Here is the link to the PhD courses enrollment online service.
For all the information regarding the Soft Skills courses for PhD students, click here.
For further information about the courses, please contact: alessandra.magenga@unimi.it
Academic year 2025/2026
| Contents | Lecturers | Rooms and Dates |
| Emerging Approaches to Natural Product Synthesis and Derivatization Coordinator: Valerio Fasano 2 CFU The aim of this corse is to explore and develop innovative strategies for the design, construction, and modification of complex natural products. Particular emphasis will be placed on harnessing emerging technologies such as photochemistry and electrochemistry to enable selective transformations and late-stage functionalizations that expand the chemical space of bioactive molecules. By integrating modern concepts in asymmetric synthesis, carbon–carbon bond formation, and retrosynthetic analysis with these novel approaches, the course seeks to establish efficient and versatile methodologies for accessing both natural scaffolds and their tailored derivatives. The course will be delivered by instructors with deep expertise in total synthesis and state-of-the-art synthetic methodologies. | Mattia Silvi (a) Bertuzzi Giulio (b) Valerio Fasano (c) | (a)18/12/2025, 14.30-16.30, Aula Jommy (a) 19/12/2025, 12.30-14.30, Aula Jommy (b) 20/01/2026, 10.30-12.30 e 14.30-16.30, Aula Canonica (c) 21/01/2026, 14.30-16.30, Aula Canonica |
| Machine Learning for accelerating discoveries in chemistry Coordinator: Rocco Martinazzo 3 CFU Learning objectives: Students will gain an understanding of key machine learning methods and how these are applied to problems in chemistry, including materials discovery, drug design and synthesis planning. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Monica Civera This lecture introduces the core concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). It covers the key types of supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning, the perceptron model and the modern artificial neural network (ANN) architectures. Traditional modeling in chemistry Davide Ceresoli This lecture will present “atomistic modeling techniques” to study the structure, properties, and dynamics of materials by explicitly considering the behavior of individual atoms and their interactions. These techniques, which include Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, use interatomic potentials (or force fields) derived from quantum mechanics (i.e. Density Functional Theory) to describe the forces between atoms, allowing for the simulation of systems ranging from small molecules to large crystalline or amorphous solids. ML-based accelerated modeling: materials Davide Ceresoli This lecture will introduce fundamental ML algorithms using chemical datasets, featuring descriptors of chemical composition, crystal sites and structures, electronic band- structure/DOS and spectroscopic properties of inorganic materials. This lecture will also present two case studies of the prediction of materials properties and synthetizability of halide perovskites and MOFs. ML-based accelerated modeling: drug discovery Monica Civera This lecture focuses on machine learning approaches that accelerate drug design. It will explore how molecular representations (e.g., SMILES, molecular graphs, and embeddings) are used to train ML models capable of generating novel compounds, predicting bioactivity, and optimizing molecular properties. Specific examples will be also discussed. Machine Learning in Physics and Chemistry Alexander Tkatchenko This lecture will cover the huge advances (as well as many remaining challenges) of applying (deep) machine learning methods for solving problems in physics and chemistry. In particular, I will discuss different ways to combine prior domain knowledge with the high flexibility of nonlinear ML methods. Specific examples will include applications of ML for chemical discovery and for accelerating molecular simulations. Chemical reactions in cheminformatics Gilles Marcou This topic covers ML strategies and tools for predicting chemical reactions and designing synthetic routes. Examples will be also discussed. Exercises with SciFinder-n Luca Pignataro This hands-on session introduces students to AI models for retrosynthetic analysis. Participants will practice designing synthetic routes for target molecules (questa parte dipende dalla possibilità di utilizzare un tool alternativo a Scifinder-n) | Civera Monica (a) Davide Ceresoli (b) Alexandre Tkatchenko (c) Gilles Marcou (d) Luca Pignataro (e) | (a) 16/02/2026, 8.30-10.30 Aula G15 (b) 16/02/2026,14.30-16.30 Aula G15 (a) 17/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 Aula G15 (b) 18/02/2026,10.30-12.30 (c) 19/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 (c) 20/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 (c) 23/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 (c) 24/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 (c) 25/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 |
| Milestones in Chemistry: Nobel Prize-winning discoveries and their scientific impact Coordinator: Valerio Fasano 2 CFU This course offers an overview of groundbreaking research recognized by the Nobel Committee, highlighting how these discoveries have shaped and transformed the field of chemistry. Through detailed case studies, students will explore the scientific processes and experimental approaches that led to each achievement, gaining insight into the creativity, persistence, and innovation behind these landmark contributions. The course also examines the effects of these discoveries across various branches of chemistry, illustrating their pivotal role in advancing both theoretical understanding and practical applications. Topics covered include discoveries of natural antimalarials or antibodies, as well as inventions of polymers or Nobel Prizes for theoretical chemistry. The course is mandatory for students enrolled in the PhD in chemistry. | Alberto Dal Corso (a) Valerio Fasano (b) Riccardo Conte (c) Daniele Fiorito (d) Diego Caprioglio (e) | (a)2/02/2026, 14.30-16.30, Aula Canonica (b) 3/02/2026, 14.00-16.00, Aula Canonica (c) 4/02/2026, 14.30-16.30, Aula Canonica (d) 5/02/2026, 14.00-16.00, Aula Canonica (e) 10/02/2026, 14.30-16.30, Aula Canonica |
| Journal Club Coordinator: Anna Bernardi 3 CFU Students will be asked to select two recent and relevant articles, in areas not fully overlapping with their research topic, and to critically present them to the group. Each presentation is followed by a discussion opened by a second student, with the role of reviewer, and led by one of the teachers. The objectives are to provide participants with the ability to read, interpret and contextualize the chemical literature, to improve their presentation skills, to stimulate their active participation in chemical conversations. The introductory part of the course (2h) aims to provide students with basic knowledge about bibliometry and how it is currently used in the evaluation processes. The course is mandatory for students enrolled in the PhD in chemistry. | Anna Bernardi (a) Rocco Martinazzo (b) Claudia Dragonetti (c) | 04/02/2026, 10.30-12.30 Aula G30 18/03/2026, 14.00-17.00 Aula V7 19/03/2026, 14.00-17.00 Aula C21 |
| Experimental Design and Data Planning and Analysis for Advanced Chemical Projects Coordinator: Valentina Pifferi 2 CFU This course allows the student to acquire specific knowledge regarding the principles of quality management and control, in a quality-by-design approach. Experience will also be gained in planning (through experimental design) experiments and analytical protocols for different applications. The student will also be trained, through chemometric techniques, in the discussion of the data on the basis of the statistical analysis of them. Moreover, at the end of the course, the students will be able to use (in a basic way) some statistical methods and softwares (Excel, JMP, CAT) for Quality Control, Experimental Design and Chemometric techniques for Multivariate Analysis. The course is mandatory for students enrolled in the PhD in chemistry. | Valentina Pifferi (a) Falciola Luigi (b) | 10/02/2026, 10.30-12.30, aula Bianchi 11/02/2026, 14.00-16.00, aula Bianchi 13/02/2026, 14.00-16.00, aula Bianchi 16/02/2026, 10.30-12.30, aula Bianchi 17/02/2026, 14.00-16.00, aula Bianchi |
| Graphic communication of Scientific Research to make your presentation more incisive Coordinator: Daniele Passarella 2 CFU The course goal is to learn graphic language rukles and to master them. The main topic is teaching the students how to make the correct graphic choices when they make communication for scientific research. The course is mandatory for students enrolled in the PhD in chemistry. | Serena Ghezzi | 16/03/2026, 9.00-13.00 Aula 101 17/03/2026, 9.00 – 13.00 Aula 601 20/03/2026, 9.00 – 13.00 Aula Farina |
| Introduction to modelling of molecular materials Coordinator: Leonardo Lo Presti 2 CFU The course is designed for students who do not have a background in theoretical or computational research. The aim of the course is to illustrate the fundamental principles of computational simulation of molecular systems in various aggregation states, and in particular which properties can be obtained using classical and quantum methods. The course will consist of theoretical lectures and exercises in a computational laboratory. | Leonardo Lo Presti Giovanni Macetti | 27/04/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Bianchi 28/04/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Canonica 29/04/2026, 14.00-17.00 Aula Informatizzata 310 30/04/2026, 14.00-17.00 Aula Informatizzata 311 |
| New trends in efficient and sustainable preparation of high-value chemicals Coordinator: Lucia Tamborini, Alessandra Puglisi 2 CFU In recent years, sustainability has become a key priority for research centers and chemical industries, which are increasingly focused on developing environmentally friendly and economically efficient processes. At the same time, companies face growing pressure to maintain high quality standards, reduce costs, and accelerate production timelines. In this context, adopting innovative chemical strategies that enhance process sustainability—by minimizing or eliminating the use and generation of hazardous substances—is essential. The course is organized into several thematic sessions, each dedicated to cutting-edge enabling technologies applied to the synthesis of high-value compounds, including active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. Its main goal is to provide participants with a solid understanding of emerging technologies, equipping future chemists to tackle current synthetic challenges and contribute to a safer and greener transformation of the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. This year’s edition will focus specifically on photochemistry and mechanochemistry, offering in-depth insights into their principles and practical applications. The course is mandatory for students enrolled in the PhD in chemistry. | Davide Ravelli (a) Giancarlo Cravotto (b) | (a) 07/05/2026, 9.30-12.30 + 14.30-16.30 Aula BS – Biologia (b) 14/05/2026, 9.30-12.30 + 14.30-16.30 Aula 204 |
| Metal catalyzed reactions leading to the formation of C-N bonds Coordinator: Fabio Ragaini 2 CFU To acquire up-to-date competences on transition metal-catalyzed reactions leading to the formation of C-N bonds. To acquire knowledge about the mechanism of the involved reactions, in the aim of better mastering the synthetic results. | Fabio Ragaini (a) Docente straniero (b) | 11/05/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Canonica 12/05/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Canonica 13/05/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Farina 28/05/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Farina 29/05/2026, 14.30-16.30 Aula Canonica |
| Applications of advanced NMR techniques Coordinator: Francesca Vasile 2 CFU The student will acquire skills on the analysis of the structure, the conformation and the dynamic behaviour of molecules using NMR techniques and computational calculations. During the course, NMR techniques useful to analyze the absolute configuration of stereocenters, the mixtures and to study the interactions between molecules and their biological target will be presented. | Francesca Vasile (a) Guido Tiana (b) Laura Ragona (c) | (a) 11/02/2026, 9.30-12.30, aula Bianchi (a) 12/02/2026, 9.30-12.30, aula Bianchi (c) 16/02/2026, 14.30-16.30, aula Bianchi (b) 24/02/2026, 14.30-16.30, aula Montanari |