Gennaro Vessio

🎓 Motivated students are welcome to work on their thesis under my supervision on one of our ongoing research topics. Alternatively, you are welcome to propose a topic that reflects your own interests, and I will be happy to explore it together with you! Whenever possible, thesis projects may also be carried out in collaboration with local companies, giving students the opportunity to combine academic research with hands-on experience through external internships.

We provide a set of resources to support students. A thesis template in English, designed primarily for M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses, is available on Overleaf. A research diary template for sharing notes and tracking progress is also provided on Overleaf. Finally, a simple presentation template, including guidelines and tips, can be downloaded from Google.

Doing a Ph.D. is like "navigating stormy waters". It is a deeply transformative journey that shapes your intellectual identity. By the time you complete a Ph.D., you are no longer the same person who started it.

🎓 Some tips for a successful Ph.D. thesis

Choose your topic wisely: Pick something you love and value the expertise of the supervisor working on that topic.

🔥 Prefer a hot topic: Unfortunately, academic careers can be highly competitive and are often influenced by quantitative metrics. If you see your Ph.D. as the first step toward an academic career, choosing a topic that attracts significant interest may open more opportunities than working on a very isolated niche...
⚖️ Avoid extremes: Try not to choose either a very famous professor who may have little time to supervise you closely or an overly isolated one who lacks the network and visibility to create opportunities for your work...

Good ideas don't appear out of nowhere:

📜 Start with a very recent paper from a top journal or conference on your topic.
🕵️ Trace the bibliography backwards, following the references in the Related Work section until you reach the foundational papers in the field.
🔄 Replicate the study to establish a solid baseline for comparison.
🔍 Identify open issues, which are often highlighted in the Conclusion or Future Work sections.

Structure your thesis carefully:

Think of it as an hourglass ⏳.
Start with high-level abstraction: motivations, goals, and background knowledge.
Narrow down into the specifics: materials, methods, and experiments, ensuring reproducibility.
End with high-level abstraction: discuss limitations, implications, and possible future directions.

Understand the purpose of a Ph.D. thesis: A Ph.D. thesis is typically about addressing one or more open problems within a research community. It should demonstrate both the strengths and the limitations of your proposed approach through rigorous experimentation.
Set a productive routine: Some argue that successful people get up early and make their bed—a great way to start a focused day!
Last but not least: Coffee ☕. A Ph.D. student's best friend!

🎓 Some tips for a successful M.Sc. thesis

The same principles apply, but in a more relaxed form. An M.Sc. thesis usually focuses on a single experimental study and requires less independence. For scientific or technological topics, it should ideally be experimental or implementation-oriented. At this stage, I generally recommend avoiding purely literature-based theses, which often lack the depth expected from a strong M.Sc. project...

🎓 Some tips for a successful B.Sc. thesis

Here, the same principles apply in an even more relaxed way. A B.Sc. thesis typically focuses on a single, well-defined task and requires limited independence. It should be seen as a first step—an opportunity to develop fundamental research skills and prepare for future academic or professional challenges.

🎓 Well, I have a Ph.D.: now what?

Being a post-doc is often the most unpredictable and uncertain stage of an academic career. Even for outstanding candidates, success depends not only on merit but also on a fair amount of luck...

Several factors can significantly influence your chances:

Is your supervisor influential?
Are there enough financial resources to fund your post-doc?
Is the historical period favorable for hiring at your university or in your country?
Have you become (almost) indispensable to your group's research activities?

Statistically, only a small fraction of post-docs eventually secure a permanent academic position. However, spending time abroad and expanding your professional network can significantly improve your prospects. My advice? Stay dynamic and proactive! If you ever feel stuck—as if you're simply orbiting without moving forward—get out of your comfort zone! Sometimes, a change of scenery is exactly what you need to grow.

🎓 Well, I have an M.Sc. degree: now what?

If you're still young enough (unfortunately, age is a factor that cannot be ignored...) and still have that spark in your eyes ✨, you might consider pursuing a Ph.D. But be prepared: you'll watch your friends get married, buy the car you've always wanted, earn more money, and enjoy weekends without deadlines. But hey—you'll become a "real" doctor! More importantly, a Ph.D. can give you a level of intellectual maturity, resilience, and self-confidence that will prepare you to face almost any challenge life throws at you!

🎓 Well, I have a B.Sc. degree: now what?

The situation is quite similar. If you're still young enough, consider pursuing an M.Sc. degree. It can open new opportunities and give you a deeper understanding of your field. That said, the Italian 3+2 university system remains a topic of lively debate. Personally, I believe it could benefit from serious reconsideration—if not a complete overhaul—but that's a story for another day...

Alessandro Bianchi never liked being in photographs, but I secretly took this one of him at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna during our first conference together. He was my Ph.D. supervisor, and we collaborated on formal methods. Sadly, he passed away prematurely on August 29, 2019...

Alessandro was a true gentleman. He taught me a great deal and, unlike many others, always treated me as an equal. His kindness and brilliance left a lasting mark on both my career and my life. Ciao, Prof.

He also enjoyed tracing his academic connection to Paul Erdős. Like many researchers, he had an Erdős number... and, through him, so do I. One known path is: P. Erdős → S. Marcus → G. Păun → P. Mussio → A. Bianchi → G. Vessio.