The EFFS Board of Representatives is proud to announce the successful applicants for the first EFFS Award for the best PhD Dissertation in Freshwater Sciences (2013-2014). An international jury, composed of five members of the International Representatives of EFFS, have evaluated the pre-selected dissertations, which had been transmitted by the National Societies. Three candidates have been selected for the prizes.

Main prize and winner of the EFFS Award for the best PhD Dissertation in Freshwater Sciences:

Dr. Xu ZHONG
French National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), UMR CARRTEL, Thonon-les-Bains, France
for the doctoral thesis entitled
“Freshwater dsDNA viral diversity: A special emphasis on viruses infecting phytoplankton (cyanophages and phycodnaviruses) and T4-like myophages in peri-alpine lakes”

The two subsidiary prizes go to:

Dr. Paula ARRIBAS
Department of Ecology and Hydrology – University of Murcia, Spain.
for the doctoral thesis entitled
“Evolutionary ecology, biogeography and conservation of water beetles in Mediterranean saline ecosystems”

and to:

Dr. Arunava PRADHAN
University of Minho, Portugal
for the doctoral thesis entitled
“Impacts of nanoparticles to microbes and invertebrates: from community responses to cellular targets”

The prizes will be surrendered during the 9th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences (SEFS9) in Geneva (www.sefs9.ch). The award ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, 2015. Subsequently, the prize winner will give a dedicated plenary lecture.

Additionally, the winning theses will be exhibited during the symposium at the booth of the association of European Fresh and Young Researchers (EFYR).

Congratulations !