What we do Education and TrainingPhD Programme

PhD Programme

The UNESCO Chair in Human Development and Culture of Peace supports research training and the professional development of early-career scholars through doctoral programmes, research fellowships and scientific activities aligned with its areas of expertise.

Through participation in national and international projects, research networks and scientific cooperation initiatives, PhD candidates and young researchers contribute to the development of innovative knowledge on topics such as sustainable human development, adult education, community participation, cultural heritage enhancement, territorial policies and sustainability.

The Chair considers the engagement of new generations of researchers to be an essential component in building open, interdisciplinary scientific communities committed to social transformation.

Presented below are some of the main research areas in which PhD candidates, research fellows and early-career researchers have developed and continue to develop their academic and scientific work in recent years.

PhD Candidates

• Cristina Banchi. Main research areas: transition from working life to retirement; the role of culture in active ageing processes.
• Giorgia Pasquali. Main research areas: faculty development and impact assessment of Teaching and Learning Centres within higher education systems.
• Giulia Biagi. Main research areas: development of territorial development models to promote education and lifelong learning processes.
• Luca Grisolini. Main research areas: governance competences among public administration employees in Italy’s inner areas.
• Silvia Mugnaini. Main research areas: sustainability competences among workers in the social economy sector.
• Sofia Marconi. Main research areas: well-being competences and cultural sustainability among cultural professionals; strategies for enhancing the contribution of cultural third-sector organisations to community well-being.

Research Fellows

• Elisa Desii. Main research areas: participatory governance of cultural heritage in Italy’s inner areas.
• Manuel Sbriglione. Main research areas: sustainability competences for managerial and leadership roles in the social economy sector.