The 2024/2025 Unicamp Outstanding Thesis Award celebrated its winners this Wednesday, September 3, in a ceremony attended by Rector Paulo Cesar Montagner, General Coordinator Fernando Coelho, and Provost of Graduate Studies (PRPG), Cláudia Morelli, along with guests. A prize and an honorable mention were awarded to the best theses defended in 2024 and approved by March 31 of this year in each of the following areas of knowledge: engineering and technology; humanities and arts; exact and earth sciences; and biological and health sciences.
"Graduate studies present enormous challenges, and each theses represents years of dedication. The award recognizes the quality of the work and the effort put into each research project, which deserves to be celebrated. More than academic documents, theses are assets and play a significant role in all areas of knowledge," the dean emphasized.
For Coelho, the award reiterates Unicamp's commitment to academic quality. "Postgraduate programs, aligned with research, enhance innovation. This is a time to celebrate the best the University has to offer. Some of these theses have even been selected for national awards."
The pro-rector emphasized the rigorous and dedicated work done to select the theses, evaluated according to criteria of originality, relevance to scientific, technological, cultural and social development, methodology used, quality of writing and structure/organization of the text.
The awards ceremony began in 2022 and, in addition to recognizing the individual merit of researchers, also assesses the significant impact of their research on society and the scientific community. "We value the merit of each researcher and their coordinator. The award makes us very proud and demonstrates the strength and quality of our graduate programs," celebrates Morelli.
Since its inception, the award has seen significant growth in applications. In 2022, the first edition saw 147 submissions. In 2023, the number jumped to 216, and in 2024, it reached 230, representing an increase of almost 64% compared to the first year. "We want the award to attract ever more submissions," adds the provost.
Authors, advisors, and co-advisors of the best theses received their diplomas during the ceremony. The award, divided into two amounts, was R$5 for the outstanding thesis and R$3 for the honorable mention.
Double award
Two papers that won the Unicamp Outstanding Thesis Award were also recognized with the 2025 Capes Thesis Award. The research "Development of accessible electrochemical bio(sensors) for point-of-care applications," by Lucas Felipe de Lima, winner in the field of exact and earth sciences, was awarded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes). The thesis "Development of new graphene oxide-based membranes for contaminant removal in water," by Tauany de Figueiredo Neves, winner in the field of engineering and technology, was included in the Capes honorable mention list.
Lima, a 33-year-old researcher from Sorocaba, São Paulo, celebrated the double win. "This is the first time the field of chemistry has won. I was happy; I never imagined it. Now it's time to start my postdoctoral studies and apply. I want to become a professor," said the researcher, whose work with electrochemical sensors has attracted attention due to the possibility of detecting various diseases through patients' saliva without the need for laboratory tests.
Neves, a 29-year-old from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, who also plans to take public exams, beamed. "I'm ecstatic; I never imagined I'd get this far. The recognition is very gratifying. I plan to continue in this field, pursue a postdoctoral degree, and my project was recently approved by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation). I'm still learning," she said. The doctor of environmental technology from the Faculty of Technology (FT) at Unicamp has created a membrane that's efficient at removing contaminants from water, such as dyes, pharmaceuticals, and toxic materials.
See the pictures of the winners:
Check out the list of winners:
