Baza natječaja

International Doctoral Scholarships in Agrobiodiversity  

Six International Doctoral Scholarships in Agrobiodiversity are available at the Sant'Anna Higher School for Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy for motivated students from either the European Union or developing countries. The School is an independent, public University for advanced learning and research aiming to promote the development of cultural, scientific and technological research and innovation, as well as providing post-doctoral training and continuous education.

By means of this initiative, the School wishes to contribute to the enhancement of human resource capacity in the utilisation and management of genetic variation in agricultural and natural systems, in order to improve the sustainability of agriculture and the conservation of genetic resources for the well-being of present and future generations.

To accomplish this mission, the School will provide education and training in the analysis of (i) genetic variation in single genes and entire genomes of agricultural and forestry plants and their wild relatives; (ii) mechanisms that control the variability in genes and/or groups of genes, such as those involved in resistance to pathogens and/or pests and tolerance to environmental factors; (iii) role of functional biodiversity in maintaining genetic diversity, including evolution and co-evolution of pests/pathogens and host plants; (iv) role of functional diversity, including interactions between pests/pathogens/weeds and domesticated/volunteer /wild plants, in agroecosystem health; and (v) options for applying the acquired knowledge, as a prerequisite for crop improvement, crop protection, sustainable crop/agroforestry management and multifunctional land use.

Lectures and research activities will take place in Maccarese (Fiumicino), just outside of Rome, next to the headquarters of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), to take advantage of co-operation with this Centre as well as with FAO and other international and national institutions in Rome. The programme will have a three-year duration, extendable to four under special circumstances. Lectures on basic disciplines and methodological training will form part of the activities during the first year. The following years will be entirely devoted to seminars and research. Registration is subject to international competition. English will be the official language of all activities. Seminars by scientists visiting international institutions in Rome will provide a broad vision of sustainability problems in different areas/regions and will promote useful interactions with research groups in different parts of the world.

Students will be required to participate in discussion groups with the objective of developing a critical view on presentation and discussion of research results and improving their capacity to prepare scientific articles. Students must fulfil all academic requirements in order to be admitted to the final examination to obtain the Doctoral degree.

An International Board will supervise activities and ensure education and research excellence and oversee the choice of themes relevant to developing countries' agriculture. For any further information, please send an e-mail to: agrobiodiversity@sssup.it

Applications on-line must be registered on http://www.sssup.it/applicationagrobiodiversity and sent to:

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Divisione Formazione Universitaria e alla Ricerca, Piazza Martiri della Libertà n. 33
56127 Pisa
Italy

• Deadline for applications on-line: September 30, 2005.
• Deadline for submission of paper copy with relevant enclosures: October 10, 2005

The admission to the competition is subject to our receipt of the paper documents within the terms and according to the procedures specified in the call for applications.

For any further information, please send an e-mail to agrobiodiversity@sssup.it or contact Céline Mongason Tel: +39 050 883 335 Fax: +39 050 883 250 e-mail: agrobiodiversity@sssup.it or Laura Bevacqua Tel: +39 050 883 336.

Reference: http://www.sssup.it

Materials

Poziv za prijavu/Call for Application (111 kb)
Uvodni tekst/Introduction (332 kb)