April 8, 2026 · by Geladas & Bridges
The “Giovani Naturali” Award is granted by the Società Toscana di Scienze Naturali to recognise outstanding thesis work by students from Italian universities in the fields of Earth Sciences, Anthropology, Paleontology, and Bionatural Sciences.
In the 2025 edition, 162 candidates applied to the call, from which 36 finalists were selected across six categories: bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD theses, each divided between Earth Sciences and Bionatural Sciences.
The award ceremony took place on December 17th at the Gipsoteca di Arte Antica of the University of Pisa. During the event, all 36 finalists presented their research before a jury of academics and researchers. Winners were selected based on the originality of the results, methodological innovation, clarity of exposition, and overall quality of the presentation, with additional evaluation of the oral defence before the selection committee.
Following the jury’s deliberation, Alberto Quartesan received the award for Best Master’s Thesis in the Bionatural Sciences category for his thesis entitled “Social dynamics and interunit interactions in a wild population of geladas.”
His research examined the relationships between one-male units (OMUs) in the unprotected area of Debre Libanos, focusing on multiple forms of interaction, including proximity, play, and conflict. The thesis highlighted the value of species living in multi-level societies as powerful models for studying intergroup interactions in natural settings.