Doctorate

Natural Resources and Environment

Do you want to transform the world into a more sustainable society?

The doctoral programme of Natural Resources and Environment is a useful tool to learn obout the materials production techniques from georesources, by watching over its sustainability. In this sense, the profitable geologycal natural resources are studied, taking into account the preservation of the environment.

The society of the 21st century requires technologies which permit an optimal benefit of the natural resources, keeping an attitude following the sustainability criteria exposed in Johanesburg and the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona 2004. In this way, the doctoral programme of Natural Resources and Environment put forward several research lines which have contributed during the past ten years in a greater awareness of the preservation of the environment. The programme has a clear international vocation since it receive dozens of acceptation requests from a wide range of countries.

The programme develops its investigations in the use of the available geological resources under their impact minimization point of view. This perspective is considered as a whole thing, including all the environmental issues, from the raw material obtaining until its deposition when is converted in waste, including all the steps related to its physical-chemical transformation.

On the other hand, the multidisciplinary and integrating feature of the programme helps the incorporation of researchers from different fields and, thus, is an excellent promotion tool for the academic staff of the EPSEM.

Another interesting feature that justifies the existence of the programme is related to the territoriality. Under the perspective that the University must be accessible to all the geographic areas, the programme satisfies the objective of being cohesive for the territory. The programme must join together all the research activities developed by the different groups present in its influential area. Thus, in addition to the gathering character in the EPSEM, the programme acts as a social integrator.

Mentions of excellence

Mentions of excellence MEE2011-0448: 2011, 2012 i 2013.

New research center SSR

Smart Sustainable Resources, a new UPC research center in Manresa.

Employment rate

The employment rate is higher than that of the active population for the same period of reference and age bracket.

Objectives

The doctoral programme of Natural Resources and Environment has as a basic objective to give advanced education in aspects related to the investigation of the natural resources benefit and its impact on the environment. The programme gives the chance of obtaining the Master in Natural Resources Engineering (MsC) as an accredited degree of a high level education, which includes experimental and field works. On the other hand, the main objective of the programme is the elaboration and the following writing of the Doctoral Thesis, that is to say original research works which allow acquiring formation in one or various among the following issues:

To gain awareness of the environment under the perspective of the natural resources benefit, mainly the geological.
Moreover, to prepare experts in pollution prevention for the industrial transformation of raw materials.
To gain knowledge of the natural resources studied traditionally in geology:industrial minerals and rocks and fossil combustibles among others.
To make an in-depth study of the composition, prospecting, applications, management and impact of the geological resources.
To study the environmental impact with regard to the contamination of the natural environment, so that doctoral students can develop ample knowledge of the origins, treatments, control and legislation in the fields of air, water, urban waste, noise and vibration pollution.

Another objective of the programme is related to the following transversal aptitudes to be learnt by the students:

Systematic understanding and dominion of the research skills and methodologies related to the sustainable benefit of natural resources.
Capacity of conceiving, design and practice of research processes with academic exigency.
To release contributions from original researches which broaden the knowledge frontiers and being suitable for publication in international journals.
Capacity of performing critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
Capacity of communication between their colleagues, the scientific community and the society regarding to the areas related to the efficient and sustainable benefit of natural resources.
Capacity of promotion in both the professional and academic contexts, of the technological advances within the knowledge-based society.

Background

The doctoral programme of Natural Resources and Environment was approved by the UPC about 14 years ago. During these years, the programme has leaded an integration process for an increasing number of researchers who are concerned about a sustainable management of the geological resources and its industrial transformation.

The Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ingeniería de Manresa (EPSEM), seat of the department of Natural Resources and Environment, which is the responsible of the above mentioned programme, has several special features that determine significantly its historical development and the current situation of the research activities. The EPSEM is a centre where, since its integration into the UPC in 1972, has been only imparting three years (diploma) engineering degrees (Mining engineering, industrial engineering and telecommunications). The lack of a consolidated bachelor degree interfered with the natural flow of new students towards the programme. This situation has changed since a few years ago with the degree of Mining Engineering

Another feature of the EPSEM is the distance existing from Manresa to the rest of research centres of the UPC. In fact Barcelona campus is 60 km far and the nearest campus is Terrassa (at about 40 km).

These distances are not a drawback but a way to strengthen the synergies between the different departments with representative in the EPSEM, around the research related to the transformation of the natural resources and respecting the environment. The oldest studies in Manresa are those related to the mining engineering with a background of more than 65 years.

Thus, the doctoral programme although leaded by the department of Mining Engineering and Natural Resources, joins together researchers from a wide range of knowledge areas. For this reason, the scientific record of the programme is eminently multidisciplinary.

In spite of the difficulties exposed, the enthusiasm and the hard work developed by the programme members have allowed the creation of a common research field: the protection of the environment.