Doctoral College Interdisciplinary Thesis Prize: the winners of the 2020 and 2021 editions have been announced

Auditions for the interdisciplinary thesis prize were held on April 20 and 22, 2022. Awarded by the Collège Doctoral de l'Université de Montpellier, the interdisciplinary thesis prize aims to reward three PhDs from the class of 2020 and three from the class of 2021 whose research and thesis work have an impact beyond their disciplines. The awards ceremony will take place at the Jardin des Plantes, following the Doctoral Graduation Ceremony on Monday, July 11, 2022 at the Corum in Montpellier. The University of Montpellier congratulates all the candidates and is delighted with the success of the six competition winners. 

The "Interdisciplinary Thesis Prize" is awarded for research work carried out during a doctorate, in which at least two different disciplines have had to be mobilized to study a scientific problem or a complex situation. Beyond their interdisciplinary nature, these theses are distinguished by their scientific quality, their originality and often by the socio-economic significance of the work. The auditions all took place before a special jury, made up of six members from different scientific disciplines.

Candidate pre-selection and final selection criteria

The pre-selection process was carried out by the various doctoral schools associated with the UM doctoral college. It was based in particular on three criteria: the quality of the thesis, its interdisciplinary nature, and a short video presentation by the candidates.

For each class, six candidates were selected to take part in the finals, where they gave a five-minute oral presentation, supported by a single slide, to a panel of six judges. The jury took into account the quality of the discussions and the presentation. It assessed the interdisciplinarity of the subjects by selecting the theses for which the contribution of different fields to the resolution of the research problem was the most marked. The Jury also assessed whether innovative methods or approaches had been developed during the thesis. Finally, they took into account the originality of the disciplinary combinations, but also the societal impact and global nature of the approach.

The 6 winning projects for the 2020 and 2021 editions of the interdisciplinary thesis prize

Following the auditions held on April 20, 2022, the jury selected 2 winners and 1 runner-up for the class of 2020:

• Valérie Derolez, GAIA Doctoral School: Dynamic and integrated approach to the assessment of a coastal socio-ecosystem. Application to the Thau lagoon, its ecological status and ecosystem service bouquets over the period 1970-2018.

• Dimitri Justeau-Allaire, GAIA Doctoral School: Constraint-based systematic conservation planning, a generic and expressive approach: application to decision support for forest conservation in New Caledonia.

• Noémie Petit Jean, CB2S Doctoral School: New fluidic device for the stimulation and biomechanical characterization of microspheres: proof of concept and application to cartilage micropellets.

Following the auditions held on April 22, 2022, the jury selected 1 winner and 2 runners-up for the class of 2021:

• Gwenaelle Donadieu, DSP Doctoral School: Cognitive business practices.
• Thomas Brossier, SCB Doctoral School: Multifunctional stereo-lithography hydrogels for tissue reconstruction.

• Valentin Falvier, I2S Doctoral School: Customizable and printable 3D model for simulation and planning of endonasal skull base surgery.

" I would like to congratulate all the participants, and especially the six winners. This competition helps to promote interdisciplinarity in all the scientific fields covered by the University of Montpellier and its partners in the doctoral college. For the next edition, I strongly encourage potential candidates involved in an interdisciplinary subject to take part ," says Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.

The interdisciplinary thesis prize will be awarded to each of the 6 winners, with a cash prize of €500. The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the graduation ceremony for the 2021 PhDs, to be held at the Corum on Monday, July 11, 2022, at the Berlioz Opera House. Prizes will be awarded from 7:00 pm in the Jardin des Plantes, at the start of the festive evening following the graduation ceremony.