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Polymers and Biopolmers
Study program name
Polymers and Biopolmers
Schools
Doctoral School
City
Barcelona
Duration
Undetermined
credits
Description
This doctoral programme dates back to 1987, the year when doctoral programmes based on Spain’s recently enacted University Reform Law were launched. In 1994, the current programme was set up by combining the Plastics and Polymers and Structural Molecular Biology programmes, bringing together the Department’s most established research activities in two optional subject areas: polymers and biopolymers.
The Spanish Ministry of Education recognised the excellence of the programme in 2004 by granting it a quality award (MCD2004-00290). Since then, the quality award has been renewed without interruption following regular audits, and in 2011, the programme was granted a Pathway to Excellence award (MEE2011-0310), which remained in effect until 2013, when the award programme ended. The programme was associated with the UPC master’s degree in Polymers and Biopolymers and is now linked to the master’s degree in Chemical Engineering – Smart Chemical Factories (Smart Polymer Engineering, specialisation track).
The programme harnesses the research experience that the UPC has gained in the field of polymers and biopolymers over more than 40 years of continuous activity. This experience currently underpins the work of more than half a dozen recognised groups devoted exclusively to research in this field, all of which participate in the National RDI Programme, mainly in the materials area.
The doctoral programme is aimed at the polymer materials sector, which is one of the most active in the chemical industry. Polymer production continues to grow, as they replace other kinds of materials and enable technological innovations that are impossible with other materials. It is important to note that polymer materials have a special impact on science, and specifically, on the creation of advanced materials for use in a wide range of sectors from biomedicine to the electronics industry. Producing specialists capable of leading R&D projects in polymer technology is essential for competitive development.
The existence of national and international doctoral programmes in this field with similar characteristics speaks to the value and importance of this programme at the current time. In the USA, there are countless doctoral programmes that focus on polymer science and engineering. In Europe, many prestigious institutions (including the University of Manchester, University of Bayreuth, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, and University of Lyon) offer doctoral degrees in polymers and biopolymers, generally linked to master’s degrees in the same field. Doctoral programmes in this field are also starting to take off at technology-oriented universities in Asia. Despite a high concentration of industrial activity in this sector in Catalonia, this doctoral programme is the only one focusing on polymers that is offered in the region.
The way the programme is focused facilitates the achievement of a series of objectives, enabling students to develop expertise in the field by providing:
a) Systematic, streamlined and up-to-date knowledge of the scientific and technological foundations of polymers and biopolymers.
b) Knowledge and use of bibliographic sources as required to justify, underpin and support research on topics related to polymers and biopolymers.
c) Experimental knowledge of the main methodologies applied in the manufacture, characterisation and evaluation of properties of polymers and biopolymers.
d) Scientific and technological criteria for planning, implementing and directing a basic or applied research project on any topic in the field of specialisation.