University of Padua

Overview

The University of Padua (Università degli Studi di Padova or UNIPD) is a public university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222, making it the second-oldest university in Italy. Its student population is estimated at around 65,000. It is consistently ranked among the top five best universities in Italy according to major international ranking groups.

UNIPD has a long history of academic milestones. For instance, it pioneered medical education and had assumed a principal role in identifying and managing diseases, including determining human anatomical functions. The earliest attempts to dissect the human body were held at its renowned anatomical theatre—the oldest in Europe that is still in existence.

The university is also famous for the Botanical Garden of Padova. Built in 1545, it is second only to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in terms of age and elegance. It also manages several notable museums, such as the Museum of Anthropology, the Enrico Bernardi Museum of Machines, and the Museum of Astronomical Instruments.

At present, UNIPD comprises several schools. These include the School of Human, Social, and Cultural Heritage Sciences, the School of Medicine and Surgery, and the School of Economics and Political Sciences. These schools are composed of several departments.

For instance, the Department of Physics and Astronomy—under the School of Sciences— takes the lead in sustaining the university’s centuries-old scientific tradition. It teaches and conducts research in advanced astronomy, applied physics, and fundamental physics. It also manages a section of the National Interuniversity Consortium for the Physical Sciences of Matter and a unit of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics. The department also administers the Asiago Astrophysical Observatory.

Likewise, the Department of Biology, which is under the School of Sciences, offers undergraduate courses and master’s degree courses, such as in Evolutionary Biology, Biotechnology, and Molecular and Biomedical Biology. It also offers a PhD in Biotechnologies and Biosciences.

In addition, under the School of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine is DAFNAE or the Department of Agronomy, Animals, Food, Natural Resources, and Environment. DAFNAE integrates modern teaching and advanced research. It operates an experimental farm and cutting-edge labs at Agripolis.

Notable alumni include the Renaissance-era scientist Nicolaus Copernicus, the founder of modern human anatomy Vesalius, Cardinal Stanislaus Hosius, former prime minister of Greece Alexandros Mavrokordatos, and the foreign minister of the former Russian Empire Ioannis Kapodistrias. Galileo Galilei was a former faculty member and Mathematics chair.