The Department of Engineering Sciences (DSI) positions itself as a driver of scientific and technological production oriented toward three fundamental pillars – Intelligence, Sustainability, and Trustiness – which guide research toward increasingly ethical, sustainable, and reliable development models.
Research activities are structured into seven strategic macro-areas:
Design and development of advanced technologies for the exploitation of renewable energy sources; Efficient use of energy carriers and high-efficiency, low environmental impact energy conversion; Analysis and development of innovative solutions for vehicle propulsion systems and related industrial processes.
Performance and design of wireless (LTE, 5G, 6G, and Internet of Things) and wired (Digital Subscriber Line, G.fast/G.mgfast, fiber optic) telecommunications systems; Study and design of intelligent systems in various application domains (Digital Humanities, Medicine, IoT, etc.) using knowledge engineering methods (Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, information retrieval, and recommender systems).
Physical-mathematical modeling of quantum systems on curved spaces; General Relativity; Cosmology; Quantum Gravity; Quantum mechanics applied to point interactions in different dimensions; Experimental and theoretical work in high-energy and radiation physics.
Advanced product design and development methods (Axiomatic Design, Design for Six Sigma, TRIZ); Applications related to innovative technologies and materials for the industrial context (Smart Materials, Coatings, Additive Manufacturing); Innovative methodologies applied to the areas of Reliability, Quality, and Safety; Statistical approaches applied to Engineering in collaboration with the Interuniversity Research Center StEering – Statistics for Engineering; Mechanical behavior of materials.
Innovative methodologies for improving and optimizing business processes, organizations, and corporate strategy (Lean Six Sigma); approaches and tools for production planning and control; advanced systems for data science and the use of digital infrastructure and IoT; approaches for time and method studies; systems and methods for healthcare monitoring and process management.
Solutions, technologies, and strategies aimed at the socioeconomic and environmental sustainability of resource use, infrastructure development, and innovation in complex systems (smart cities, carbon-neutral economies, and circular economies); environmental analysis, management, and monitoring technologies, and knowledge integration between the ecological and industrial fields; territorial, urban, environmental, and landscape analysis, planning, and design, and the development of tools for the creation of smart cities.
Structural modeling and analysis for the design of new construction and reinforcement, consolidation, control, and seismic protection of existing structures; experimental analysis of the mechanical behavior of natural soils under static and seismic conditions, design and testing of geotechnical structures, stability analysis of natural slopes and artificial embankments, liquefaction risk, and soil consolidation and reinforcement techniques.
Within these areas, the DSI promotes Industrial Research and Experimental Development activities focused on emerging technologies and Industry 5.0 paradigms, where innovation is centered on the human being, process personalization, and human–machine cooperation. Research lines range from the design of intelligent energy systems and sustainable mobility to the implementation of “smart” infrastructures, from the optimization of production processes through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, to the integrated and sustainable management of territory and natural resources.
From an organizational perspective, the Department defines strategies aimed at encouraging participation in competitive calls (national and European), supporting research training, promoting interdisciplinary and international collaborations, and allocating departmental resources to the most innovative projects.
In summary, research conducted at DSI is characterized by interdisciplinarity, international openness, continuous innovation, and a strong commitment to sustainability, digitalization, and intelligent industrial transformation.
This approach enables the Department to contribute not only to the advanced training of researchers and professionals, but also to the evolution of society from a technological, economic, and environmental perspective.