Michel Godel awarded the 2025 Best Thesis Prize
Michel Godel is the proud winner of the 2025 Best Thesis Award from the Faculty of Medicine (FacMed) at the University of Geneva (UNIGE). The jury praised the excellent work carried out during his PhD, as well as the quality of his thesis. One comment particularly touched him: ‘I have always loved writing and I was keen to give the manuscript an original structure and content by including references to subjects that have fuelled my curiosity and questioning throughout my thesis.’
In search of targeted therapies
After studying medicine at UNIGE, Michel Godel went on to do a PhD in neuroscience at the Léman Doctoral School of Neuroscience (LNDS) in the laboratory of Marie Shaer, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine and member of the Synapsy Centre. During his four years of doctoral study, Michel Godel focused on the development of language in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with the aim of identifying different subgroups. "Today, all children with ASD receive the same type of intervention, even though they do not all benefit from it in the same way. This difference could be explained by these different subgroups," he explains.
By combining several analytical methods such as electroencephalograms to observe brain activity, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess brain maturation, and measurements of voice, vocabulary and grammar, he was able to demonstrate the existence, from an early age, of autistic subgroups characterised by specific language acquisition trajectories. These advances pave the way for interventions that are better tailored to children's individual profiles.
A gesture that is greatly appreciated
However, despite these promising results, Michel Godel admits that he sometimes doubted the real impact of his work on a larger scale. Writing a thesis often means immersing yourself in a very specialised subject, with feedback mainly limited to exchanges with your thesis supervisors and a jury specialising in the field. In this context, receiving an award from the Faculty of Medicine is a real recognition. ‘It's an honour to learn that my work has touched scientists from such diverse backgrounds!’ he exclaims.
On the way to psychiatry
This distinction is also a great source of motivation to continue his career in research. ‘I am currently working on two articles based on data collected over the last few years, but I would eventually like to expand my research to other areas of psychiatry, such as schizophrenia,’ he says. Since receiving his award, Michel Godel has returned to clinical practice: he is now working as a resident in the Adult Psychiatry Department with a view to obtaining his FMH qualification as a psychiatrist.