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Informazioni aggiornate al: 01.6.2024 alle ore 05:14

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The ADSAI PhD program

“Artificial Intelligence is the new electricity.” Andrew Ng, Co-founder and lead of Google Brain.

The Applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (ADSAI) PhD program at the Univeristy of Trieste started with the 2021 cohort , and since 2021 ADSAI is also part of the Italian National PhD program in Artificial Intelligence .

• Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQ) .
• Contact: [email protected]

Motivation and objectives

Why a PhD in applied Data Science and Artificial Intelligence?

The aim of the new ADSAI PhD programme is to train students to master the modern tools of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, preparing them to create new analysis methods while giving them the expertise to apply cutting-edge tools to problems in the real world. Our research spans from theoretical to applied Machine Learning, by understanding how modern methodologies became popular we frame their current limitations and highlight their possibility of extension.

What do students achieve with the ADSAI Phd program?

ADSAI students will master modern concepts of machine learning and statistical analysis, corroborated by strong analytical problem-solving skills. For instance, graduates will be trained in deep learning and neural networks, in Bayesian methods and sampling algorithms for probabilistica graphical models, in probabilistic programming for scalable inference, high performance computing and software development.

Upon graduation, students will be proficient in delivering a complete Data Science solution to a complex real-world problem from beginning to end. Training in core disciplines will be complemented with the possibility to attend modules focusing on ethical aspects of data analysis, and the impact of technological development on regulations and society.

What is the marketplace of ADSAI students?

ADSAI graduates will be attractive for top-tier Data Science and innovation companies, and will have scientific profiles ready to enter the academic world, in Italy and abroad. Given the broad impact of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence in modern society, industry and business, graduates will have the opportunity for a fulfilling career in a variety of fields. Potential careers paths range from the financial sector to digital services, healthcare, technology companies, market research and many others.

Program structure and curricula

ADSAI is a 3-years PhD programme structured in two overlapping parts and three curricula:

[Part 1] in the first part (approx. 12 months), students spend most time training to consolidate theoretical and applied methodologies from the broad area of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. This constitutes core knowledge-base to succesfully implement a PhD project in the second part of the programme, and serves to level differences across PhD students with different backgrounds;

[Part 2] in the second part (approx. 24 months)s, students undertake their PhD research work that culminates with a final PhD thesis at the end of the third year. Training in the last two years is intended to be more advanced and focused to the specific research area of the student.

Each student enrolls in one of three curricula, with the opportunity to pursue both pure and industry-related research questions:

• Industry and natural sciences , coordinated by Prof. Luca Bortolussi ;
• Life sciences and medicine , coordinated by Prof. Giulia Barbati ;
• Economy and society , coordinated by Prof. Domenico De Stefano .

Supervisors

The ADSAI faculty board is composed of a highly cross-disciplinary group of experts from the University of Trieste, which tightly interact with colleagues at the following institutions:

• International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) ;
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) ;
• National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) ;
• Area Science Park .

On occasions, external members include other researchers from the broader Trieste area.

What type of mentorship should a student expect?

Upon enrollment, ADSAI students identify at least one supervisor from the ADSAI faculty board . On occasion, some projects might involve the opportunity of a research placement in industry or in another research institute. In those cases, one or more external supervisors might also be available.

The supervisors will mentor the student to define the most effective training program during the whole ADSAI PhD program, taking into account the student’s background and objectives. The student will identify his/ her research question in tight collaboration with the supervisors. All students will be encouraged and supported to present their work at international conferences and meetings at the appropriate point in time of their studies.

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Our community has grown significantly in recent years, with almost 600 PhD students. At the University of Trieste we believe that these young researchers are the core of cutting-edge research, thanks to their vital energy, innovative ideas, and surprising curiosity. Research has its roots in doctoral students. Therefore, we are constantly committed to enhancing our PhD programs, extending our educational offerings and the quality of our services, in order to guarantee the best professional opportunities for our PhD students.

Life and Health Sciences Area

Environmental life sciences.

In collaboration with University of Udine 

Length: 3 years Official language: Italian Organizing Department: Life Sciences

Molecular Biomedicine

In collaboration with International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology - ICGEB Trieste

Length: 3 years Official language: English Organizing Department: Life Sciences

Neural and cognitive sciences

Personalized medicine and innovative therapies.

Length: 3 years Official language: English Organizing Department: Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences

Social sciences and Humanities Area

Circular economy.

Length: 3 years Official language: English Organizing Department : Economic, Business, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

History, Philosophy and Political-Social Studies

In collaboration with University of Udine

Length: 3 years Official language: Italian Organizing Department: Humanities

Technological and Scientific Area

Applied data science and artificial intelligence.

Length: 3 years Official language: English Organizing Department: Mathematics, Informatics and Geosciences

Length: 3 years Official language: Italian Organizing Department: Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Length: 3 years Official language: English Organizing Department: Physics

Civil-Environmental Engineering and Architecture

Length: 3 years Official language: Italian Organizing Department: Engineering and Architecture

Industrial and Information Engineering

Nanotechnology, earth science, fluid-dynamics and mathematics. interactions and methods, joint phd programmes.

The following Phd programmes are delivered and run by other Universities in partnership with the University of Trieste.  

For further information, please contact the organizing University (see below).

Law and Innovation in the European Legal Space

Organizing University: University of Udine Coordinator: Paolo Giangaspero Deputy Coordinators: Elisabetta Bergamini and Dimitri Girotto

Go to Law and Innovation in the European Legal Space website

Ancient Heritage Studies

Organizing University:  Ca' Foscari University of Venice Coordinator: Filippomaria Pontani Contact person in Trieste: Fulvia Mainardis

Go to Ancient Heritage Studies website

Language and literary studies

Organizing University: University of Udine Coordinator: Elena Polledri Deputy Coordinator: Caterina Falbo

Go to Language and literary studies website

National Phd programmes

Made in italy design: identity, innovation and sustainability.

Organizing University: University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" Coordinator: Alessandra Cirafici Contact person in Trieste: Lucia Gardossi

Go to Made in Italy Design: Identity, innovation and sustainability website

Earth Processes and Management of Resources and Risks for a Resilient Society and Territory

Organizing University: University of Bari "Aldo Moro" Coordinator: Roberto Sulpizio Contact person in Trieste: Stefano Parolai

Go to Earth Processes and Management of Resources and Risks for a Resilient Society and Territory website

Photovoltaics

Organizing University: University of Salerno Coordinator: Giovanni Spagnuolo Contact person in Trieste: Alessandro Massi Pavan

Go to Photovoltaics website

Sustainable Development and Climate Change 

Organizing University: Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS Pavia Coordinator: Mario Martina Contact person in Trieste: Gianluigi Gallenti

Go to Sustainable Development and Climate Change website

Space Science and Technology

Organizing University: University of Trento Coordinator: Roberto Battiston Contact person in Trieste: Anna Gregorio

Go to Space Science and Technology website

Teaching & Learning Sciences: Inclusion, Technologies, Educational Research and Evaluation

Organizing University:  University of Macerata Coordinator: Catia Giaconi Contact person in Trieste: Paolo Sorzio

Go to Teaching & Learning Sciences: Inclusion, Technologies, Educational Research and Evaluation website

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   PhD program in Molecular Biomedicine

  PhD Program in Neural and Cognitive Sciences

The PhD program in Neural and Cognitive Sciences provides advanced research training on topics such as molecular and cellular neurosciences, neuropsychology, experimental psychology of cognitive processes, social psychology, with special emphasis on the interdisciplinary investigation of the mind/brain system and on applications in clinical, ergonomic and sport contexts. Students develop competencies and abilities relevant for becoming independent and creative researchers in atleast one of the following areas: neurobiology and neurogenesis; cellular neurophysiology; clinical neuroscience; psycholinguistics; perception, action and attention; memory and executive control; thinking, judgment and decision making; sport psychology; typical and atypical development; personality and social psychology.

  Joint PhD Program in Environmental Life Science

The possible field works for the PhD students span over a large array of ecosysems from the deep sea in Antarctica to high mountains passing through plains and rivers. PhD students will find a dynamic and multidisciplinary environment that will promote both basic (e.g. marine protistan metagenomics, plant/environment interactions) and applied research (e.g. green technologies, ecological engineering and environmental biomonitoring).

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PhD PROGRAMS

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PhD Admission

Academic year 2024/25, announcement for the admission to sissa phd courses, joint international ictp/sissa phd programme, erc/ictp funded phd fellowship on wave-function networks: probe and understand quantum many-body systems via network and complexity theory - closed.

If you wish to have more information we suggest you to visit the PhD courses section or to contact the Principal Investigator (PI) listed on the faculty members page in each PhD website, for further discussion about our research.

Should you need more administrative information or run into any technical problems in the application process, feel free to contact the Students' Secretariat  

For more information about students' life at SISSA you can have look at the SISSA Vademecum .

For more information about visas, accommodation, health and daily life in Trieste and its Region we suggest you to visit the Welcome Office web page

PICA Online Application Technical Intructions (1.07 MB)

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Rice university phd graduate defies the odds after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Doctors predicted he wouldn't make it past his 20s after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Not only has Dr. Felix Wu defied the odds, but he's also been thriving after graduating from Rice University . Now, he's working towards making the world a better place for people with disabilities.

It was a day Lisa Hu and Gang Wu will never forget. Felix Wu was only about 3 years old when his family visited different doctors to find out what was impacting his mobility and causing him to fall frequently.

Finally, they got an answer from one of their physicians. It was Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). They grappled in shock when they were given a grim prognosis that their son would likely only live to be between 18 and 25 years old.

"Our world turned upside down. The landscape suddenly became something we didn't know. At the time, treatment was very limited, and there's no cure. So it was very tough for us. Our focus became to slow the progression of the disease," Hu said.

According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association , muscle weakness is the primary symptom of DMD.

It can begin as early as 2 years old, first affecting the muscles close to the core of the body and then later impacting the limbs. Children with the condition may have difficulty jumping, running, and walking.

READ MORE: Teacher refuses to let muscular dystrophy slow him down

Felix Wu shared that it was tough as a child when he couldn't participate in the same physical activities as his classmates or when he had to navigate in and out of buildings that weren't very accessible for people with disabilities. However, he said what affected him the most was how others perceived him.

"I've been questioned about what I'm able to achieve, and it's taken opportunities away from me. There's been assumptions that I'm not intelligent or mature enough to handle certain things. When I did succeed, sometimes people would assume I took some type of shortcut, and that's how I got here," Felix Wu said.

Felix Wu's condition was something his parents couldn't control. So they started focusing on what they could control, taking their son to see the world and supporting him in whatever he wanted to do.

"All we can do is give him our love and educate him as much as we can about DMD. We let him make his own decisions about his health and tell us what he wants or doesn't want to do," Hu said.

One of their favorite activities to do together as a family is visit national parks around the country, and they have been to more than 70 so far.

Felix Wu also loves playing video and board games in his spare time, such as Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering.

But Felix Wu has also always been extremely studious. To Hu and Gang Wu's surprise, he committed to doing well academically and ranking at the top of his class, pointing out that his parents never pressured him to get good grades.

"He's very self-driving, and on top of that, he's very smart. He learns things very fast. We're happy that he has been doing so good. But sometimes, we have to remind him to slow down and take care of his health," Gang Wu said.

SEE ALSO: A unique concert for boy battling muscular dystrophy

As Felix Wu reflected during Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, he said his parents, who are originally from China and came to the U.S. in the 1980s for college, are the inspiration behind his success.

"I think about how lucky I am for the resources I have to this day that they didn't have. That's definitely motivated me to keep moving forward," Felix Wu said.

For the last nine years, Gang Wu has made the hour-long drive between Katy and Rice University to get Felix to class.

But this month, they took their last ride to campus. Felix Wu graduated with a PhD in psychological sciences focusing on industrial-organizational and quantitative psychology, making him a "triple owl" for earning his bachelor's and master's degrees at the prestigious institution.

"No matter what the stakes are for his future, we know Felix is going to fight. It doesn't matter if he's going to win or not, he's going to fight," Gang Wu said.

Felix Wu, who is now 26, is taking a short break before starting his new job at a consulting firm.

He told ABC13 he plans to continue using his research and data to help improve workplace conditions for people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities are employed at a far lower rate than everybody else. That's important because, economically, you need a job to actually be able to survive and thrive. This is an important area where I can bring my own experience and show that there are still a lot of things that people with disabilities can do," Felix Wu said.

For stories on Houston's diverse communities, follow Rosie Nguyen on Facebook , X and Instagram .

SEE ALSO: AAPI domestic violence survivor recalls her abusive relationship: 'I was living in survival mode'

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National Science Foundation director to speak at Northeastern’s 2024 graduate commencement at Fenway Park

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Sethuraman Panchanathan is no stranger to Northeastern University. He spoke at the grand opening of the EXP research center on Northeastern’s Boston campus in the fall.

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National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan will be the speaker at Northeastern University’s 2024 graduate student commencement.

The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, at Fenway Park in Boston. The undergraduate ceremony will be held at 4 p.m.

Panchanathan, a computer scientist and engineer, was named director of the National Science Foundation in June 2020. The NSF, which has a budget of about $9.5 billion, is an independent federal agency charged with advancing scientific discovery, technological innovation and STEM education in the United States.

“Many of the greatest challenges of our time pose questions that only science can answer,” said Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern. “The unrelenting quest to solve global problems is powered by the brilliant minds of scientists and the unwavering support of federal agencies like the NSF. Director Panchanathan’s leadership has been a force in recognizing the groundbreaking challenges and opportunities of cutting-edge science, particularly artificial intelligence. We welcome him back to Northeastern.”

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Panchanathan is no stranger to Northeastern. He spoke at the grand opening of Northeastern’s 357,000-square-foot EXP research complex on the university’s Boston campus in the fall.

“I had a fantastic opportunity to visit Northeastern University for the grand opening of the EXP research complex last October,” Panchanathan said. “I saw firsthand how dedicated Northeastern University is to providing world class educational opportunities and to training future generations of leaders and innovators.”

“I’m sincerely delighted to be returning to Northeastern University in May to celebrate this year’s graduates. Their Northeastern education has given them everything they need to succeed in a future that is rich with opportunities,” he said.

In an editorial in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus last month, Panchanathan called for the responsible and equitable development of artificial intelligence. He said the NSF annually spends about $800 million on AI research in the public interest. In January, NSF, other federal agencies and private sector partners launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource pilot, a first step toward shared national research infrastructure.

“Responsibly democratizing AI research will cultivate an environment where innovation happens anywhere, and opportunities are available everywhere,” he said in the editorial. Panchanathan told Northeastern Global News in October that there may be challenges in regard to artificial intelligence but the promise of innovation cannot be slowed because of the potential.

“The challenges should motivate us, inspire us, to see what kinds of guardrails, what kinds of new technologies, what kind of innovations can be developed to address them,” Panchanathan said. “We don’t walk away from challenges. We don’t shy away from challenges. We understand them, we configure them. This is the time I would say to speed up rather than slow down.”

Prior to his confirmation as NSF director, Panchanathan served as executive vice president of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise and the chief research and innovation officer. He was also the founder and director of the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing at ASU. Panchanathan was previously a professor at Arizona State for many years.

Panchanathan’s work in science has advanced the areas of human-centered multimedia computing, haptic user interfaces and ubiquitous computing technologies for enhancing the quality of life for individuals with different abilities; machine learning for multimedia applications; and media processor designs.

Panchanathan earned a Ph.D. in computer and electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa. He also has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institutes of Technology, a bachelor’s in engineering from the Indian Institute of Science and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Madras.

The procession for the graduate student commencement will begin at 8:30 a.m. The ceremony, which will be livestreamed, will take place at historic Fenway Park, located a short distance from Northeastern’s Boston campus. Each year, nearly 25,000 students, families and friends gather at the event to celebrate the culmination of achievements and experiences in the classroom and around the world. As part of the university’s renowned experiential learning programs, Northeastern students work, study and conduct research in 149 countries and on every continent.

The graduate students at this year’s commencement ceremony hail from 99 countries. They will have earned degrees across multiple disciplines, including computer science, engineering, health and business. Upon graduation, they will join a global network of more than 300,000 alumni who live and work in 181 countries.

The graduate commencement will include Boston campus candidates for master’s degrees and doctorates. Commencements will also be held for Northeastern’s global network of campuses, the law school, Ph.D. graduates and College of Professional Studies, in addition to celebrations by each of the university’s colleges.

See the full schedule of events.

University News

Recent Stories

Advancing Cancer Detection by Counting Tiny Blood-circulating Particles

New Method Has Potential to Detect Cancer at Earliest Stages

By Laurie Fickman — 713-743-8454

• Health and Medicine

A University of Houston researcher is reporting a new method to detect cancer which could make cancer detection as simple as taking a blood test. With a 98.7% accuracy rate, the method - which combines PANORAMA imaging with fluorescent imaging - has the potential to detect cancer at the earliest stage and improve treatment efficacy.

The remarkably precise method allows researchers to peer into nanometer-sized membrane sacs, called extracellular vesicles or EVs, that can carry different types of cargos, like proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites, in the bloodstream.  

When Wei-Chuan Shih, Cullen College of Engineering professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his team examined the number and cargo of small EVs inside patients with cancer and those without, their finding was remarkable.

“We observed differences in small EV numbers and cargo in samples taken from healthy people versus people with cancer and are able to differentiate these two populations based on our analysis of the small EVs,” reports Shih, in Nature Communications Medicine . “The findings came from combining two imaging methods – our previously developed method PANORAMA and imaging of fluorescence emitted by small EVs—to visualize and count small EVs, determine their size and analyze their cargo.” 

In 2020, Shih debuted the PANAROMA optical imaging technology, which uses a glass side covered with gold nano discs that allows users to monitor changes in the transmission of light and determine the characteristics of nanoparticles as small as 25 nanometers in diameter. PANORAMA takes its name from Plasmonic Nano-aperture Label-free Imaging (PlAsmonic NanO-apeRture lAbel-free iMAging), signifying the key characteristics of the technology.   

For this research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, it was a matter of counting the number of small EVs to detect cancer.    

“Using a cutoff of 70 normalized small EV counts, all cancer samples from 205 patients were above this threshold except for one sample, and for healthy samples, from 106 healthy individuals, all but three were above this cutoff, giving a cancer detection sensitivity of 99.5% and specificity of 97.3%,” said Shih.   

To further test the performance of the detection threshold of 70 normalized small EV counts in plasma, the team analyzed two independent sets of samples from stage I-IV or recurrent leiomyosarcoma/gastrointestinal stromal tumors and early-and-late-stage cholangiocarcinoma that were anonymously labeled and mixed in with healthy samples and achieved 100% accuracy.  

“With further optimization, our approach may be a useful tool for cancer detection screening in particular and provide insights into the biology of cancer and small EVs,” said Shih.   

His research team includes doctoral students Nareg Ohannesian and Mohammad Sadman Mallick, and collaborators Steven H. Lin, Simona F. Shaitelman, Chad Tang, Eileen H. Shinn, Wayne L. Hofstetter, Alexei Goltsov, Manal M. Hassan, Kelly K. Hunt, from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Shih and Lin founded Seek Diagnostics Inc. to commercialize this technology.  

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Study shows cannabis terpenes may relieve chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain

Researchers at the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction tested the pain-relieving ability of five terpenes with promising results.

Cannabis terpenes, the compounds that give plants their aroma and taste, may offer an alternative path to pain relief without adverse side effects.

Photo by Kris Hanning, UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications

A new University of Arizona Health Sciences study published in the journal PAIN found that Cannabis sativa terpenes were as effective as morphine at reducing chronic neuropathic pain and a combination of the two analgesics further enhanced pain relief without negative side effects.

John Streicher, PhD, is a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and a professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson.

Photo by Noelle Haro-Gomez, UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications

Some prior studies have shown that the Cannabis sativa plant and its two primary cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and cannabidiol, or CBD, can be effective in managing chronic pain; however, the effects are generally moderate and can come with unwanted psychoactive side effects. Terpenes, the compounds that give plants their aroma and taste, offer an alternative path to pain relief without adverse side effects.

“A question that we’ve been very interested in is could terpenes be used to manage chronic pain?” said lead researcher John Streicher, PhD , a member of the Comprehensive Center for Pain & Addiction and a professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson . “What we found is that terpenes are really good at relieving a specific type of chronic pain with side effects that are low and manageable.”

Terpenes are found in all plants, and most plants have two dominant terpene species. Cannabis is unique in that it contains up to 150 terpenes with multiple terpenes acting as the dominant species. Streicher and the research team tested five terpenes that are found in moderate to high levels in Cannabis : alpha-humulene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, geraniol and linalool.

In a prior study , Streicher’s team found that four of those terpenes mimicked the effects of cannabinoids, including a reduction in the sensation of pain, in animal models of acute pain. For this study , they used a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, a type of chronic pain that occurs when highly toxic chemotherapy medications cause nerve damage that results in pain.

The terpenes were tested individually and compared with morphine. The research team found that each terpene was successful in reducing the sensation of pain at levels near to or above the peak effect of morphine. When the terpenes were combined with morphine, the pain-relieving effects of all five terpene/morphine combinations were significantly increased.

“That was really striking to us, but just because something relieves pain doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a good therapy,” Streicher said.

Opioids are often used to treat many types of pain, but they can come with a host of unwanted side effects. Opioids activate the brain’s reward system, which is what can lead to addiction, and can cause tolerance, a condition that occurs when the body gets used to a medication and needs increasingly larger doses to have the same effect. Opioids also can cause respiratory depression, which can lead to death.

“We looked at other aspects of the terpenes, such as does this cause reward? Is this going to be addictive? Is it going to make you feel awful?” Streicher said. “What we found was yes, terpenes do relieve pain, and they also have a pretty good side effect profile.”

None of the terpenes had reward liability, making them a low risk for addiction. Some of the terpenes also did not cause aversive behaviors, which suggests they could be effective therapeutics without producing distressing side effects.

Finally, researchers tested different routes of terpene administration: injection, oral dosing and inhalation of vaporized pure terpenes. They found that when terpenes were given orally or inhaled, the effects were significantly reduced or absent.

“A lot of people vape or smoke terpenes as part of cannabis extracts that are available commercially in states where cannabis use is legal,” Streicher said “We were surprised to find that the inhalation route didn’t have an impact in this study, because there are a lot of at least anecdotal reports saying that you can get the effects of terpenes whether taken orally or inhaled. Part of the confounding factor is that terpenes smell quite nice and it’s hard to disguise that aroma, so people could be kind of having the psychosomatic placebo-style effect.”

Because this is the first paper to examine the side effects of terpenes, Streicher will be using its findings to inform the next stage of research – can terpenes block the reward potential of opiates such as morphine while at the same time enhancing its pain-relief potential?

“This brings up the idea that you could have a combination therapy, an opioid with a high level of terpene, that could actually make the pain relief better while blocking the addiction potential of opioids,” Streicher said. “That’s what we are looking at now.”

Co-authors from the College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Pharmacology include former graduate student Abigail M. Schwarz, PhD; associate scientific investigator Attila Keresztes, PhD ; and current or former undergraduate students Thai Bui, Ryan Hecksel, Adrian Peña, Brianna Lent, Martin Gamez-Rivera, Caleb Seekins, Kerry Chou, Taylor L. Appel and Fahad A. Al-Obeidi. Zhan-Gou Gao, MD, PhD, and Kenneth A. Jacobson, PhD, both from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, also contributed to the research.

This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health under award no. R01AT011517 and by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases under award no. ZIADK031117.

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Stacy Pigott UArizona Health Sciences Office of Communications 520-539-4152, [email protected]

Cellphone expert testifies missing data benefits University of Idaho murder suspect

A cellphone analyst suggested at a pretrial hearing Thursday that he has been stymied by law enforcement's disorganized data collection and recordkeeping in the case against Bryan Kohberger, the graduate student accused in the fatal stabbings of four Idaho college students .

Sy Ray , whom Kohberger's defense team plans to call as an expert witness at trial, said his review of the evidence provided by the FBI and police so far shows not all of the cellphone data extracted from Kohberger's phone around the time of the murders in 2022 was mapped.

He further testified that it's crucial that he receive all of the AT&T source data and related information for him to verify, given that prosecutors in Latah County are pinning Kohberger to the location of the killings, in part, by his cellphone use and cell tower records.

"It is a terrible practice to justify probable cause with these very detailed call detail records that give breadcrumb-like trails for individuals and then not map it," Ray said.

"Because of the piecemealing of the data, because of the missing data, because of the data I'm reviewing that is incredibly inaccurate, everything that is missing is absolutely in benefit of the defense right now," Ray testified, adding, "There are other reports that are missing that I can't tell you are benefiting of Mr. Kohberger or the state."

He added that it's unclear why certain data is unavailable: "Is this human error? Is it accidental? Is it intentional?"

What he has seen so far, he said, appears to be "exculpatory" to Kohberger.

Ray, a former police detective in Arizona, testified that he typically has been an expert witness for prosecutors in criminal cases. His expertise has previously come under scrutiny .

Earlier in Thursday's hearing, a lead investigator with the Moscow Police Department testified that thousands of hours of video were collected in relation to a Hyundai Elantra that prosecutors say Kohberger was driving when he left his apartment in Washington state, 9½ miles from where the murders took place in Moscow, Idaho.

Thursday's testimony was part of an ongoing attempt by the defense to ask the judge to compel prosecutors to turn over certain evidence in the discovery phase. DNA experts were expected to be called during a later hearing closed to the public. Prosecutors have argued that they aren’t purposefully withholding information.

The slow pace of the pretrial hearings and the discussions hanging over such a high-profile case have only delayed the trial and pushed a trial date back to spring or summer 2025 — frustrating families of the victims , who say their ability to heal has been impeded. Documents filed Friday also showed that a hearing on whether to move the trial out of Latah County, initially scheduled for late June, has been further delayed to Aug. 29.

The family of Kaylee Goncalves, one of the murdered students, mocked Thursday's hearing as "business as usual."

"The defense claiming they haven't received all the evidence in the case and the prosecution stating, 'We can't give it if we don't have it,'" the Goncalves family said in a statement.

"The hearings have become a Wild West of statements, witnesses, issues, hand holding of the attorneys and excuses for continued delay," they said, adding that "the victims' families want justice, but just as importantly, we want the case to move forward."

Three of the victims — Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20 — lived in an apartment house near the University of Idaho, where they were students. Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20, had been staying over and was also killed early Nov. 13, 2022.

In an affidavit following Kohberger's arrest weeks after the killings, prosecutors said he was linked to the scene through  male DNA discovered on a knife sheath  left at the victims' apartment house. Investigators also said his cellphone use and video surveillance connected him to the crime.

Kohberger's a libi defense maintains that he would go for nighttime drives and that they only increased during the school year.

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

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Università degli Studi di Trieste - Piazzale Europa, 1 - 34127 - Trieste, Italia - Tel. +39 040 558 7111 - P.IVA 00211830328 - C.F. 80013890324 - P.E.C. [email protected]

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Academic Year 2023/2024

The list of courses available at our University is online at the webpage Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree.

There are two types of Courses Degree:

· courses with no entry test , i.e. it is not established a fixed number of places

· courses with fixed number of places , which have a defined number (limited) of places

Access to courses with a fixed number of places requires a  selection procedure  through an entry test managed locally or nationally

• All Bachelor’s and Single-cycle Master’s Degrees with no entry test require a prior initial competence assessment which can be carried out also through a test: some study courses adopt the Online Test CISIA ( TOLC ) as initial competence assessment.
• All Master’s Degrees with no entry test require specific curricular and adequate personal competences . Assessment is regulated by the university Teaching Activities Regulation and is mandatory to be able to enrol.
• For courses with fixed number of places the selection procedure is also valid as personal competence assessment.

Please refer to the webpage “Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees” in the Course Catalogue section to find out requirements to access your study course.

In order to know the assessment procedure read this Vademecum (in Italian)

• deadlines to entry free courses and Calls for selection to access courses with fixed number of places (indicating specific requirements and deadlines) are available on the webpage “Iscrizione” of each study course website, whose link is indicated on the webpage “Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree ”
• read information on http://www2.units.it/international-students/en/
• read information on Fees and Concessions
• for further information contact Ufficio ammissioni  
• Enrolment to courses with no entry test is open from June 5th (12 a.m.) to October 5th, 2023.
• Deadlines to access courses with fixed number of places are indicated in each Call.
• To enrol you should already be registered on the university website (see accesso ), then you can refer to the enrolment procedure of your interest listed below.
• As for this academic year you can start the procedure although you have not yet obtained your high school diploma: you will not have to enter your diploma’s data, but you have to pay the first instalment of your fees.
• You will receive your university matriculation number only after you have obtained your high school diploma: therefore within 15 days from the date of your high school final exam results , you will have to access the online procedure again and enter the missing data.

Before starting the online enrolment procedure:

• If you are already enrolled in another course at this University, apply for a changing of course  (in Italian – passaggio di corso) or  cancel your enrolment  (in Italian – rinuncia agli studi) and then re-enrol as follows; if, instead you are interested in a simultaneous enrolment in two university courses, read the page informazioni
• Download, fill in and sign the information form English version
• Scan your unexpired ID document front and reverse side (identify card, driving license, passport) and your tax code (health service card) as a pdf. document
• prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (.bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge. The photograph must respect the following standards described here   (in italian)
• if you are a non-EU citizen scan your stay permit in pdf. format (or, alternatively the receipt of the stay permit request).

Online enrolment:

• go to the Student Secretariat web page  and login
• in the Home Menu select Immatricolazione/Enrolment follow the step-by-step procedure and upload all documents required in the webpage Allegati - Annexes
• the online procedure is completed with payment of the first instalment of your fees. Follow the instructions to make the payment ( FAQ )
• check that you received confirmation to your personal email box

Pending assessment of the Ufficio Ammissioni-  Admission Office you can join lessons and access Microsoft Teams using your credentials: read instructions on the webpage pagina della didattica digitale , section "Accesso e guide per gli studenti" (in Italian).

Completing enrolment:

• After assessment the Ufficio Ammissioni -Admission Office will issue your matriculation number and you will receive notification to your personal email box. Within 48 hours of such communication the online UniTS services will be activated, as well as your university e-mail box and the virtual badge ( read the info )
• when you have your matriculation number, check the compulsory health and safety training web page .
• If you are enrolled in another University/Institution and wish to continue your studies at this University, you must first apply to your University of origin (check procedures and deadlines on its website) and then enrol at this University following the steps below.
• When the documentation arrives from your University of origin, the competent office of your course of study will establish your enrolment year and exams that may be recognized; if necessary the Ufficio Ammissioni-Admission Office will require you to submit an individual study plan.
• Once the enrolment procedure is completed the transfer fee will be charged, as indicated in the Fees Notice.
• If you do not request the recognition of your previous study, you will automatically be enrolled in the first year of your course. As an alternative you can decide to forfeit your previous study in the University where you are enrolled and proceed with the standard enrolment at the University of trieste (see the previous item) or the simultaneous enrolment in two courses  

Before starting the online enrolment procedure: 

• download, fill in and sign the additional information form
• scan your valid ID document on the front and back (identify card, driving license, passport) and your tax code (health service card) as a pdf document
• prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge. The photograph must respect the following standards . 
• Prepare a list of examinations that you have already taken (the procedure requires that you enter date, grade, CFU and SSD / scientific disciplinary sector) for each examination
• Go to the  Student Secretariat web page  and login
• Select Immatricolazione/Enrolment from the Menu, then choose type of application “Incoming Transfer” and follow the step-by-step instructions and upload all required documents
• The online procedure is completed with payment of the first instalment of your fees. Follow the instructions to make the payment ( FAQ )
• Check that you receive confirmation to your personal email account

Pending assessment by the Ufficio Ammissioni - Admission Office you can join classes and access Microsoft Teams using your credentials: read the instructions on the webpage pagina della didattica digitale , section "Accesso e guide per gli studenti" (in Italian).

• as soon as the teaching department responsible for your course of study has assessed your previous qualifications, the Admission Office will issue your matriculation number and you will receive notification to your personal email account. Within 48 hours of such communication the online UniTS services will be activated, as well as your e-mail box and the virtual badge ( read the info )
• when you have your matriculation number, check the compulsory health and safety training web page
• check on your course of study web page if other specific obligations are required to complete the enrolment (i.e. anamnestic questionnaire or Mantoux)
• You can enrol and ask for a reduction of the period of study, i.e. credits recognition, or course, i.e. enrolment in years after the first, if you have already obtained a university qualification or other university qualifications.
• You must first ask assessment of credits that you have already obtained, following the instructions available on the web page  Immatricolazione con riconoscimento crediti
• Wait for the assessment result
• Prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (.bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge: selfies are not admitted. The photograph must respect the following standards .
• Only if you are not graduated at the University of Trieste download from the website of the University of origin the self-declaration form with the list of examinations that you have taken; if it is not available, use this form . During the online procedure you are required to upload the self-declaration in the section “Allegati - Annexes" 
• Go to the Home Menu, select Immatricolazione, then choose type of application "Abbreviazione carriera", follow the step-by-step instructions and upload all required documents in the section Allegati - Annexes
• Select Immatricolazione/Enrolment from the Menu, then choose type of application “Reduced Period of Study” and follow the step-by-step instructions

Pending the assessment, you may join classes and access Microsoft Teams using your credentials: read the instructions on the webpage pagina della didattica digitale , section "Accesso e guide per gli studenti" (in Italian).

• After assessment of your documents the Ufficio Ammissioni-Admission Office will issue your matriculation number and you will receive notification to your personal email box.  Within 48 hours of such communication the online UniTS services will be activated, as well as your e-mail box and the virtual badge ( read the info )
• Enrolment to courses with no entry test are open from June 5th (12 o’clock) to February 29th, 2024 , however this period of time is divided into three time windows, depending on the date of your graduation, which is the entry pre-requisite to be enrolled. Details are available on your study course webpage “Iscrizione”
• Deadlines to enter courses with fixed number of places are indicated in each respective Call.
• To enroll you should already be registered on the UniTS website ( access ), then you can refer to the below listed enrollment procedures of your interest.
• Notice : you can start the online enrolment procedure only after assessment of your individual competence and the receiving of the e-mail: Information are available on the webpage “Iscrizione” of each study course website, through the webpage Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees.
• You can start the online procedure also in case you are going to graduate in other study course: you should not enter data of the qualification but pay the first instalment of your fees . You can join classes and access Microsoft Teams using your credentials: read the instructions on the  pagina della didattica digitale , section "Accesso e guide per gli studenti".
• You will receive your university matriculation number only after having obtained your Degree: therefore as soon as you obtain your qualification, you will have to access the online procedure again and enter the missing data and then inform Ufficio Ammissioni del tuo corso di studi by e-mail.  
• If you are already enrolled in another course at this University, apply for a changing of course (in Italian – passaggio di corso) or cancel your enrolment  (in Italian – rinuncia agli studi) and then re-enrol as follows; if, instead you are interested in a simultaneous enrolment in two university courses, read the page informazioni
• prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (.bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge. The photograph must respect the following standards
• go to the Student Secretariat web page and login
• in the Home Menu select Immatricolazione/Enrolmentand follow the guided procedure
• check that you receive confirmation to your personal email account
• once the first instalment of fees has been paid, non-EU citizens must send via e-mail their residence permit or receipt of the permit request to the Admission Office of their course of study, otherwise enrolment cannot be completed.

after verification of the documentation, the Admission Office will issue your matriculation number and you will receive notification to your personal email account. Within 48 hours of such communication the online UniTS services will be activated, as well as your e-mail box and the virtual badge ( read the info ) when you have your matriculation number, check the compulsory  health and safety training web page .

• If you are enrolled at another institution and wish to continue your studies at this University, you must first apply to your existing place of study for transfer (check procedures and deadlines) and then enroll at this University following the points below.
• When the documentation arrives from your existing place of study, the competent department for your course of study will decide in which year you can enroll and may recognize any previous studies. If necessary the Admission Office will contact you to present an individual study plan.
• Once the enrollment procedure is completed the transfer fee will be charged, as indicated in the  Fees Notice .
• If you do not request recognition of your previous study, you will automatically be enrolled in the first year of your course. As an alternative you can decide to give up the studies in the University where you are enrolled and proceed with the standard enrollment (see the previous point).
• download, fill in and sign the additional information form
• prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge. The photograph must respect  the following standards.
• Prepare a list of examinations that you have already taken (date, grade, CFU and SSD / scientific disciplinary sector) which will have to be inserted during the enrolment procedure
• Download the Technical Guide (Guida tecnica alla procedura – in italian)
• Go to the Student Secretariat web page and login
• Select Immatricolazione/Enrolment from the Menu, then choose type of application “Incoming Transfer” and follow the step-by-step instructions
• when you have your matriculation number, check the compulsory  health and safety training web page
• If you already hold a degree or other university qualification, you can enroll and ask for the credits gained in your previous studies to be recognized, so reducing the period of study. You should priory request the credit evaluation by following the indications on this page
• Credits for individual courses can only be recognized for enrolments into the first year and cannot be used to request a reduction of the required period of study.
• The teaching department responsible for your course of study will decide in which year you can enroll (first year or later) and on recognition of your previous credits.
• If necessary you will be contacted by the Admission Office to submit an individual study plan.
• prepare an ID photo in jpeg (.jpg) or bitmap (bmp) format (maximum size 2MB). The photograph will be used on your virtual badge. The photograph must respect the following standards.
• If you are not a graduate of this University, download from your previous university the certificate of your award showing the examinations taken. If this is not available,  fill in this form . During the online enrolment procedure, you will have to upload the certificate on the “Attachmentes” (Allegati) page.   
• Select Immatricolazione/Enrolment from the Menu, then choose type of application “Reduced Period of Study” and follow the step-by-step instructions
• Once the first instalment of fees has been paid, non-EU citizens must send via e-mail their residence permit or receipt of the permit request to the Admission Office of their course of study, otherwise enrolment cannot be completed.

Ministerial Decrees implementing simultaneous enrolment in two higher education study courses have been issued.

Here the link to the Italian version:

https://www.mur.gov.it/it/atti-e-normativa/decreto-ministeriale-n-930-del-29-07-2022

https://www.mur.gov.it/it/atti-e-normativa/decreto-ministeriale-n-933-del-02-08-2022

A further Ministerial Decree will regulate the simultaneous enrolment in two study courses with limited access that is regulated nationally.

Without prejudice to the requirements and procedures for the admission to study courses, you may simultaneously enrol in two courses, if:

a) courses belong to different degree categories and differ in at least two thirds of their learning activities;

b) they are not international courses leading to double, multiple or joint degrees with foreign universities, nor they are Italian inter-university courses awarding joint degrees;

c) both courses do not envisage a compulsory attendance. If one of the courses envisages compulsory attendance, enrolment in the second one is allowed provided that it does not envisage any compulsory attendance (except for laboratory and internship activities).

Enrolment in a study course of the University of Trieste should be completed within the established deadlines. You will be able to enrol after these deadlines only for the second course of your choice and if this is a course with no entry test.

For courses with a fixed number of places enrolment should be completed within the established deadlines, even if the course is your second choice.

Registration to a Selection Call for enrolment in a study course DOES NOT constitute enrolment in the course itself.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ENROLLING IN A SECOND COURSE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TRIESTE?

During the online procedure you will be required to enter data that are necessary for the simultaneous enrolment.

ARE YOU ENROLLED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TRIESTE AND WISH TO ENROL IN A SECOND STUDY COURSE BELONGING TO ANOTHER UNIVERSITY?

After completing the enrolment procedure of the second course, enter your personal area of the University of Trieste Online Services and follow the procedure available in the section “Dichiarazioni Aggiuntive Iscrizione Annuale”, of the Menu Home.

ARE YOU ALREADY ENROLLED IN A SECOND STUDY COURSE AND YOU INTEND TO DECLARE IT OR MODIFY DATA?

Enter your personal area of the University of Trieste Online Services and follow the procedure indicated in the section “Dichiarazioni Aggiuntive Iscrizione Annuale” of the Menu Home.

Remember that the Declaration of simultaneous enrolment should be submitted for both courses in which you are enrolled.

Piazzale Europa, 1 - 34127 - Trieste, Italia - Tel. +39 040 558 7111 - P.IVA 00211830328 C.F. 80013890324 - P.E.C. [email protected]

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Facing budget deficit, Brandeis University eliminates 60 positions

Brandeis University, the latest school in New England to face financial pressure due to declining enrollment, said it would eliminate 60 positions in the coming weeks to reduce costs.

The school in Waltham said in a recent message to its campus community that employees affected by the cuts, mostly staff and administrator roles, will be notified on a rolling basis between now and mid-June. Some adjunct faculty contracts also may not be renewed, the college said.

“Though the changes we need to make will be difficult, they are necessary to allow us to direct our resources to the areas that will help ensure our long-term financial stability, meet the challenges of changing demands in higher education, and attract excellent students to Brandeis for years to come,” Brandeis president Ron Liebowitz and other top officials wrote in a May 21 letter obtained by the Globe.

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Scores of colleges across New England have been struggling to maintain enrollment in recent years as the population of college-aged students declines, and more people question the value of a college degree. For schools that depend on tuition and fees as their main sources of revenue, even small drops in student enrollment can hurt the bottom line.

Small liberal arts colleges with lesser known brands have experienced the most serious problems in the sector, and a number of local institutions, including Pine Manor College and Becker College, have closed. The news of financial stress at a prestigious university like Brandeis, which has an endowment valued at $1.2 billion, comes as something of a jolt to the higher education world.

Robert Kelchen, professor and head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, said Brandeis’ troubles show few universities are immune to the demographic and cultural forces buffeting the industry.

“Unless you have an enormous endowment, you are looking very carefully at your costs,” Kelchen said. “Brandeis is in absolutely no danger of closing, but they also don’t want to be losing money.”

Brandeis, founded in 1948 by the American Jewish community to welcome Jews and other minorities who faced discrimination in higher education, enrolls about 5,300 undergraduate and graduate students, down about 9 percent from five years ago. Undergraduate enrollment has remained stable in recent years, but graduate student enrollment has declined by about a quarter from 2018 to 2023, to 1,627 students.

That’s contributed to a projected $2 million budget deficit for the upcoming academic year, Liebowitz said in a recent interview.

Liebowitz told the Globe recently that while Brandeis does draw students from all over the world, most of the school’s students come from the Northeast, where demographic declines are happening faster than in other parts of the country. Since the Oct. 7 attacks last fall, the university has been trying to recruit Jewish students looking for a safe haven amid virulent protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. Reports of antisemitism have also risen dramatically on college campuses since October.

About 35 percent of students at Brandeis are Jewish, Liebowitz said. In April, as pro-Palestinian encampments were forming on dozens of college campuses, Brandeis extended its deadline for students to transfer to Brandeis, including those who may feel isolated or ostracized for supporting Israel on other campuses.

“There’s a different feel on our campus than on many other campuses,” Liebowitz said at the time.

Liebowitz said he notified the campus community in March that the university was looking for ways to reduce costs to close the budget deficit and stabilize the school’s finances. A spokesperson for Brandeis said college officials examined spending across the university to find savings this spring, including delaying a big campus building project, but “it was not possible to identify sufficient savings without needing to reduce positions.”

Brandeis is moving forward with the construction of a new residence hall, which officials say is “a necessity given the age and condition of a good proportion of our student housing.”

We “are focusing resources first on the undergraduate experience, a critical area of investment for the continued successful recruitment of students,” the May 21 letter said.

The college also said it is retaining most of its current undergraduate programs and majors. Brandeis officials said they are reviewing the university’s doctoral and masters program offerings.

“It is clear that we cannot sustain the breadth of doctoral programs we now support and maintain the level of excellence to which we aspire for all of our degree programs,” officials wrote. “We believe that by focusing our institutional resources on selected programs, we will strengthen our graduate offerings and the university’s academic standing.”

Brandeis informed faculty members in its music department last summer that the university’s doctoral degree programs in composition and theory, and musicology, would be put on hiatus. Liebowitz said in his recent letter to the community that some “PhD programs already placed on hiatus are likely to remain on hiatus.” A spokesperson confirmed the music programs remain paused.

Brandeis is currently in the process of merging the MBA programs at its Heller School for Social Policy and Management and its International Business School, starting in the fall.

“This is an example of the kind of structural changes we need to consider across the institution in order to be able to make more effective use of our teaching and staff resources,” officials wrote.

Hilary Burns can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her @Hilarysburns .