AFAM PhD

Establishment of the Doctoral Research School at the “Luigi Cherubini” Conservatory of Music in Florence.
DIRECTOR’S DECREE

University | Florence is preparing to welcome its first art PhDs. The Conservatory, Academy of Fine Arts, and ISIA are promoting the PhD program in “Art, Technology, and Perception.”
PRESS RELEASE

The Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence is among the Italian AFAM institutions that have launched the new PhD programs, introduced into the Higher Education System in Art, Music, and Dance to strengthen advanced research in the artistic, musical, performance, and interdisciplinary fields.

AFAM doctorates are based on Law 508/1999, which equated the AFAM system with the university system, and subsequent implementing ministerial decrees—including Ministerial Decree 470/2024—which regulated the accreditation and activation of doctoral courses at conservatories, academies, and ISIA.

The Florence Conservatory currently offers two distinct doctoral courses:

1. PhD in Art, Technology and Perception

The ATP Doctoral Program – Art, Technology and Perception, has its administrative headquarters at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence, and is activated in association with:

- - - Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
    - ISIA Florence

The program aims to train highly qualified researchers in fields where visual arts, music, design, digital technologies, and perception sciences meet.

Among the main research areas:

- - - human-machine interaction and digital creativity
    - immersive and multisensory experiences
    - artificial intelligence applied to artistic languages
    - design of innovative sound and visual environments
    - new forms of museum and performance enjoyment

The three-year course represents one of the first fully interdisciplinary doctoral research experiences in Italy in the AFAM sector.

Doctoral College:

Prof. Marco LIGABUE – Florence Conservatory (Coordinator);
Prof. Roberto NERI – Conservatory of Florence
Prof. Giorgio ALBIANI – Conservatory of Florence
Professor Lara MORCIANO – Conservatory of Florence
Professor Alessandra PETRANGELO – Florence Conservatory
Professor Gaia Bindi – Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
Professor Cristina BORGIOLI – Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
Professor Marina BRANCATO – Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
Prof. Luca FARULLI – Academy of Fine Arts of Florence
Prof. Maurizio GALLUZZO – ISIA Florence
Prof. Francesco PAVONE – LENS Florence
Dr. Natacha FABBRI – Galileo Museum, University of Siena
Dr. Sergio RISALITI – MUS.E
Dr. Maria Assunta GABRIELLI – Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation (Member);
Dr. Gabriele GORI – CR Firenze Foundation (Member)

AA 2025-26 PhD in Art, Technology and Perception XLI Cycle AA 2024-25 PhD in Art, Technology and Perception XL Cycle AA 2025-26 PhD in Art, Technology and Perception XLI Cycle

The course is associated with the AFAM institutions of Florence:Academy of Fine Arts – Conservatory of Music – ISIA Design

DECREES

VERBAL

AA 2024-25 PhD in Art, Technology and Perception XL Cycle

The course is associated with the AFAM institutions of Florence:Academy of Fine Arts – Conservatory of Music – ISIA Design

Research lines

PhD Competition Announcement(PDF) 2024-25
Application for participation(DOC)
Competition notice PhD(PDF)
Admission application(DOC)

DECREES

MINUTES

Educational and scientific activities of the PhD in Art, Technology and Perception XL Cycle – Academic Year 2024-25

AUDITORY PERCEPTION AND MUSICAL COGNITION, INCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGIES: CHALLENGES, TOOLS AND PERSPECTIVES – Edited by Patrick Vogel
Read more >

2. PhD in Music, Performing Arts and STEM – MUSART in association with the Milan Conservatory

XL cycle – AY 2024/2025 | XLI cycle – AY 2025/2026

The Florence Conservatory also participates in the doctorate in Music, Performing Arts and STEM – MUSART, established with the G. Verdi Conservatory of Music in Milan, as its administrative headquarters.

The project was born to bring artistic practice into dialogue with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines, developing innovative models of research, production and analysis in the music and performance sectors.

Main topics of the course:

- - musical creation
  - acustica, sound engineering e spatial audio
  - digital humanities in music
  - data science applied to musical creation and performance
  - robotics and intelligent systems for the performing arts
  - interdisciplinary models between art and science

The doctorate enhances the collaboration between two major Italian musical institutions, fostering national and international research networks.

Doctoral College:

Prof. Candida FELICI, Milan Conservatory, Coordinator
Professor Elisabetta ANDREANI, Milan Conservatory
Prof. Livio ARAGONA, Milan Conservatory
Prof. Giacomo DANESE, Conservatory of Florence
Prof. Peter DEJANS, Orpheus Institute
Prof. Leonardo DE LISI, Conservatory of Florence
Professor Annamaria FORNASIER, Conservatory of Florence
Dr. Fabiola GIANOTTI, CERN, Geneva |
Prof. Stefano LOMBARDI VALLAURI, IULM University of Milan |
Prof. Gabriele MANCA, Milan Conservatory
Prof. Roberto PERATA, Milan Conservatory
Prof. Marco RAPETTI GASPARINI, Conservatory of Florence
Prof. Augusto SARTI, Polytechnic University of Milan |
Prof. Francesco TORRIGIANI, Conservatory of Florence

AA 2025/-26 Doctorate in “Music, performing arts and STEM” XLI Cycle AA 2024-25 Doctorate in “Music, performing arts and STEM” XL Cycle AA 2025/-26 Doctorate in “Music, performing arts and STEM” XLI Cycle

XLI cycle of the Doctoral course offered in association with the G. Verdi Conservatory of Music of Milan in Music, performing arts and STEM– Academic Year 2025/2026, with administrative headquarters at the Milan Conservatory.

Call for applications to the Doctoral ProgrammeMusic, Performing Arts and STEM – Cycle XLI>

A.A. 2024-25 PhD in “Music, performing arts and STEM” XL Cycle

The L. Cherubini Conservatory of Florence and the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan jointly announce the Call for applications for admission to the PhD program in “Music, Performing Arts and STEM” (MUSART), with administrative headquarters at the G. Verdi Conservatory of Music in Milan.
The PhD program aims to foster an innovative dialogue between practice and research in music and the performing arts, implementing theoretical, methodological, and critical training from an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary perspective. While preserving the diverse perspectives of the fields of research—creation, performance, and theoretical reflection on and around music and the performing arts—this program intends to connect them transversally and interdisciplinaryly with STEM disciplines. This transversality contributes to the emergence of innovative lines of thought and practice, thus producing new epistemological and artistic perspectives.

The search result must be configured according to one of the following two typologies:

a) The organization of performance events, the production of works, objects, or artistic devices, in conjunction with the writing of a thesis (in Italian or English) that provides new knowledge drawing on a variety of theoretical and scientific fields.
b) A written thesis (in Italian or English), possibly accompanied by multimedia supports.

Download the announcement

Correction of the deadline for the tender

SEND YOUR APPLICATION

AFAM PhD

1. PhD in Art, Technology and Perception

2. PhD in Music, Performing Arts and STEM – MUSART in association with the Milan Conservatory

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