The thesis of Maíra Reis de Assis, a BioWooEB doctoral student, awarded by the Federal University of Lavras in Brazil

Maíra Reis de Assis' thesis, entitled "Mechanical and physical properties of eucalypt charcoal of pyrolysis under different conditions" was awarded as the best thesis 2016 of the Federal University of Lavras in its doctoral school "Wood science and technology". This thesis was funded by CIRAD through an incentive action intented for students from tropical countries, set up by the Inter-Institutional Agency for Research for Development (AIRD). Maíra was headed by Alfredo Napoli (BioWooEB, expatriate researcher at UFLA) and as co-supervisors Paulo Trugilho (UFLA partner) and Loïc Brancheriau (BioWooEB researcher based in Montpellier).

A second thesis supervised by CIRAD, co-supervised by UFLA & SupAgro-Montpellier, was awarded during the same ceremony: Michelle Guitton Cotta, directed by Alan Carvalho Andrade (UFLA) and co-supervised by Pierre Marraccini (UMR Agap), has also been awarded the prize for best thesis 2016 of the UFLA in the doctoral school "Plants biotechnology". Her manuscript is entitled "Molecular mechanisms in the first step of aba-mediated response in coffea". This thesis was obtained in the framework of Embrapa-Cirad 2011-2017 technical cooperation project entitled "Evaluation of coffee germplasm (Coffea arabica and C. canephora) under water stress conditions for genetic improvement: innovation and recommendations for adaptation of coffee growing in dry regions".

These two theses were promoted by Brazilian students, which contributes to meeting objectives 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality) of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted by the United Nations.