At the age of 76 and about to complete 50 years of professional life dedicated to soil science, Professor Paulo Leonal Libardi received, during the opening ceremony of the 38th Brazilian Congress of Soil Science, on July 30, 2023, the Antonio Carlos Moniz Medal of Merit in Soil Science.
A professor at the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture at Esalq/USP, Paulo Leonal Libardi has built a solid career as a researcher and advisor in the area of ​​Soil Physics, becoming an international reference in Soil Water and Solute Dynamics. He wrote one of the articles that served as a reference for the advancement of this area, in 1980, and the book “Dinâmica de Água no Solo”, winner of the Jabuti Prize in 2006.
Paulo Libardi has more than 180 articles and five books published, in addition to chapters in other reference books. Recognized for his generosity and sensitivity, he has supervised more than 70 students in postgraduate studies, training researchers who work in several research institutions in the country. Always promoting Soil Physics, he remains active as a professor and speaker at scientific events.

Professor Libarbi was nominated for this, the highest honor of the SBCS, by the Soil Science Department of Esalq/USP and supported by the Northeast, East, Eastern Amazon, Central-West, São Paulo State Regional Centers and several teaching and research institutions throughout the country. All the letters of support emphasize his importance to research and the training of researchers.

At the ceremony, Professor Libardi thanked everyone who made it possible for him to be nominated for such an important distinction.