A total of 46 new PhDs have defended the thesis at the School of Science in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years. The investiture of the new doctors was held last Friday at the University of Navarra Museum and brought together students from two graduating classes, due to the health status experienced last year academic year.

"It has fallen to you to finish your thesis in the midst of a pandemic. But you have been brave and tenacious. You have listened to neither the discouraging messages nor the siren calls. You have completed your work under the most difficult conditions," acknowledged President, Alfonso Sánchez-Tabernero.

The doctors belonging to the 2019-20 academic year are: Miriam Algarabel Olona, Amaia Angulo, Beatriz Aragón, Marta Arrizabalaga, Cristina Ballesteros, Paula García, Claudia Hawks, Javier Linares, María de Arcocha, David de Hita, Iñaki Etxeberría, Silvia Ezquerro, Diego Gella, Maddalen Jiménez, Leticia Lázaro, Mónica Macías, Yadira Pastor, Marta Román, David Salas, Diego Salas, Shirley Mireya Tenesaca and Juan Pablo Unfried.

On the other hand, the students who have defended their research in the present academic year are: Miguel Ángel Abellanas, Almudena Aguilera, Carlos Bejines, Arancha Carrasco, Francisco Expósito, Jesús Fidel González, Bruno Guerrero, Diego López, Sheila Maestro, Álvaro Martínez, Imanol Miqueleiz, Lucía Mora, Manuel Navarro, Sergio Ortiz, Sandra Pérez, Íñigo Pérez, Joan Puig, Montserrat Puigdelloses, Beatriz Suarez, Alejandro Urdiciain, Rodrigo Vinueza and Alba Yanguas.

The professor of the School of Communication Ramón Salaverría, sponsor of the graduating class, said that this time has revealed that research activity "is transitory, transitive and, above all, transcendent. Few times has this finalist nature of science been as evident as it has been throughout these uncertain times in which we live. The world has needed researchers to face a global tragedy. Each one of you, from your discipline, has managed to find the way out".

The event was attended by more than 300 doctors from all Schools, from 26 countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, USA, Honduras, India, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Uganda and Venezuela.

The thesis defended in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic year have been made possible thanks to the contribution of institutions such as the association de Amigos de la Universidad de Navarra, Fundación La Caixa, Fundación Caja Navarra and Banco Santander.