonry vault geometries. This includes the formalization of specific notable surfaces, such as surfaces of revolution and rotation-translation, using a unified language currently lacking in the field.

The theoretical framework will be validated through practical case studies from diverse geographical regions, including France and Spain. The integration of digital surveys and 3D reconstructions with a specific BIM (Building Information Modeling) semantics within a unified platform will allow for a direct correlation between the principles described in historical treatises and their concrete architectural applications.

Fields of study

History and theory of representation, history of construction (SH5_11 Digital humanities; SH8_5 History of art and of architecture)

Full description of the project

17-UNIBS-UNIZAR 

Supervisors

Paolo Borin  (UNIBS)

Maria Josefa Tarifa Castilla (UNIZAR)

Recruiting university : UNIBS (Italy) / Co-supervising university : UNIZAR (Spain)

Summary

Construction history and research applied to artistic and architectural artefacts have long been recognized as relevant field of investigation, essential for reconstructing the complex palimpsest of built heritage material features and for refining the theoretical and methodological awareness of its preservation and enhancement strategies. The richness of this path of studies has allowed us to recognise as well in the material aspects of artistic and architectural heritage precious intangible values, which are equally worthy of conservation and promotion. In this context, is considerably interesting the development and circulation of building knowledge and technological skills, which in the past governed the architectural and artistic design choices, historically determined by the dialectic between cultured theoretical magisterium and local empirical building traditions. The research aims at exploring the circulation of these knowledge and skills, and their main expressions, from the late Middle Ages up to the 18th century in the territories belonging to the UNITA alliance, highlighting how and to what extent construction techniques have contributed to building a common material and immaterial cultural heritage and identity values, and affected the wider area of the Latin Arch and the Mediterranean basin, in a process of mutual hybridisation. The project is specifically concerned with transfers and exchanges between the lands of the European continental Powers and the Italian peninsula, focusing, through main thematic lines and case studies of major interest, on the circulation of building culture between the territories historically belonging to the Spanish Crown and northern Italy, with particular regard to Lombardy.

Fields of study

History of art and architecture, Construction history, Arts and culture, Architectural and artistic techniques, Architectural heritage, Digital humanities.

Full description of the project

18-UNIBS-UNIZAR

Supervisors

Irene Giustinai (UNIBS)

Javier Ibáñez Fernández (UNIZAR)

Recruiting university : UNIBS (Italy) / Co-supervising university : UNITBV (Romania)

Summary

The main goal of this proposal is to develop strong research and analysis skills of a PhD student, including the ability to collect, generate, manage and analyse ancient cartography and spatial data, to use and develop hydrologic models, to perform and to critically discuss results. Through this project, we will provide young scientists with the opportunity to develop research skills in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment. PhD candidates will acquire specialized technical skills relevant to historical European cartography and hydrology, guided by experts also on the technical themes, and through advanced digital techniques. More specifically, the research will deal with the assessment of land use and land cover transformations over a long period (first half of the XIX century until present) with reference to some selected case studies placed in Italy and Romania. Ancient maps developed by the military service of the Habsburg Empire will be exploited to classify the land use-land cover featuring Europe in the early XIX century. Current and recent landscapes will be acquired by using the CORINE project, that monitors the present landcover transformations in Europe. This analysis is expected to reveal important information about the evolution of the cultural landscapes, agricultural and forestry practices in mountain and rural areas. The digitization of ancient maps unveils effects of the complex interaction between humans, nature and climate. In particular, the analysis will be the base to develop hydrologic analyses aimed at investigating the change in water balance (evapotranspiration, water demand and availability) in the selected case studies.

Fields of study

Cartographic heritage, Digitalization and digital tools, Heritage management, Cultural landscapes, Climate impact on mountain and rural areas

Full description of the project

19-UNIBS-UNITBV 

Supervisors

Roberto Ranzi (UNIBS)

Carmen Maftei (UNITBV)

Recruiting university : UNIBS (Italy) / Co-supervising university : UBI (Portugal)

Summary

Water and waste management in mountainous and remote areas is a critical issue. Small villages and mountain shelters are often far from centralized services and infrastructure, making decentralized solutions essential. These solutions must account for accessibility challenges and environmental and  climatic conditions, which affects resorces availability and systems functioning. In some areas, climate change and tourism increase place additional pressure on already fragile environments. Solid waste must be collected and transported to treatment facilities requiring storage and transport capacity. Drinking water is often supplied in plastic bottles brought up from the valleys, or collected from rainfall and glaciers and then treated. Wastewater, usually requires local treatment, which can be difficult to implement, depending on its quality, space and resources availability.
Although technological innovation and stricter environmental regulations have advanced water and waste management in recent years, solutions often overlook the needs of small, decentralized communities. Mountain communities, however, have managed scarce resources for centuries. This research aims to explore traditional practices, while exploring current approaches to these challenges. The goal is to identify synergies where tradition and innovation can converge, informing both new technologies and policy development for these areas. Nature-based solutions, such as constructed wetlands or soil infiltration systems, will be investigated as sustainable, low-energy alternatives.
Combining traditional and modern practices in water and waste management can generate cultural value. By turning these practices into part of local heritage and tourist experiences, communities can raise awareness about the fragility of mountain environments, promoting more sustainable tourism and living.

Field of study

Environmental Engineering

Full description of the project

20-UNIBS-UBI

Supervisors

Giorgio Bertanza (UNIBS)

Antonio Albuquerque (UBI)