Applications are now open for the 41° Cycle PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change in Italy (full scholarships available)

Ednah Carrick July 23, 2025

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Closing Date: 22 August 2025

Applications are now open for the 41° Cycle PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change in Italy (full scholarships available)

PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change Overview

A research programme in which ideas and methods linked to environment, society, technology, economy and health are perfectly integrated into a global vision, in order to develop a better future. A network of public and private research centers fully interconnected and coordinated by IUSS PAVIA, in Italy.

Key numbers

3 year research programme in English
50+ universities in partnership
6 months of research abroad
200+ researchers and professors
30+ fully funded positions
160+ hours of training and seminars

Research programme

One core research topic and six curricula (three for 41° cycle) for a multi- inter- and trans-disciplinary research programme to achieve the SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda

For the 41° cycle (2025), PhD SDC has 3 curricula

CU-Alpha: One health – Earth system and human life
CU-Beta: Human society – Socio-economic impacts, institutions,and theories
CU-Gamma: Technology& Territory – Sustainable strategiesand solutions for the transition

Call for applicants

Enroll in the PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change

The Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Piazza della Vittoria n. 15 – 27100 Pavia (hereafter “the School”), hereby announces a Call for Applications to enroll in the 41st cycle of the National Doctoral Course in
Sustainable Development and Climate change (hereafter PhD-SDC) for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Course Description and Objectives

The Doctoral Course in Sustainable Development and Climate Change (PhD-SDC) has a duration of three
years and aims to equip talented students with the skills to build a more resilient society – one that will be
able to address and manage effectively the problems of climate change. A society capable of rethinking the processes of sustainable development, and the objectives of which are not aimed solely at economic
growth. The course is focused on the interrelation of complex issues such as technological progress,
availability of natural resources, migration, human rights, climate change, access to food and water and the quality of life of present and future generations.

The combined challenges of sustainability and climate change need to be firmly embedded in university
education. Universities should aim to identify and create innovative projects going beyond a traditional,
single-discipline approach, so that by effectively combining a variety of abilities, methods and communicative skills, society will be able to manage the present challenges. The doctoral program is divided into three interconnected curricula and based on the collaboration with several universities uniformly distributed over the Italian territory. To ensure that PhD students follow a multi- and
interdisciplinary educational path, the program uses two interconnected networks:

A network of curricula covering the specific disciplinary fields
A network of universities, public research institutions, and institutions involved in the PhD program, coordinated by a national committee that integrates and manages the complexity by establishing interaction between the curricula.

The doctoral program focuses on a single theme, but develops it under three curricula to allow for in-depth study in different disciplinary areas. Thus, the theme of sustainable development and climate change defines the direction of the program: it can be thought of as the doctoral program’s mission, which, through the resources, the skills, and the tools characteristic of the different disciplinary fields, will be achieved by defining concrete goals that will form the students’ research topics. The interaction and the scientific collaboration between students from different fields will be fostered by a multidisciplinary approach implemented at two levels.

The first one is centrally coordinated and connects all students from all curricula allowing the connection
between different disciplinary fields. The second involves only PhDs from the specific curriculum to share goals and tools from the specific disciplinary field.

Scholarships

36 scholarships available. The number of scholarships may be increased if further funding should be available before the beginning of the PhD course. Each scholarship is linked to a specific research topic, that is, there is a requirement for the recipients to focus their doctoral research on one of the topics listed in the above-mentioned document and to conduct their research activity at the host university. Each individual scholarship can only be assigned to those candidates who are evaluated as eligible by the Selection Board.

Interviews held during the selection process will allow the Selection Board to establish whether the
candidates have the necessary knowledge and skills to be admitted to the doctoral course and to study the selected scholarship research topics.

Admission Requirements

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates regardless of age or nationality. Eligible candidates must have the following academic qualifications:

a) Master’s degree (Laurea Magistrale or Laurea Specialistica or Laurea Vecchio Ordinamento);
b) Analogous academic qualification awarded abroad (comparable to an Italian master’s degree, in
terms of duration and study content) and recognized by the Selection Board as suitable for
application to the course.