CSIC and CREAF researcher Josep Peñuelas has received an honorary doctorate degree from the Estonian University of Life Sciences for his studies on global change. The university council considers his studies as excellent, and also values his international collaboration with Estonian researchers. The presentation of the award took place on September 23^rd in the city of Tartu.

Peñuelas has contributed to internationally promoting the Estonian university Eesti Maaülikool, and for that reason the university decided to bestow him with their highest recognition. Peñuelas, on his part, feels “this is a great, unexpected honor, and a joy to be able to collaborate with a university community with such tradition and prestige”.

The academic institution is very impressed by Peñuelas’ studies on how plants and ecosystems regulate the human effects on the planet. They are also interested in the role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to which the researcher has devoted a portion of his work. VOCs are molecules used by plants as a “language” for communication between other plants, animals, and microorganisms.

This collaboration does not end here, but will continue into the future. The Global Ecology Group at CREAF “will be able to help the professors and researchers of the Estonian university in the areas that they require, and vice versa”, says Josep Peñuelas. Likewise, CREAF and CSIC will be able to count on Estonian colleagues’ excellent knowledge of mathematics and physics applied to plant biology and ecology.

Other photos of the ceremony: