Agrofood and environment sustainability – PhD

The PhD programme on agri-food and environmental sustainability, aims to build critical mass and top-level professional with competences to support the development of rural areas in regions facing climate and socio-economic change, (e.g. the particularly vulnerable Portuguese Centro Region). To face problems of depopulation, loss of income and, global ecological dereliction, new solutions are required and a critical mass of high performance individuals is required to analyse the status quo and develop a sustainable development vision specific to each rural region and design strategies and deploy actions to revert the deleterious tendencies. The PhD Programme is embedded in CERNAS and the three Polythecnic hosting institutions’ mission, that are responsible for the regional development of rural regions and agri-food sectors for more than one century. The PhD programme allows the host institutions to pursue their teaching, research and development mission at a much higher level.

Candidates must hold a Master degree or legal equivalent in Agriculture, Environment, Food Engineering, Forestry, Geography, Geology, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, or related topics; to hold a degree recognized by the Technical and Scientific Council of the School where the candidate formalises his/her application as equivalent to a Portuguese Degree, or to hold a professional/scientific curriculum, recognized by the Technical and Scientific Council of the School where the candidate formalises his/her application, as providing the competences needed to successfully complete the PhD programme. Candidates holding a foreign higher education degree, not complying with the Bologna framework, in the same thematic or related areas, must have their degrees recognized as satisfying the objectives of a Bologna degree by the scientifically and statutorily competent body.

Portuguese

PhD holders will acquire competences in line with article 28th of LD65/2018, to create new knowledge and conduct original research to tackle complex problems faced by the rural world and agri-food sector, in particular they will demonstrate:
1. In-depth understanding of the complexities and nuances of the agri-food system from seed to plate, encompassing environmental, socio-economic, and technological dimensions.
2. An interdisciplinary mindset, weaving insights from agronomy, environment and technology to address agri-food sustainability challenges.
3. The capability to use rigorous research methodologies, driving innovative solutions.
4. A systems thinking, discerning interconnectedness among various agri-food actors, processes, and their environmental impacts.
5. The ability to communicate complex sustainability ideas clearly to diverse audiences.
6. A vision of ethical practices in agri-food and development, namely on equity, inclusivity, and environmental sustainability.