The course was created to address the need to develop sustainable agri-food supply chains, aiming to ensure food security for present and future generations, while preserving natural resources and mitigating environmental impact. The programme was designed in the framework of the “Departments of excellence” initiative, a special grant awarded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) to the best departments of Italian universities, to finance five-year development projects, and recognised to the dept. of Biotechnology, for the second time, for the years 2023-2027.
The course aims to train professionals with high autonomy in research, prepared to tackle challenges in sustainability of the agri-food sector, improve production system efficiency, enhance the nutritional quality and safety of food, and verify its authenticity.
Within the course, the theme of agricultural and food sustainability is covered comprehensively: from field to production, from process control to consumption, including strategies that involve smart technologies, engaging students in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary journey that provides advanced tools to face challenges in the agri-food sector.
The three-year programme is focused on research activities and is complemented by classroom teaching. The research pathway includes both basic research activities, aimed at developing innovation and acquiring knowledge in sustainable agrifood, and applied research activities, which strengthen the dialogue with the companies and the technological transfer of innovation.
The research activities are complemented by transversal activities through the educational offerings and consist of expert seminars proposed by the Academic Board, as well as offerings from the Doctoral School with advanced courses, including language courses, courses for statistical data processing, and interdisciplinary seminars.

The doctoral training focuses particularly, though not exclusively, on biotechnologies with the aim of developing and implementing biotechnological tools to achieve a neutral or positive environmental impact in the food supply chain, with particular reference to primary production and transformation processes. 
The course aims to provide scientific and cultural tools to develop innovative solutions to the problems of mitigating the impact of climate change and adapting production to it; for the reduction of agricultural inputs; for food safety, nutrition, and public health aimed at ensuring sufficient high-quality, healthy, and sustainable food for all; and for reducing production costs while achieving high-quality standards.
The cultural areas covered by the PhD program are:

• Biotechnologies for improving the sustainability of primary production and food processing, aimed at optimizing both primary production through innovations in field and confined cultivation, and its transformation into consumer products.
• Innovation and development of new technologies or products in agri-food systems to reduce the environmental impact of production and create a circular economy system that values waste or by-products.
• Biotechnologies for the use of bioresources and biomolecules in the agri-food sector, focusing on the possibility of extracting/recovering bioactive molecules from various biological sources, such as microorganisms and plants, considering natural biodiversity, for applications throughout the agri-food supply chain.
• The development of innovative systems for monitoring and controlling processes and products, supporting innovative processes and ensuring a flow of information for the prompt processing and rationalization of these processes, as well as artificial intelligence systems for decision support in process management.

Doctoral candidates must acquire a number of educational credits through specific courses (8 ECTS) and elective courses offered by the School (8 ECTS). Each year, seminars and thematic minicourses on the major topics of the PhD program are offered by experts in the field, both academic and from the production sector. Supplementary educational activities are planned, such as tutoring in exercises, for a maximum of 3 ECTS/year in the first two years.
Doctoral candidates are required to spend a mandatory training period abroad, lasting from 6 to 12 months, with the aim of strengthening international relations between researchers and qualified research institutes, as well as promoting the research of shared biotechnological solutions among the partners of doctoral exchange agreements on agrifood sustainability issues.
There is also the possibility of training mobility in selected industrial settings, for a period of at least 1 month and up to 6 months, with the aim of promoting bidirectional relationships to improve the understanding of the needs of the production sector and to pursue an approach based on the search for innovative solutions.

The Ph.D. program in Smart Agrifood Sciences prepares professionals with specialized skills in the course topics, aimed at conducting research, providing guidance, and communicating on issues related to mitigating the impact of climate change and adapting production to it; ensuring food safety and quality; reducing production costs; and achieving high-quality standards. 
A Ph.D. in Smart Agrifood Sciences is qualified to carry out scientific activities in academia, public and private research centers, or consortia, where expertise in conducting agro-food biotechnological research is required.
Ph.D. holders in Smart Agrifood Sciences are also suited to enter industrial and production environments, including agri-food companies, as experts in the research and development of new products, processes, and technologies; food protection; quality management in the food industry; and the development of new products for food companies. They also find employment in consultancy activities within the sector, including specialized roles in food safety, quality, or industry regulations.
Additionally, Ph.D. holders in Smart Agrifood Sciences are qualified to engage in regulatory and compliance roles within organizations overseeing business practices in the field. Careers in communication and dissemination are also attainable, focusing on raising awareness among the public and private sectors on food safety and sustainability issues.
The research is supported by modern infrastructures and laboratories located at the Department of Biotechnology, including: the Sensory Analysis Laboratory, the Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, the Metabolomics Laboratory, the Analytical Chemistry and Molecular Imprinting Laboratory, the Food and Enological Microbiology Laboratories, the Food Chemistry Laboratory, the Agricultural Chemistry Laboratory, the Entomology Laboratory, the Plant Physiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, the Transcriptomic and Genomic Analysis Platform, the Experimental Field, the Experimental Winery, the Sensor Platform, Drones, 15 centrifuges, 13 UV-VIS spectrophotometers, plant growth phytotrons, 1 greenhouse, 1 sonicator, chemical and microbiological hoods (including biohazard hoods), and lyophilizers.
The Department of Biotechnology boasts an advanced IT system, with individual research groups having access to remote computing resources. Access to the university network is available via credentials. The Department of Biotechnology provides computing workstations and specific computational resources for molecular modelling, genome sequencing, and transcriptomic and proteomic analyses.