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This doctoral programme proposal has its antecedents in the doctoral programmes in Physics and Computer Science and Physics and Engineering, the latter being a continuation of the former. The doctoral programme in Physics and Computer Science was recognised with the distinction of Mention of Quality by the Ministry of Education and Science with reference MCD2004-00437, a distinction that was renewed in successive calls. The doctoral programme in Physics and Engineering, currently in force, obtained the Mention towards Excellence by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports with reference MEE2011-0330. However, in view of the extinction of the latter by the current legislation on postgraduate studies (being a programme articulated according to Royal Decree 1393/2007), a structure is proposed, based on the programme to be extinguished, maintaining its interdisciplinary nature and adapting to the Spanish, Canarian and University of La Laguna regulations regarding postgraduate studies.
In the Physics and Computer Science program, 32 theses were read between the 2007-2008 and 2012-2013 academic years, with an equal number of enrollments of 53. In the Physics and Engineering program, 32 students are enrolled and 2 doctoral theses have been read to date.
The academic and administrative authorities of the University of La Laguna, the economic and social agents and broad sectors of public opinion have highlighted that one of the essential objectives for the economic and social development of the Canary Islands is the promotion of research and training in areas related to engineering and new technologies. The aim is to consolidate a scientific and technological system that supports economic recovery and facilitates the change towards a productive model based on knowledge.
The need for the different lines within the proposed doctoral program is based on the direct benefits it has for Canarian society, for the scientific community and for the University of La Laguna. The dissemination of knowledge and the research developed have a direct impact on the training of the necessary personnel. for the scientific and technological advancement of our environment and for the growing process of technological development to which the University of La Laguna is committed. It also supports the consolidation of a good number of engineering degrees.
An additional justification for our programme is the demand for doctors who can effectively and competently carry out their professional duties in the field of pre-university education and in emerging companies on the islands, together with the need to train quality researchers who contribute to the consolidation and improvement of our country's competence in research and development tasks.
In our environment there is a growing demand for highly qualified doctors in the field of Engineering. In particular, the areas of Systems Engineering and Automation, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Languages and Systems provide doctors who contribute to the innovation and development of medium-sized industries. In the same context, emerging companies have begun to develop their own software products following the emergence of increasingly qualified doctors in our environment. Of particular importance is the work of professionals with training in communication networks and scientific exchange in a territory such as the Islands. peripheral with respect to the Peninsula and the European Union and very fragmented. Development in these areas is considered strategic in the Canary Islands, from an economic and social point of view.
Environmental management is also considered to be of fundamental interest in the Canary Islands. There are important aspects strictly linked to the correct management of the environment, which begins with the diagnosis and evaluation of the relevant parameters up to the proposal of specific solutions to particular circumstances. The Islands have in their environment a wealth that feeds their main industry: tourism. The preservation of natural resources is, therefore, crucial. There is an increasing demand, from private companies and administrations, for audits and diagnoses of environmental quality leading to sustainable tourism investment. On the other hand, there is the diagnosis, control and eventual solution of environmental pollution due to noise.
PhD students would also have the opportunity to focus their research in the field of remote sensing, that is, the recording, processing and analysis of images obtained by satellite or in the field. No less important are the tasks of predicting and detecting high levels of air pollution, especially in the Canary Islands, which have a high population of allergy sufferers that is above the national average. Another sector that benefits from the training of researchers in remote sensing is the fishing sector, where the application of remote sensing techniques is reflected in the location of catch banks and in a greater control of illegal polluting discharges on our coasts.
In the framework of research and development, our doctors will have a decisive contribution in various services of our University such as the Information and Communication Technology Service and the Virtual Campus of the University of La Laguna, of special importance in a peripheral and fragmented territory such as that of the Islands. Canary Islands.
Likewise, the scientific quality of the participants in the proposal guarantees a very high level of training, as shown by the obtaining and maintaining of the Quality Mention of the Physics and Computer Science program and the obtaining of the Mention towards Excellence of the Physics and Engineering program, predecessors of the proposed program and of which this one intends to be a continuation.
There is a social demand to achieve a high level of R&D&I. This is demonstrated by the policies of different governments supporting actions related to R&D&I, despite the current economic situation. Strong R&D&I implies stronger companies, generation of social advances in the form of an improvement in the quality of life, etc. And in this regard, there is a social demand for adequate training in R&D&I aspects, which is intended to be covered, to a certain extent, by this proposed doctoral programme.
The University of La Laguna is currently working on drafting its R&D&I strategy, which will undoubtedly establish that promoting quality research in the field of engineering is one of the university's objectives. The Doctorate programme in Industrial, Computer and Environmental Engineering is, due to its background, a benchmark in this field at the University of La Laguna and will therefore be integrated into this strategy.
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