Dipartimento di Fisica "Alessandro Volta"

The Department of Physics "Alessandro Volta" (DFAV) was established in 1982 after a long historical evolution. It supports and coordinates experimental as well as theoretical research activities in various fields of the Physics of Matter, concerning not only traditional topics in Solid State Physics (such as semiconductor materials and devices, insulators, magnetism, superconductivity), but also optics and photonics, nanophysics, quantum information, electromagnetism and plasma physics, educational and historical physics. Such research activities are both fundamental and application-oriented. They are carried out by different groups and laboratories, which are equipped with advanced instrumentation, each of them having several national as well as international collaborations. Growing interest is being devoted to interdisciplinary and applied research, especially in strategic areas such as health and biomedical physics, renewable energies and photovoltaics, cultural heritage, information and communication technology. Applied research leads also to technological transfer towards industry and other research institutions. High importance is given to educational activities, as well as to museology and popular science.

The Department of Physics A. Volta together with the Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics (DFNT), cooperates to the organization and management of the undergraduate courses for the Bachelor (the Italian Laurea Triennale) and the Master (the Italian Laurea Magistrale) Degrees in Physics, through the Physics Teaching Committee within the Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences school. Moreover, the Department also participates in the teaching of fundamental physics courses for other schools and departments, such as Math, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, Pharmacy, Biotechnology. The Department is involved in the educational activities of the IUSS - University Institute for Advanced Studies, more specifically in the Master in Materials Science. The Department currently hosts and manages the Specialization School for High-School Teaching (active until end of 2009), for the Physics-Information technology-Math areas.

The two Physics Departments (DFAV e DFNT) both promote the PhD in Physics within the Doctoral School of Science and Technology. Every year several positions are publicly advertised to select PhD candidates. The selection is open to applicants of any age and nationality. Selected applicants become PhD candidates of the Doctoral School in Physics. The high-level education of young PhD fellows through their research activity is among the primary and most important goals of the Department and of its associated groups.

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(updated 2009)
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Currently the staff of the Department of Physics "A. Volta" consists of 9 Full Professors, 11 Associate Professors, 9 Researchers/Assistant Professors and 12 employees with technical or administrative tasks, web managing. Among the young researchers joining the Department there are several PhD candidates in Physics, post-docs, research associates, teaching assistants. The Department also hosts technicians or researchers from external research institutions, such as CNISM (National Interuniversitary Consortium for the Physics of Matter), CNR (the National Research Council), and the former INFM (the National Institute for the Physics of Matter, now belonging to CNR). The organization of the Department can be found under Organization, while a complete list of people working at the Department is under People.