Doctoral College Interdisciplinary Thesis Prize: the winners for 2020 and 2021 have been announced
On April 20 and 22, 2022, the interdisciplinary thesis prize auditions took place. Awarded by the Doctoral College of the University of Montpellier, the interdisciplinary thesis prize aims to reward three female or male doctoral students from the class of 2020 and three from the class of 2021 whose research and thesis work has an impact beyond their disciplines. The awards ceremony will take place at the Jardin des Plantes following the Doctoral Degree Award Ceremony, which will be held 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 winners of the competition.
The "Interdisciplinary Thesis Prize" recognizes research carried out during doctoral studies that required the use of at least two different disciplines to study a scientific problem or complex situation. Beyond their interdisciplinary nature, these theses are distinguished by their scientific quality, originality, and often by the socio-economic impact of the work. The hearings were all held before a specific jury composed of six members from different disciplines in the scientific community.
Criteria for pre-selection of candidates and selection for the finals
The preliminary selection process was carried out by the various doctoral schools associated with the UM doctoral college. It was based on three criteria in particular: the quality of the thesis, its interdisciplinary nature, and a short video presentation made by the candidates.
For each promotion, six candidates were selected to participate in the finals and gave a five-minute oral presentation with a single slide as support, in front of a jury of six people. The jury took into account the quality of the exchanges and the presentation. It assessed the interdisciplinary nature of the topics by selecting the theses in which the contribution of different fields to the resolution of the research problem was most significant. The jury also evaluated whether innovative methods or approaches had been developed during the thesis. Finally, it took into account the originality of the disciplinary combinations as well as the societal impact and global nature of the approach.
The six winning projects for the 2020 and 2021 editions of the interdisciplinary thesis prize
Following the auditions held on April 20, 2022, the jury selected two female winners and one male winner 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 its ecosystem services over the period 1970-2018.
- Dimitri Justeau-Allaire, GAIA Doctoral School: Systematic constraint-based conservation planning, a generic and expressive approach: application to decision support for the conservation of New Caledonia's forests.
- 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 one female winner and two male winners for the 2021 class:
- Gwenaelle Donadieu, DSP Doctoral School: Cognitive business practices.
- Thomas Brossier, SCB Doctoral School: Multifunctional hydrogels in stereolithography for tissue reconstruction.
- Valentin Falvier, I2S Doctoral School: Customizable and printable 3D model for simulating and planning 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 scientific fields supported by the University of Montpellier and its partners within the doctoral college. For the next edition, I strongly encourage potential candidates engaged in an interdisciplinary subject to participate," said Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.
The interdisciplinary thesis prize awards each of these six winners €500. The award ceremony will take place alongside the 2021 doctoral graduation ceremony, which will be held at the Corum on Monday, July 11, 2022, at the Berlioz Opera House. The awards will be presented at 7:00 p.m. at the Jardin des Plantes, at the start of the festive evening that will follow the graduation ceremony.