Geomatics, geodesy and geospatial sciences

Program is aimed at training highly qualified scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel in the field of geodesy, geomatics, cartography, geo-informatics, land management and related areas of geospatial sciences. Program is focused on evolving the fundamental and applied scientific research due to advanced digital technologies and methodologies in solving urgent problems of spatial analysis, monitoring and management of natural and anthropogenic territories.

The training lasts for 3 years, upon completion, the doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree is awarded.

Program is aimed at developing doctoral students' scientific thinking, high-level research skills, the ability to create original scientific elaborations and implement research results into engineering and industrial practice.

Doctoral students master a wide range of disciplines providing fundamental theoretical and applied training. Program includes the study of up-to-date methods of spatial analysis and 3D modeling, high-precision GNSS technologies and satellite geodesy, intelligent spatial data analysis (GeoAI), interpretation and validation of Earth remote sensing data. Special attention is paid to geo-ecological and infrastructural monitoring of territories, the use of digital twins in geo-monitoring and construction, the theoretical and methodological foundations of scientific research, as well as the design and implementation of geographic information systems.

Special attention is paid to the individual research work of doctoral students, scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals (including Scopus and Web of Science databases), participation in conferences, grant projects and internships abroad.

The program highlights the participation of doctoral students in interdisciplinary research projects related to “smart” land use, spatial planning and sustainable evolvement of territories and provides access to modern specialized software, including ArcGIS, ERDAS Imagine, QGIS, Pix4D, Leica Geo Office, Trimble Business Center and other tools used in international scientific and engineering practice. Doctoral students undergo internships abroad at leading research centers such as TU Dresden (Germany), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Wuhan University (China), ITC (the Netherlands), University of Calgary (Canada), as well as in specialized departments of UN and NASA.

Graduates of the program are in demand in academic, design, research and international organizations. They work as researchers, university professors, geo-engineers, specialists in BigGeoData and Smart Land Management, spatial project coordinators in national agencies, development institutions, multinational companies and UN structures.