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The Department of Earth Sciences (DST) of the University of Florence is the proposing body of the "Regional PhD School in Earth Sciences of Tuscany Region" through the Temporary Association of Purposes (ATS) composed of three Tuscan universities of Florence, Pisa and Siena, whose constitution allows to participate to the Call of the Tuscany Region Authority, for financing PhD scholarships.

Within the Tuscan PhD School, a number of scholarships varying from 4 to 6 for each PhD cycle are funded by Tuscany Region, in addition to the PhD scholarships funded by the University or by other public bodies or private entities.

The administrative office and the coordinator alternate annually between the DTS of Florence and that of Pisa.The "Regional PhD School in Earth Sciences of Tuscany Region" is part of the Institute of Higher Studies of the Florentine University (IUSSAF) (https://www.unifi.it/a58.html)

The "Regional PhD School in Earth Sciences of Tuscany Region" intends to offer young graduates the opportunity to follow  international training course of high level, by providing best skills of the three general universities of the Region, together with those of the two main institutions of Research that deal with Earth Sciences in Tuscany: the Institute of Geosciences and Georesources of the CNR and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. In addition, the Foundation of Geologists of Tuscany, ENEL Green Power, IDS GeoRadar, West System Srl and Co.Svi.G. are partners of the project, allowing to develop a solid link in the field of higher education between the world of research and professional work. 

The higher educational activities of the PhD School cover the broad spectrum of Earth Sciences by organizing itself into different research lines. Each PhD student can find the most appropriate topic to define a personalized training path. Research areas are "tectonic-sedimentary evolution in areas of continental convergence and divergence", " conservation of the soil, environmental vulnerability and hydrogeological protection", "paleontology, paleoclimatology and paleoecology", "minerogenesis, crystal chemistry, petrology, geochemistry and isotopic geology","georesources and mineralogical-petrographic applications for cultural heritage","magmatology and volcanology","geophysics for the exploration of the subsoil and the characterization of geological processes". Many of these research areas historically represent excellence for the universities of Tuscany Region.

The PhD students of the "Regional PhD School in Earth Sciences of Tuscany Region" come from Italian and foreign universities. For 3 years PhD students will work within the Tuscan research structures that deal with Earth Sciences and are obliged to carry out a period of a few months in foreign research structures, thanks also to the numerous international agreements that have been signed between the Departments or universities of the ATS and foreign universities. Furthermore, through possible international co-protection agreements stipulated by each of the three Tuscan universities with a foreign university, the doctoral thesis is carried out under the supervision of a professor from both two institutions and leads to obtaining a degree issued by both contracting institutions. In this regard, it is noteworthy the double degree program for Ph.D. students between the Graduate School of Science of Tohoku University, Japan and the DST of Florence.