High Education and Training

The Observatory promotes training for researchers in the field of astrophysics through activities in support of vocational courses, graduation theses, PhDs and post-PhD training.

The research personnel cooperates with University professors to develop teaching programs within the graduate and PhD courses in physics, IT and engineering.

 

INAF-OAPa offers to young people about to graduate, and young PhDs, the possibility to carry on research and pursue a traineeship for the purpose of gaining university credits.

Post-graduate and post-PhD advanced research is directly financed by the Observatory by means of scholarships and non-tenure-track fellowships that usually allow students to spend short spells (weeks or months) at European and North American Universities or Colleges. Since 2000, the European Union, thanks to the programs CONSTELLATION, PHOENIX, and ISHERPA, has channelled ta direct funds for post-doctoral research activities to young scientists coming from member or extra-European partner countries. Since 2014 INAF-OAPa has been part of the ETAEARTH EU ITN, since 2015 INAF-OAPa is one of the INAF sites part of the approved EU infrastructure project AHEAD: Integrated Activities for the High Energy Astrophysics Domain.

 

As part of this project INAF-OAPa is leading the Trans-National Activity on experimental and laboratory facilities and is partecipating as a node (the others being INAF-OABo, INAF-OARm, Univ. of Leicester, SRON, UNIGE/CH, NOA and CEA) to a TNA on facilitating access to X-ray data analysis.

 

INAF-OAPa has successfully applied to an UE FSER-funded program of Regione Sicilia with the specific purpose to offer a number of post-laurea high-level training fellowship to strenghten the human capital and promote employment and, hopefully, high-tech self-employment. The INAF-OAPa project was ranked as the first and nine (9) fellows have started on 1st September 2014 their 12-months training & formation course.