The Third PhD Meetings of the University of Oviedo have been once again a reference for the young researchers of the Asturian academic institution. A total of 169 PhD students have participated in the meetings, organized by the International Center for Postgraduate Studies and the support of the Campus of International Excellence. The sessions have allowed the future Doctors get in contact with the business world in its different facets.

The different possibilities for entering the labor market are one of the most common concerns of young people. Moreover, the PhD students have contributed with their view and suggestions to try to improve the different aspects of the PhD Programs offered by the University of Oviedo.

The Rector of the University of Oviedo, Vicente Gotor, was in charge of closing the meetings at the Main Hall and encouraged the youngest researchers to continue with their work "and be cross-curricular, to know what is being developed in other fields". Alongside the general director of Universities and Research, Miriam Cueto, and the Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Postgraduate Studies, Covadonga Betegón, he gave the awards to the best posters of the Third PhD Meetings.

Alfonso Gallo and Aránzazu González won the awards for their posters in the fields of theoretical chemistry and biochemistry, respectively

A total of 87 students exhibited in panels the main contents of their researches. The awards, voted by the jury and the PhD students themselves, were given to Alfonso Margallo (Jury Award) and Aránzazu González (Popular Award). The poster by Gallo, titled Nuevas medidas del enlace químico, showcases a work on the field of theoretical chemistry on the role and function of chemical bonds. The work by Aránzazu González, PhD Student in Biochemistry, approaches the Activación de rutas de biosíntesis silenciosas en Streptomyces albus to get to know the derivatives that this bacteria may produce and which may be used in the future in the clinical practice.

The posters exhibited showcase the work of the youngest researchers in all the fields of knowledge. It is worth mentioning the number of researches that are somehow related to the areas of specialization of the clusters of the Campus of International Excellence: Biomedicine and Health, and Energy, the Environment and Climate Change.

Almost twenty of the researches presented belong to the field of Health Sciences and, among them, Oncology is the most represented one, keeping a close relation to the University Institute of Oncology of the Principality of Asturias (IUOPA). Mental health or degenerative illnesses of the central nervous system are also among the topics of some of the PhD Students.

The field of Architecture and Engineering includes researches on very different topics, from the development of computer software to the treatment and design of materials. Environmental sustainability occupies much of the research that is taking place in these fields, with a remarkable presence of renewable energies, new techniques of waste management or the mastering of processes for greater energy efficiency.

From Ancient Egypt to the migrant homes in eastern Asturias, and including the Platonic structure of the city, the research of the PhD students of the University in the fields of Arts and Humanities represents a myriad of options. Around fifty researchers in these fields have gathered in the PhD Meetings to present their work.

Education and Psychology comprise most of the projects presented in the field of Social and Legal Sciences. Teacher education focused on the different perspectives and the mechanisms that govern learning and memory systems, and also memory loss, are the focus of the PhD Theses. Economics and Law also provided diverse approaches in researches dealing with tributes, labor law or family enterprises.

Finally, in the field of Sciences, it is worth mentioning the relevance of nanotechnology or the development of new methods of analysis in the new researches. Geology, mathematics, physics and chemistry concentrate most of the basic research that is developed inside the Asturian academic institution and which is the first step towards achieving an applied funcitionality.