In an extraordinary session, and the first of the year 2025, the Governing Council of the University of Vigo approved this Friday the list of people distinguished with the Extraordinary Doctoral Awards for the 2023/2024 academic year. In total, 21 researchers (13 men and 8 women) from all fields of knowledge.
In the field of humanities, three people were awarded: Iria Seijas Pérez, Jesús Meiriño Gómez and Antía Iglesias Fernández. In the field of sciences, there are six and the awardees: Amaro Saco Beiroa, Antía González Pereira, Clara Otero Martínez, Pablo Hernández Lucas, Carlos Rafael Vidal and Manuel Alejandro González Fernández. In the field of engineering, the five awards are for Laura Alonso Martínez, Iván Martínez Estévez, David Candal Ventureira, Manuel Casal Guisande and Brais Barros González. Finally, in the legal-social field, the awards go to Evelia Murcia Álvarez, Nuno André Pinto de Sousa, Dolores Fiel Varela, Marta González González, Lucas López Manuel, Hugo Pérez Manuel and Andrés Carrera Hortas.
In her award-winning thesis, researcher Laura Alonso Martínez, CINTECX researcher, used different combinations of remote sensors to monitor the state of the forests, developing a methodology to generate a forest resource map. This methodology also serves to automatically identify specific tree species, being able to evaluate and prevent forest fires in this type of system.
This combination of methods developed to obtain forest resource maps will help inform decisions on key species in this type of forest system, since studies focused on the monitoring of forest fires have revealed that special attention should be paid to burned areas when planning forest fire management. Furthermore, from an operational point of view, this use of open access data sources will mean that the products developed can be implemented more easily.
In his thesis, Manuel Alejandro González Fernández introduces innovations in advanced rock mechanics tests, their interpretation and the development of preliminary models.The work analyzes the anisotropy of the rocks and the scale effects on their resistance and deformability, especially in slates, characterized by a transverse anisotropy due to their foliation. The researcher performed non-destructive (wave propagation speed) and destructive (uniaxial and triaxial compression) tests, obtaining mechanical parameters such as Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio.
Scale effects in hard rocks were studied through triaxial tests with recent models (USEL and IUSEL), challenging the classical theory. In addition, numerical simulations were carried out with the discrete element method (DEM). These studies improve the understanding of rock mechanics and contribute to the safer design of excavations.