The Europlanet Iberian Hub is proud to announce the winners of the early-career prizes for best planetary thesis in Spain & Portugal in 2024:
"Abraham Zacut" Award
Best Iberian PhD Thesis in Planetary Sciences & Exploration
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Dr. Eloy Peña Asensio
- Thesis: ”A Comprehensive Study of the Fireball Flux Over the Earth”.
- Directors: Dr. Albert Rimola & Dr. Josep María Trigo
- Institution: Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona & Institut de Ciences del Espai
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"Pedro Nunes" Awards
Best Iberian Master’s Thesis in Planetary Sciences & Exploration
Shared ex-aequo
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Yuri Damasceno
- Master's Thesis: "Atmospheric composition of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-178 b with ESPRESSO"
- Supervisors: Dr. Julia Seidel & Dr. Nuno Santos
- Institution: University of Porto, Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, European Southern Observatory
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Rafael Silva
- Master's Thesis: "Titan’s Atmosphere Composition and Temporal Evolution using High-Resolution Spectroscopy, and its Interaction with the Surface using Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulations"
- Supervisors: Dr. Zita Martins & Dr. Pedro Machado
- Institution: Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior Técnico & Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço
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These awards are named after historical astronomers from Spain and Portugal, who lived and worked in both countries, serving as role models of Iberian synergy and collaboration. Their astronomical and instrumental contributions played a key role in the maritime navigation era and enabled historical discoveries of planetary importance.
We thank all the candidates for their participation and for the high quality of the works presented in this competition, which we hope will serve as motivation for the new generation of planetary scientists and engineers in Spain and Portugal.
