Fanny Boeraeve, winner of the 2022 Thesis Award for Future Generations

Fanny Boeraeve, FNRS Research associate in the Biodiversity and Landscape team of the University of Liège's Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech is the 2022 winner of the Doctoral Thesis Award for Future Generation of the HERA - Higher Education & Research Awards. She won this award for her innovative thesis in agronomic sciences and biological engineering on the integrated evaluation of agroecological systems. Justine Noulin (Faculty of Applied Sciences), Coline Geury (HEC Liège) and Mathieu Deland Meter (Gemboux Agro-Bio Tech), graduates of ULiège, are among this year's nominees.

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he is one of the 24 young researchers whose work has been selected by the Foundation for Future Generations. Fanny Boeraeve, FNRS Research associate at the TERRA - Biodiversity and Landscapes research unit of the Gembloux Agro-Bio Faculty of ULiège, is the 2022 winner of the Doctoral Thesis Award for Future Generation for her thesis entitled "How can integrated ecosystem service valuation help understand agroecological transition?" which proposes a 360° tool to better evaluate the multi-performance of agroecology. 

While most agricultural systems are currently evaluated primarily on the basis of yield, Fanny Boeraeve's thesis analyzes another evaluation grid that takes into account negative and positive, social and environmental externalities: "integrated ecosystem service valuation". She applies this systemic tool to the Réseau des Fermes Novatrices, a network of farmers in Hainaut who have been developing agro-ecological practices in field crops over the past ten years, with a view to increasing resilience and autonomy. Through a bottom-up and field approach, her thesis demonstrates in theory and in practice that agroecological systems restore a greater diversity of systemic services than conventional systems: resilience to erosion, reduction of pests, intense microbial activity... In her thesis, Fanny Boeraeve also makes suggestions for improving participatory science processes.

The opinion of the jury HERA Doctoral Thesis Award for Future Generations 2022
The jury wished to distinguish Fanny Boeraeve's thesis, which it considers exemplary in several ways. The work deals with a major social issue that it is crucial to be able to highlight to a wide audience. In her thesis, Fanny Boeraeve explores an innovative tool - the integrated assessment of ecosystem services - to support agricultural structures in their agro-ecological transition process. This tool makes it possible to evaluate in a systemic way, going beyond the simple criterion of yield and including multiple domains of value (social, environmental and economic), the complex issue of the evolution of conventional agricultural systems towards greater sustainability.

The jury was impressed by the truly inter- and trans-disciplinary methodology implemented by Fanny Boeraeve in her thesis: from the mobilization of several disciplines at the theoretical and methodological levels to the integration of many stakeholders in the research process, the laureate has demonstrated rigorous and extremely relevant work that is essential to address a sustainable development issue. Fanny Boeraeve looks at the "innovative farms network" initiative in which she includes field actors (farmers, local inhabitants) in her research, analysis and reflection process. The jury has thus saluted this thesis which proposes a real step forward and an inspiring example of how complex and systemic research in sustainable development can be conducted.
Fanny Boeraeve will receive her award during the official ceremony that will be organized at the University of Namur on May 10th.
Consult Fanny Boeraeve's thesis on ORBi

Justine Noulin, Coline Geury and Mathieu Delandmeter nominated

If Fanny Boerave is the winner of one of the prizes awarded by the Future Generations Foundation, it should be noted that three other ULiège graduates have also been nominated in other categories.

Justine Noulin was nominated in the HERA Award Sustainable Architecture category for her final year work entitled: "Adaptation of housing to the risks of flooding. Case studies in the Walloon Region (Belgium) and in England (UK)". Justine Noulin did her master thesis in civil engineering at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of ULiège. 

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Consult Justine Noulin's thesis on Mathéo

Coline Geury has been nominated in the HERA Award Sustainable Economy category for her thesis entitled "Circular Fashion: an investigation of barriers and drivers of Belgian consumers influencing their slow fashion purchase intention". Coline Geury did her master thesis in management sciences at the HEC School of Management of ULiège. 

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Read Coline Geury's thesis on Mathéo 

Mathieu Delandmeter has been nominated in the HERA Award Sustainable Food System category for his thesis entitled "Modelling of agricultural systems. Prospective analysis of the evolution of agronomic, environmental and food performances of contrasting agricultural production systems in the face of climate change." Mathieu Delandmeter did his master thesis in agroecology at the Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, ULiège.
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Consult Mathieu Delandmeter's thesis on Mathéo