The programme is a joint initiative of two higher education institutions delivering PhD degrees – Instituto Superior Técnico, a faculty of the University of Lisbon (UL), and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – and two Portuguese R&D institutions – Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil and CEHIDRO, Centre for Hydro-Systems Studies of IST.
Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) is a distinguished School of Engineering, Science & Technology and Architecture, the largest of its kind in Portugal. IST mission is to contribute for the development of the society by promoting higher education and carrying out R&D activities responding to society needs. IST has approximately 700 professors and 11000 students (20% at PhD level), offering 19 undergraduate, 28 master and 29 PhD programmes. IST has a strong impact on the development of key scientific and technological areas in Portugal and, with its graduates, provides the Portuguese society with a group of highly visible and qualified citizens. IST holds a unique position in the context of the Portuguese higher education system.
In its 4 decades of existence, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has established itself among the world’s best teaching and R&D institutions: in 2009, EPFL was ranked 1st in Europe and 15th worldwide in the Shanghai ranking of engineering. With over 120 nationalities on campus, EPFL is home to 6200 undergraduates, 2000 PhD students and 1000 post-docs, interacting daily in 340 laboratories and research groups. EPFL teaching quality is a major reason for its success. Scientific research at EPFL benefits from excellent technological infrastructures. EPFL distinguishes itself by the quality of its research and teaching, its productive and forward-looking technology transfer and industrial partnership activities.
Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) is a Portuguese public R&D institution carrying out activity in civil engineering and related areas. LNEC has a staff of 556 (30% with PhD), plus 140 research fellows. LNEC’s Hydraulics and Environment Department (DHA) performs R&D in all fields of the water domain. With a staff of about 100 (including 35 PhD), DHA is the largest Portuguese research group in the domain. DHA owns large facilities for physical modelling tests, with a total area of 20000 m2, equipped with several flumes and 3D wave basins, a tilting and an annular flume and cutting-edge scientific instruments (e.g., PIV, UVP, pressure transducers and wave gages). DHA has significant resources for Computational Fluid Dynamics (LNEC’s 300 core computer cluster) and field equipment (e.g., ADCP, DGPS or ADV).
CEHIDRO integrates the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Georesources (DECivil) of IST. It develops research and consultancy in water related subjects. Due to its performance, CEHIDRO is the best ranked R&D unit funded by FCT in the water domain (civil and environment engineering). CEHIDRO has 24 permanent researchers and 48 PhD students. It manages the Laboratory of Hydraulics, equipped with 4 recirculating flumes, 1 wave flume, 4 pressurised circuits and modern scientific instrumentation (PIV, ADV, UVP, micro-eco-sounders), exceeding 1.5 M€ of investment in the last few years. CEHIDRO shares facilities with LNEC, EPFL and other Universities.
IST and CEHIDRO play a pivoting role in the present programme: all students benefit from the joint supervision of one IST researcher and one researcher of the EPFL (EPFL’s track) or LNEC (LNEC‘s track), depending on the second institution involved. Students of EPFL track will get the dual IST-EPFL PhD degree; those of LNEC’s track will receive the IST/UTL PhD degree.