Courses

• Lecturer

Prof. Ferdinando Auricchio

• Course Objective

To provide engineers, graduate students, researchers, and industrial users with a review of numerical techniques and solution algorithms for nonlinear mechanics. The course will introduce the current state-of-the-art and cover some scientific trends in finite element modeling of nonlinear problems in computational mechanics and will highlight the difficulties (and possible solutions) in a number of applications.

• Planned dates:

15/04/2026 – 30/04/2026. The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Download the course description from this link.

• Lecturer

Dr. Gabriele Greco

• Course Objective

Equip students with the ability to analyze, model, and design systems and technologies inspired by biological structures and processes, with a focus on sustainable innovation.

• Planned dates:

15/04/2026 – 30/04/2026. The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Download the course description from this
link .

• Lecturer

Prof. Carlo Berizzi

• Course Objective

In recent decades, cities have faced various challenges, including mitigating the effects of climate change, evident in the form of heat islands and intense rainfall (“water bombs”), and the need to create sustainable and healthy quality spaces.
One possible response to the challenges related to climate change effects is the use of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for designing ecological public spaces.

• Planned dates:

October/November 2026 (exact dates will be defined by September 2026). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Starting from the research activities promoted in the AUDe Laboratory of the study of design strategies for public spaces to mitigate the effects of climate change, students will develop a specific assignment of design of a public space in Pavia (16 hours of lessons).

• Lecturer

Prof. Matteo Negri

• Course Objective

The prediction and modeling of fracture propagation in solid materials represent some of the most critical challenges in modern engineering and materials science, impacting everything from structural safety to the design of resilient innovative materials.
While classical empirical methods provide valuable insights, they often fall short when dealing with complex crack topologies, nucleation, and branching.
To overcome these limitations, a rigorous mathematical framework is essential.
This PhD course bridges the gap between engineering applications and advanced mathematical analysis, providing doctoral students with the theoretical foundation necessary to understand, formulate, and computationally simulate fracture phenomena at a deeper level.

• Planned dates:

March/April 2027 (exact dates will be defined by Dec. 2026). The course is offered every two years.

• Course description

This course provides a modern mathematical theory for fracture mechanics.
A mathematical background is required, however, fundamental results will be recalled and explained.

Part I.
A simple model for the quasi-static propagation of a straight crack, making reference to ASTM compact tension.
Basic ingredients of the classical theory: energy release rate (with its representations) and Griffith’s criterion.
Mathematical characterizations of quasi-static evolutions by KKT conditions and their discretizations in space and time.

Part II.
Phase-field approach to fracture.
First, phase field energies as approximations of sharp crack energies, both in Sobolev and Finite Element spaces by means of Gamma-convergence.
Then, evolutions by time discretization and staggered scheme: thermodynamical consistency and relationship with Griffith’s criterion with maximal energy release rate.

• Lecturer

Prof.ssa Francesca Picchio, Dott.ssa Francesca Galasso

• Course Objective

In an era of environmental and social shifts, managing fragile territories requires innovative, data-driven architectural methodologies. This course addresses the urgent need to bridge advanced digitization with the analysis of vulnerable contexts, both in Italy and abroad. By exploring the critical transition from raw point clouds to semantic, reality-based models, PhD students will acquire the tools to decode complex urban systems across multiple Scales of Detail, from single building fronts to entire districts.

• Planned dates:

April/May 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

The course introduces and describes the modeling processes and techniques of architecture at the territorial and urban scale, with specific regard to the analysis of fragile contexts in Italy and abroad. In the first part of the course, Day 1, the issue of digitization of fragile contexts will be described, in particular with two case study (one in Italy and one in Palestine), alongside with the analysis of methodologies and tools to transform point cloud to reality-based model. From Day 2 till Day 4 the course provide practical application to define reality-based models (NURBS, MESH, BIM) that describe, with different LoDs, the semantic features of a urban system (front-building-district). If possible, the course could be related to the research program of each PhD student. The course duration is 12 hours, corresponding to 3 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof.ssa Francesca Picchio, Dott.ssa Silvia La Placa

• Course Objective

The digital documentation of urban heritage is essential for preserving and managing historical centers. Aligned with the Department of Excellence’s DORIAN project, this course addresses the digitization of Pavia’s urban system by providing PhD students with advanced skills in laser scanning and photogrammetry. By bridging theory and field practice, the course motivates researchers to master state-of-the-art data acquisition and processing workflows, offering a valuable methodological framework that students can directly integrate into their specific doctoral research programs.

• Planned dates:

April/May 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

The course introduces and describes the surveying processes and techniques at architecture and urban scale, with specific regard to the analysis of public spaces in historical center. In particular, the course addresses the issues of digitization of the urban system of Pavia, in line with the objectives of the Department of Excellence DORIAN project. The lectures, theoretical and practical-applicative, will be divided into four days of work. The first day will present the laser scanner (TLS and MLS) and photogrammetric tools (Camera
and Drones), data management software and case studies that will be addressed. The remaining lectures will be devoted to practical field surveying, processing and digital restitution of the acquired data. If possible, the course could be related to the research program of each PhD student. The course duration is 12 hours, corresponding to 3 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Ferdinando Auricchio

• Course Objective

This course aims to equip students with the essential tools to tackle complex computational mechanics problems of their interest, utilizing both ad-hoc developed computational codes and commercial software. Additionally, the curriculum focuses on enabling students to develop their own algorithms and codes for analyzing and modeling the constitutive behavior of advanced materials, effectively bridging theoretical mechanics with practical numerical simulation.

• Planned dates:

February/March 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

This course is designed to empower students to solve advanced computational mechanics problems through a dual approach:

• Problem Solving: Addressing specific research challenges using both custom-developed formulations and industry-standard commercial software.
• Constitutive Modeling: Developing proprietary codes to study, simulate, and predict the mechanical and constitutive behavior of materials. The course duration is 12 hours, corresponding to 3 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Roberto De Lotto

• Course Objective

This course investigates the dynamics of the flexible city, addressing both the theoretical foundations—including complex systems theory and uncertainty—and the operational tools of urban planning. The curriculum motivates students to develop adaptive regional and urban planning strategies that can effectively respond to today’s rapid and unpredictable socio-economic transformations.

• Planned dates:

April/May 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every two years.

• Course description

Details will be added. The course duration is 12 hours, corresponding to 3 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Vittorio Casella

• Course Objective

The course introduces key AI-based methods for geospatial information through four intensive sessions. It covers the fundamentals of multispectral satellite imagery, including spectral indices computation. Participants will explore both unsupervised and supervised classification techniques applied to satellite data within the ArcGIS Pro environment. The course also addresses the integrated use of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and satellite imagery to produce suitability maps. A practical case study focuses on identifying optimal areas for new vineyards based on combined criteria such as land use, slope, and terrain exposure.

• Planned dates:

Exact dates to be defined. The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Details will be added. The course duration is XX hours, corresponding to X CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Francesco Pasqualini

• Course Objective

This course aims to provide PhD students with a comprehensive, end-to-end workflow for image-based biological research. Students will learn to acquire high-quality data through advanced microscopy, extract quantitative information using bioimage analysis, validate their findings via rigorous biostatistics, and effectively communicate their results through professional data plotting and figure preparation for scientific publication.

• Planned dates:

April/May 2027 (Exact dates to be defined). The 4 course modules will be offered sequentially. The course is offered every year.

• Course description

The course is organized in 4 modules that can be taken separately. The total course duration is 16 hours (4 hours per module), corresponding to 4 CFUs (1 CFU per module):

1. Microscopy in Bioengineering
2. Bioimage Analysis
3. Biostatistics
4. Plotting Data and Preparing Figures

• Lecturer

Prof. Enrico Creaco

• Course Objective

This course aims to provide PhD students with a solid theoretical foundation and advanced practical skills in multi-objective optimization. Focusing on meta-heuristic techniques, with a specific emphasis on Genetic Algorithms (GAs), the course enables students to formulate, solve, and analyze complex, real-world engineering and scientific problems characterized by conflicting objectives.

• Planned dates:

End January-February 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every two years.

• Course description

Details will be included. The course duration is 8 hours, corresponding to 2 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Domenico Gioffrè

• Course Objective

The primary objective of this doctoral research is to advance the scientific understanding and engineering applications of geosynthetics in civil infrastructure. The research aims to integrate advanced laboratory testing and long-term durability assessment with numerical and analytical modeling to better characterize soil-geosynthetic interaction. Ultimately, the project seeks to deliver innovative, safe, and cost-effective design methodologies that enhance the resilience of geotechnical and hydraulic structures while promoting sustainable construction practices.

• Planned dates:

February 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Details will be included. The course duration is 4 hours, corresponding to 1 CFUs.

• Lecturer

Prof. Marco Marengo

• Course Objective

The primary objective of this doctoral research is to investigate and develop advanced thermal management solutions for high-power density systems, including electronic devices, electric vehicle battery packs, and aerospace components. By combining advanced thermodynamics principles with innovative cooling technologies (such as phase-change materials, microchannels, and two-phase flows), the research aims to optimize heat dissipation, enhance system reliability, and prevent thermal runaway. The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between fundamental thermodynamic theories and cutting-edge industrial applications.

• Planned dates:

End-January -February 2027 or July-September 2027 (exact dates to be defined). The course is offered every year.

• Course description

Details will be included. The course duration is 24 hours, corresponding to 6 CFUs.