A Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) released the preliminary result of Call no. 14/2026 Regarding the 2026 CAPES Thesis Award, the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) had four scientific works recognized in the call for proposals, with two winning theses in the areas of Computer Science and Nutrition, in addition to two honorable mentions in the areas of History and Medicine I.
Established on December 21, 2005, and with its first award ceremony held in 2006, the Capes Thesis Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the national academic community. The 2026 edition evaluated theses defended in the previous year in 49 areas of knowledge recognized by the funding agency.
The selection process considers rigorous evaluation criteria such as the originality of the work, methodological innovation, impact on scientific, technological, cultural and social development, and the quality of the bibliographic production derived from the research. In each area, the evaluation committee selects one award-winning thesis and grants up to two honorable mentions.
In this preliminary result, Unicamp achieved a prominent position in different fields of knowledge. The award-winning works cover diverse areas and reaffirm the excellence of the academic research developed in the university's graduate programs, highlighting the scientific relevance of the studies produced by graduate students and their advisors.
Award-Winning Theses from Unicamp
Computing: Advances in Robotics and Incremental Learning
In the field of Computing, the researcher Leticia Mara Berto won the main prize with the thesis entitled “A Motivation-Driven Incremental Learning Framework for Robotics”Developed within the Postgraduate Program in Computer Science at the Institute of Computing (IC) of Unicamp, the research was supervised by Professor Esther Luna Colombini and co-supervised by Professor Ricardo Ribeiro Gudwin. In addition to the CAPES Thesis Award in the field of Computing, this year the Postgraduate Program in Computer Science also selected it to represent them in the first stage of the internal selection process, and it also won 3rd place in the Brazilian Computer Society's Thesis and Dissertation Competition, recently held in Gramado.
This thesis addresses one of the most complex challenges in artificial intelligence applied to robotics: the creation of motivation-based continuous learning architectures, allowing robotic agents to autonomously acquire and adapt new knowledge and skills over time.
Nutrition: Technological Innovation in the Extraction of Natural Compounds
In the field of Nutrition, Rodrigo Stein Pizani received the award for his work. "Development of a system for the simultaneous extraction, separation, and quantification of carnosic derivatives and rosmarinic acid from rosemary"This thesis was developed within the Postgraduate Program in Nutritional Sciences, Sports and Metabolism at the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA – Limeira Campus), under the guidance of Professor Maurício Ariel Rostagno and co-guidance of Professor Juliane Viganó.
The research developed technological solutions for the efficient extraction and analysis of bioactive compounds present in rosemary, focusing on the preservation of antioxidant and functional properties of interest to the food, nutraceutical, and health industries.
History: Visual Culture and Politics in Early 20th Century Brazil
In the field of History, the researcher João Victor Rossetti Brancato received an Honorable Mention for the thesis. "Helios Seelinger in the First Republic", presented to the Postgraduate Program in History at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), under the guidance of Professor Jorge Sidney Coli Junior.
This study analyzes the trajectory and production of the visual artist Helios Seelinger, articulating elements of art history, cultural criticism, and the political and social context of the First Republic in Brazil.
Medicine I: New Frontiers in the Treatment of Hematological Cancer
In the field of Medicine I, the researcher Maura Lima Pereira Bueno received an Honorable Mention for the work "New treatments for bone marrow neoplasms: investigation of modulators of dysregulated signaling pathways"This thesis was developed within the Postgraduate Program in Medical Physiopathology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), supervised by Professor Sara Teresinha Olalla Saad and co-supervised by Professor Fernanda Marconi Roversi.
The study investigated molecular targets and signaling pathways associated with hematological malignancies, seeking to support more effective therapeutic strategies for bone marrow diseases.
