On 17 July 2026, preliminary reviews of two doctoral dissertation research works were held at the Institute of Geography of the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

During the meetings, doctoral candidate Aygün Karimova presented her dissertation entitled "Agroecological Assessment of the Soils of the Tovuzchay River Basin Based on Relief Plasticity", while doctoral candidate Ulkar Gadiyeva presented her research on "Improvement and Conservation of Eroded Mountain Gray-Brown Soils in the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region."

During both preliminary reviews, the candidates presented the main findings of their research and provided comprehensive information on the relevance, scientific novelty, theoretical significance, and practical value of their dissertation studies. The participating scientists and experts held extensive discussions on the presented topics, offering their comments and recommendations regarding the research.

Throughout the discussions, the candidates provided detailed answers to the questions raised by the participants. The speakers emphasized that both dissertation studies address important and timely issues in the field of soil science and that the obtained results have considerable potential for practical application.

At the conclusion of the meetings, based on the outcomes of the preliminary reviews, it was considered appropriate to recommend both dissertations - "Agroecological Assessment of the Soils of the Tovuzchay River Basin Based on Relief Plasticity" by Aygün Karimova and "Improvement and Conservation of Eroded Mountain Gray-Brown Soils in the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region" by Ulkar Gadiyeva - for submission to the next stage of the dissertation process.