Molecular and Cellular Biology
Doctoral programme (PhD)
A.Y. 2025/2026
Study area
Science and Technology
PhD Coordinator
The doctoral programme aims to:
- train scientific experts with excellent skills in the field of biomolecular sciences and biotechnology;
- promote a molecular approach to the study of complex biological problems in model organisms (prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, animals and plants);
- encourage collaboration between research institutes, advanced training schools and companies in the fields of biomolecular sciences and biotechnology;
- encourage internationalisation by promoting international scientific collaborations, involving foreign lecturers, recruiting postgraduate students from abroad, and organising co-tutored dissertations involving study periods abroad.
Training activities will be characterised by:
- a multidisciplinary approach;
- interactivity;
- links to the business world;
- internationalisation.
A key element of the programme is the direct involvement of doctoral students in experimental research activities. Students will work full-time on a research project, providing critical insight and suggestions, and thereby acquiring scientific and organisational independence.
- train scientific experts with excellent skills in the field of biomolecular sciences and biotechnology;
- promote a molecular approach to the study of complex biological problems in model organisms (prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, animals and plants);
- encourage collaboration between research institutes, advanced training schools and companies in the fields of biomolecular sciences and biotechnology;
- encourage internationalisation by promoting international scientific collaborations, involving foreign lecturers, recruiting postgraduate students from abroad, and organising co-tutored dissertations involving study periods abroad.
Training activities will be characterised by:
- a multidisciplinary approach;
- interactivity;
- links to the business world;
- internationalisation.
A key element of the programme is the direct involvement of doctoral students in experimental research activities. Students will work full-time on a research project, providing critical insight and suggestions, and thereby acquiring scientific and organisational independence.
Classi di laurea - Classes of master's degrees:
LM-6 Biologia,
LM-7 Biotecnologie agrarie,
LM-8 Biotecnologie industriali,
LM-9 Biotecnologie mediche, veterinarie e farmaceutiche,
LM-11 Conservazione e restauro dei beni culturali,
LM-13 Farmacia e farmacia industriale,
LM-17 Fisica,
LM-18 Informatica,
LM-21 Ingegneria biomedica,
LM-22 Ingegneria chimica,
LM-25 Ingegneria dell'automazione,
LM-31 Ingegneria gestionale,
LM-32 Ingegneria informatica,
LM-35 Ingegneria per l'ambiente e il territorio,
LM-40 Matematica,
LM-41 Medicina e chirurgia,
LM-42 Medicina veterinaria,
LM-44 Modellistica matematico-fisica per l'ingegneria,
LM-46 Odontoiatria e protesi dentaria,
LM-47 Organizzazione e gestione dei servizi per lo sport e le attività motorie,
LM-48 Pianificazione territoriale urbanistica e ambientale,
LM-51 Psicologia,
LM-52 Relazioni internazionali,
LM-53 Scienza e ingegneria dei materiali,
LM-54 Scienze chimiche,
LM-56 Scienze dell'economia,
LM-58 Scienze dell'universo,
LM-59 Scienze della comunicazione pubblica, d'impresa e pubblicità,
LM-60 Scienze della natura,
LM-61 Scienze della nutrizione umana,
LM-67 Scienze e tecniche delle attività motorie preventive e adattate,
LM-68 Scienze e tecniche dello sport,
LM-69 Scienze e tecnologie agrarie,
LM-70 Scienze e tecnologie alimentari,
LM-71 Scienze e tecnologie della chimica industriale,
LM-73 Scienze e tecnologie forestali ed ambientali,
LM-74 Scienze e tecnologie geologiche,
LM-75 Scienze e tecnologie per l'ambiente e il territorio,
LM-76 Scienze economiche per l'ambiente e la cultura,
LM-78 Scienze filosofiche,
LM-79 Scienze geofisiche,
LM-82 Scienze statistiche,
LM-86 Scienze zootecniche e tecnologie animali,
LM-91 Tecniche e metodi per la società dell'informazione,
LM-92 Teorie della comunicazione,
LM/SNT1 Scienze infermieristiche e ostetriche,
LM/SNT2 Scienze riabilitative delle professioni sanitarie,
LM/SNT3 Scienze delle professioni sanitarie tecniche,
LM/SNT4 Scienze delle professioni sanitarie della prevenzione
LM-6 Biologia,
LM-7 Biotecnologie agrarie,
LM-8 Biotecnologie industriali,
LM-9 Biotecnologie mediche, veterinarie e farmaceutiche,
LM-11 Conservazione e restauro dei beni culturali,
LM-13 Farmacia e farmacia industriale,
LM-17 Fisica,
LM-18 Informatica,
LM-21 Ingegneria biomedica,
LM-22 Ingegneria chimica,
LM-25 Ingegneria dell'automazione,
LM-31 Ingegneria gestionale,
LM-32 Ingegneria informatica,
LM-35 Ingegneria per l'ambiente e il territorio,
LM-40 Matematica,
LM-41 Medicina e chirurgia,
LM-42 Medicina veterinaria,
LM-44 Modellistica matematico-fisica per l'ingegneria,
LM-46 Odontoiatria e protesi dentaria,
LM-47 Organizzazione e gestione dei servizi per lo sport e le attività motorie,
LM-48 Pianificazione territoriale urbanistica e ambientale,
LM-51 Psicologia,
LM-52 Relazioni internazionali,
LM-53 Scienza e ingegneria dei materiali,
LM-54 Scienze chimiche,
LM-56 Scienze dell'economia,
LM-58 Scienze dell'universo,
LM-59 Scienze della comunicazione pubblica, d'impresa e pubblicità,
LM-60 Scienze della natura,
LM-61 Scienze della nutrizione umana,
LM-67 Scienze e tecniche delle attività motorie preventive e adattate,
LM-68 Scienze e tecniche dello sport,
LM-69 Scienze e tecnologie agrarie,
LM-70 Scienze e tecnologie alimentari,
LM-71 Scienze e tecnologie della chimica industriale,
LM-73 Scienze e tecnologie forestali ed ambientali,
LM-74 Scienze e tecnologie geologiche,
LM-75 Scienze e tecnologie per l'ambiente e il territorio,
LM-76 Scienze economiche per l'ambiente e la cultura,
LM-78 Scienze filosofiche,
LM-79 Scienze geofisiche,
LM-82 Scienze statistiche,
LM-86 Scienze zootecniche e tecnologie animali,
LM-91 Tecniche e metodi per la società dell'informazione,
LM-92 Teorie della comunicazione,
LM/SNT1 Scienze infermieristiche e ostetriche,
LM/SNT2 Scienze riabilitative delle professioni sanitarie,
LM/SNT3 Scienze delle professioni sanitarie tecniche,
LM/SNT4 Scienze delle professioni sanitarie della prevenzione
Dipartimento di Bioscienze - Via Celoria, 26 - Milano
- Main offices
Dipartimento di Bioscienze - Via Celoria, 26 - Milano - Degree course coordinator: prof. Ricagno Stefano
[email protected] - Degree course website
https://bioscienzebio.unimi.it/phd_stud
| Title | Professor(s) |
|---|---|
| Development of Multiple Strategies to Modulate Nfix in Cancer and Muscular Dystrophy | |
| Envelope biogenesis as a target for development of novel antibacterial strategies | |
| Systematic analysis of Alternative spliicng in gastric and bladder cancer | |
| Investigating the Impact of Reduced Chlorophyll Content on Growth and Productivity in Barley | |
| Engineered Extracellular Vesicles for Personalized Therapy | |
| Study of the mechanisms and intracellular signaling pathways regulating chloroplast homeostasis and degradation | |
| Functional analysis of dependency-associated non-coding RNAs to discover novel vulnerabilities of human cancer | |
| Investigating the Role of NF-YA Isoforms in Epithelial Cancer Development | |
| Harnessing Natural Variation in Water Deficit Responses: Unveiling the Molecular Links Between Drought Adaptation and Life History Traits | |
| Spatial-transcriptomic to explore apomictic reproduction in plants. | |
| Unraveling regulatory pathways that control inflorescence architecture in rice | |
| Structural and biophysical studies of light chains responsible for cardiac AL amyloidosis | |
| Role of flavonoids in the prevention of inflammation and related molecular mechanisms | |
| Data driven modelling and engineering of biomolecular self-assembly processes | |
| Unveiling the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms related to environmental changes | |
| Development of strategies aimed to the correction of human PNPase defects | |
| Unraveling the molecular regulatory mechanisms controlling the development of female germline in plants | |
| Molecular mechanisms of translational control in cancer and neural pathologies | |
| Isolation of functional nanobodies for the control of ion channel activity |
A. Moroni
|
| Gene Regulation and Sequencing Analysis: Methodological Advances and Cloud-based Applications | |
| Studying the role of epigenetic factors in chromosome instability and micronuclei formation, in breast cancer | |
| Development of bioinformatics tools for the annotation and classification of transcriptional isoforms from single molecule transcriptome sequencing | |
| Studying the molecular basis of cardiac arrhythmias | |
| Uncovering Molecular Memory and signalling pathways from Parents to Offspring in plants: Epigenetic and Transcriptomic Switches in Seeds | |
| Adapting reproductive meristems development in response to climate changes in Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa for yield improvement | |
| Studying the role of biomolecular condensates in viral infections for novel antiviral strategies based on targeted protein degradation |
G. Papa (University of Cambridge, UK)
E. Mastrangelo (CNR)
|
| Studying the effects of tobacco smoke on molecular composition and surfactant functions in a human alveolar cell model | |
| Protein aggregation and neurodegeneration: mechanisms and modulators in central and peripheral nervous system. | |
| The structure-function relationship of transcription factors implicated in diseases such as cancer and muscular dystrophy | |
| Exploiting zebrafish to uncover and tackle novel molecular mechanisms in Cornelia de Lange syndrome | |
| Mapping cholesterol’s therapeutic efficacy in Huntington’s Disease via spatially resolved analysis of the cortico-striatal synapse | |
| Decoding stem cell transplants in Huntington's Disease through barcoding and single-cell analysis | |
| ZBED genes at the interface between inflammation and cancer | |
| Modeling eIF2B variants to unravel the roles and mechanisms of translational control in the development of Vanishing White Matter Disease | |
| Proximity proteomics to untagle photoperiodic regulation of flowering in rice | |
| Unveiling novel immunological and microbial targets in chronic inflammatory diseases | |
| Molecular characterization of virulence factors in pathogenic Escherichia coli and identification of novel inhibitors |
Courses list
January 2026
| Courses or activities | Professor(s) | ECTS | Total hours | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Biostatistics for Molecular and Cellular Biology | 5 | 28 | English | |
February 2026
| Courses or activities | Professor(s) | ECTS | Total hours | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | ||||
| Molecular and Cellular Biology. Methods and Communication of Results | 4 | 24 | English | |
| Optional | ||||
| Protein Structure Prediction and Design | 3 | 18 | English | |
March 2026
| Courses or activities | Professor(s) | ECTS | Total hours | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optional | ||||
| Crispr/cas9: Practical Applications in Biotechnology | 2 | 12 | English | |
June 2026
| Courses or activities | Professor(s) | ECTS | Total hours | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optional | ||||
| How to Make Publication-Ready Scientific Figures in R | 3 | 15 | English | |
Enrolment
Places available: 15
Call for applications
Please refer to the call for admission test dates and contents, and how to register.
Session: 1
Application for admission: from 23/06/2025 to 30/07/2025
Application for matriculation: from 19/09/2025 to 03/10/2025
Attachments and documents
Qualifications assessment criteria
Session: 2
Application for admission: application deadlines will be published shortly.
The call for applications is being finalized
Following the programme of study
Contacts
Office and services for PhD students and companies