Events

Register here and participate in the fourth UNIPhD Annual Network Meeting, taking place on Friday, 12 June 2026 at the Archivio Antico in Palazzo Bo, Via VIII Febbraio, 2.

This year’s gathering will explore the theme of “AI in Research: Navigatin the Frontier of Knowledge, Ethics, and Innovation” and will bring together Fellows, Supervisors, UNIPhD Managing bodies, and key stakeholders for a day of insightful discussions and collaborative learning.

This year single-day event will feature presentations by experts, both from Unipd and other institutions, a roundtable discussion featuring members of the External Advisory Board and recognisable voices in the field of AI research, and finally a workshop open to all attendees.

Register here and participate in the third UNIPhD Annual Network Meeting, taking place on Friday, 6 June 2025 at the Fiore di Botta Building, in Padua.

This year’s gathering will explore the theme of “Cultural diversity in research as a source of opportunity or challenge” and will bring together Fellows, Supervisors, UNIPhD Managing bodies, and key stakeholders for a day of insightful discussions and collaborative learning.

This year single-day event will feature presentations by national and international experts, a roundtable discussion featuring UNIPhD Fellows, and an interactive workshop open to all attendees.

Additionally, during the Closing Ceremony, the winners of the UNIPhD Competition towards Global Challenges will be announced and awarded. This Competition, inspired by MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and dedicated specifically to UNIPhD Fellows, challenged them to present an innovative project proposal while preparing them for their postdoctoral career.

Register here and participate in the second UNIPhD Annual Network Meeting, taking place on Friday, 7 June 2024 at the Fiore di Botta Building, in Padua.

The event focuses on Tools and Perspectives for the Researchers’ Career Development  and will raise the awareness of UNIPhD Fellows regarding skills useful to enrich their scientific profile and consolidate their expertise, in industry and academia. UNIPhD Fellows will be challenged to present their research progress through a poster competition. Winners will be recognized a prize in the Closing Ceremony. National and International speakers will share different strategies, actions and tools to support career and talent development in research. The initiative will be a great opportunity for networking and meeting the 50 Fellows recruited on the UNIPhD project, their Supervisors, UNIPhD Governing Bodies and partners, as well as local stakeholders.

All available seats have been booked. A waiting list has been set up.

Traditional Artificial Intelligence techniques are based on predefined rules and formal logic, that are effective for solving well-defined and structured problems. In contrast, Machine Learning refers to the automated process of extracting patterns from large collections of heterogeneous data such as the data managed by search engines, filtered by antispam filters, or collected by credit card transaction managers. The aforementioned applications of Machine Learning share the impossibility for a programmer to describe in an exhaustive and precise way the methods of detecting patterns.  The only way to detect those patterns is to instruct a machine which has to intelligently learn by means of known examples and dynamically adapt to unknown ones.

Speakers

Fabio Vandin is a Professor in the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Padova, Italy. He received his PhD in Information Engineering from the University of Padova (Italy), and he has held research positions with various titles at Brown University (USA), at the University of Southern Denmark, and at the University of California, Berkeley (USA). His research interests are in algorithms for machine learning and data mining, and their application for the analysis of large datasets from various domains, including biology and social networks. He has authored over 90 papers in international peer-reviewed venues, and he has used his methods for analyses published in Nature, Nature Genetics, Cell, NEJM. He has been a PI of projects funded by MUR of Italy and NSF. He is on the editorial board of J. of Graph Algorithms and Applications, and ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology. His work has been recognized with Best Paper Awards (RECOMB 2013, ECML-PKDD 2022) and the Test of Time award at RECOMB 2023.

Leonardo Pellegrina is an Assistant Professor (RTDa) at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Padova, and a Visiting Research Fellow at Brown University. His research activities focus on efficient and statistically sound Data Mining algorithms for pattern discovery from large data, with applications to computational biology. He received an Honorable mention for the 2021 SIGKDD Dissertation Award, and was selected as one of the Best Program Committee members at ACM The Web Conference 2022 and 2023. He has presented his research work in several international conferences and workshops (e.g., KDD, RECOMB, ISMB, ECCB), and presented tutorials at ACM KDD’19 and SDM’21.

All available seats have been booked. A waiting list has been set up.

Data science refers to the representation of information and knowledge by means of data as well as to the collection, organization, and access of data to extract information and knowledge from large collections. The concept of data has become even more central for information processing systems than in the past because of the increasing availability of data sources and collections and the capacity of automated systems to produce and process data of varying type and complexity. In this context, the ability of users to integrate data sources is becoming increasingly important. As seen in the specific context of Computer Science and, in particular, Machine Learning, the design of algorithms may be insufficient to extract information from the data. Not only that: it has been seen that the representation of information and the design of data are necessary in the context of data science.

Speakers

Massimo Melucci is Associate Professor at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Padova.  His reasearch interests are in Information Retrieval.  He authored articles also published in ACM Transactions on Information Systems and IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering. He also authored Introduction to Information Retrieval and Quantum Mechanics (Springer) and co-edited Advanced Topics in Information Retrieval (Springer). He coordinated conferences, schools, and EU funded research projects.

Emanuele Di Buccio is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Padova. He holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering and a PhD in Information Engineering. His main research interests include Information Access and Retrieval Models, modeling and experimenting with words and themes/topics, with particular attention to longitudinal corpora.

The aim of this course is to introduce Ph.D. students to basic concepts and application of Public Engagement. At the end of the course Ph.D. students will have developed awareness of the societal, ethical and political impact of new emerging technologies and scientific knowledge.
To this end, the course is subdivided into two sections; morning section dedicated to theoretical introduction to Public Engagement; afternoon section aimed at developing
practical skills through working groups. Each section is subdivided in different slots to deepen the different facets of Public Engagement both theoretically, as in the case of
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework, and practically.

All available seats have been booked. A waiting list has been set up.

The course consists of an introduction to the theoretical models of science communication that represent the basis for the development of the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (CDEP) in Horizon Europe. The definition of the CDEP starts from the proposal stage to become a reference document in the implementation stage. The course covers both aspects, starting from the template requirements in the section on how to maximize the impact of research results to suggestions on resources and possible activities over the course of a European project. The 3h course is mainly theoretical and includes moments of interaction with the participants for the Q&A session.

Speaker

Alessio Livio Spera graduated with a degree in Political Science, International Studies, Government Administration and, later, in Public and Political Communication Strategies. After several collaborations with the Departments of Law and Economics at the University of Florence, as communication manager for Erasmus+ projects, he landed at the European Parliament supporting the Editorial Unit of DG IPOL. He has been working in APRE since 2021, dealing mainly with European projects, proposal writing and project management. He currently coordinates the H2020 TIME4CS projects and the HE BlueRev and PATTERN.

The training course, composed of two modules, aims to introduce early-career researchers to scientific communication and to the principles of Open Science (Open Access to documents, Open Data, Open Licences). Students will receive information and suggestions on the available e-infrastructures, tools, and services for publishing in Open Access and managing Open Data.

Prof. Raffaghelli will hold a speech on “Beyond myths: practices and reflections for doing open science“. If Open Science is a desirable frontier of practice: Why is it so hard for us researchers to engage in a creative and conscious practice of open science? Where do the perplexities come from? Why are block not only individuals, but also scientific communities in the progress to embrace Open Science? In this presentation, I will focus on my praxis, i.e. how from lived experience with and through doing open science has led me to deconstruct some frequent myths. This approach may simply spur curiosity and reflection on what is a unique positioning for each researcher. But curiosity can fuel personal motivations and engagement to build new pathways of good practice.

All available seats have been booked. A waiting list has been set up.

The secret of good communication lies in the ability to ignite a spark capable of stimulating the listener’s curiosity. Researchers, however, usually tend to speak to colleagues or students, and rarely have a chance to develop the communication skills necessary to talk to and engage a lay public. This practical workshop will share a number of techniques related to information processing, the workings of the human mind, public speaking, storytelling, nonverbal communication… all things that are not usually taught during University courses. The goal will be to provide participants with a toolbox of creative and reasoning tools that are essential in order to improve their ability to express themselves and, above all, to be understood.

Speaker

Massimo Polidoro, journalist, writer, university lecturer and science popularizer, is known for his investigations into unusual phenomena, pseudoscience and alleged mysteries. He co-founded, with Piero Angela, CICAP (Italian Committee for the Check-up of Pseudoscientific Claims), for which he is the National Secretary. He teaches Science Communication at the Polytechnic University of Milan and the University of Padua and has taught Scientific Method and Anomalistic Psychology at the University of Milan-Bicocca. Author, host and consultant of numerous television programs, in “Superquark” he has explained for years how to recognize fake news and deceptions. He is  the author of numerous successful podcasts for Audible and others and has written more than sixty books and over a thousand articles for various international publications. His most recent books include: “Il mondo sottosopra” (Piemme, 2019), “Pensa come uno scienziato” (Piemme, 2021), “Geniale!” (Feltrinelli, 2022) and “La scienza dell’incredibile” (Feltrinelli, 2023).

Following the arrival of 13 new UNIPhD Fellows in Padua and the start of their PhD activities within the MSCA-COFUND Doctoral Programme “UNIPhD – Eight Century Legacy of Multidisciplinary Research and Training for the Next-Generation Talents”, the University of Padua is happy to invite all UNIPhD Fellows to the second UNIPhD Welcome Day.

The event will be held on Thursday, 30 November 2023 at Archivio Antico, Palazzo Bo, University of Padua and will be dedicated to Fellows, Supervisors and members of the UNIPhD Management Bodies.

The get-together event will share some practical information on the doctoral programme and will facilitate the establishment of a Fellow-network.

Register here and participate in the first UNIPhD Annual Network Meeting, taking place on Friday, 9 June 2023 at the Fiore di Botta Building, in Padua.
The event focuses on “Communicating research” and challenges UNIPhD Fellows to share their project ideas with colleagues from other disciplines and to exchange perspectives and methodologies across fields of knowledge other than their own.

– A poster and a three-minute pitch competition will be at the centre of the day. Winners will be recognized a prize in the final award ceremony. 

– International speakers will share their experiences and suggestions on how to best communicate and disseminate research.

The initiative will be a great opportunity for networking and meeting the 39 Fellows recruited on the UNIPhD project, their Supervisors, UNIPhD Governing Bodies and partners, as well as local stakeholders.

Maximise the impact of results in Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the European Framework Program for Research and Innovation for the period 2021-2027. Horizon Europe is an impact-driven programme aiming at funding projects with real impact on European citizens. Communication of Research and Innovation plays a crucial role in Horizon Europe projects, starting from the design phase of the project (i.e. proposal design). The training will provide participants an overview of how to maximise the impact, focusing on communication, dissemination and exploitation measures, including both the theoretical basis of science communication and tips, tools and useful resource to plan an effective communication and dissemination plan.

Module 3 is offered twice with the same contents: participants may register only for one day.

The secret of good communication lies in the ability to ignite a spark capable of stimulating the listener’s curiosity. Researchers, however, usually tend to speak to colleagues or students, and rarely have a chance to develop the communication skills necessary to talk to and engage a lay public. This practical workshop will share a number of techniques related to information processing, the workings of the human mind, public speaking, storytelling, nonverbal communication… all things that are not usually taught during University courses. The goal will be to provide participants with a toolbox of creative and reasoning tools that are essential in order to improve their ability to express themselves and, above all, to be understood.

Module 3 is offered twice with the same contents: participants may register only for one day.

The secret of good communication lies in the ability to ignite a spark capable of stimulating the listener’s curiosity. Researchers, however, usually tend to speak to colleagues or students, and rarely have a chance to develop the communication skills necessary to talk to and engage a lay public. This practical workshop will share a number of techniques related to information processing, the workings of the human mind, public speaking, storytelling, nonverbal communication… all things that are not usually taught during University courses. The goal will be to provide participants with a toolbox of creative and reasoning tools that are essential in order to improve their ability to express themselves and, above all, to be understood.

The training course, composed of two modules, aims to introduce early-career researchers to scientific communication and to the principles of Open Science (Open Access to documents, Open Data, Open Licences). Students will receive information and suggestions on the available e-infrastructures, tools, and services for publishing in Open Access and managing Open Data.

Prof. Raffaghelli will hold a speech on “Beyond myths: practices and reflections for doing open science“. If Open Science is a desirable frontier of practice: Why is it so hard for us researchers to engage in a creative and conscious practice of open science? Where do the perplexities come from? Why are block not only individuals, but also scientific communities in the progress to embrace Open Science? In this presentation, I will focus on my praxis, i.e. how from lived experience with and through doing open science has led me to deconstruct some frequent myths. This approach may simply spur curiosity and reflection on what is a unique positioning for each researcher. But curiosity can fuel personal motivations and engagement to build new pathways of good practice.