10 Ph.D. positions in Systems Science at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Italy

The IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca invites applications for 10 fully funded Ph.D. positions in its Systems Science (SyS) doctoral program, starting November 1, 2026. Located in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, the IMT School offers a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and international research environment, with opportunities for collaboration across several universities and cultural heritage institutions. The official language of the program is English.

The Systems Science Ph.D. program is designed to equip students with advanced methodologies for analyzing technological, natural, economic, and social systems using descriptive and predictive mathematical models. Graduates will be prepared for careers in academia, research centers, and a wide range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, chemical, infrastructure, energy, biomedicine, finance, and manufacturing.

The program features four specialization tracks:

• Computational Mechanics (CM): Focuses on innovative numerical simulation methods and digital twins for predicting the behavior of materials, components, and processes throughout their operational life.
• Complex Systems and Networks (CN): Covers theoretical and computational tools of complexity science, including physics of complex systems, graph theory, statistical mechanics, information theory, inference, and data science, with applications to biological, social, economic, and technological systems.
• Learning and Control (LC): Specializes in machine learning and numerical optimization algorithms for modeling dynamical systems from data and designing model-based predictive control systems.
• Software Quality (SQ): Offers training in formal methods, machine learning, modeling and simulation, program verification, cybersecurity, and software engineering for the design, analysis, and validation of software quality and security.

Successful candidates will benefit from a tailor-made scientific training program, mentoring, career development support, and interactions with faculty, postdocs, and other doctoral candidates. The scholarship includes social security coverage, free accommodation and meals on campus year-round, additional research and international mobility funds, insurance coverage (liability and accident), and no tuition fees.

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, or a related field, demonstrate proficiency in English, and possess strong mathematical and programming skills. Enthusiasm for research and critical thinking is essential. Students graduating by October 31, 2026, are also eligible to apply.

IMT School is a member of the EFC - Educating Future Citizens network, offering joint activities and academic collaborations with partner institutions. The application deadline is May 25, 2026, at 1:00 pm (CEST). Short-listed candidates will be interviewed between June 26-29, 2026, with admission notifications by the end of June 2026.

For more information, visit https://sys.imtlucca.it/ or contact [email protected]. Apply online at https://pica.cineca.it/imtlucca/imtlucca-phd-sys-2026/.