The appointment of Researcher and Professor Igo Fernando Lepsch is based on his dedication for more than 50 years to Soil Science with high-level scientific research, in addition to the dissemination and expansion of basic knowledge about soils and their use in a rational and sustainable way . Igo Lepsch is one of the researchers who most influenced thinking in Soil Science in Brazil since the beginning of the 1970s. He dedicated himself to the specialties of soil morphology, genesis and classification, soil survey and soil-geomorphology relationships. His contributions can also be recorded in the areas of conservation management and the study of silicophytoliths in the edaphic environment. His performance and influence in Soil Science has been due not only to his research work on pedogenesis and soil surveys and participation in working groups and advisory committees, but also to the writing and editing of hundreds of technical and scientific publications.

Igo Lepsch graduated in Agronomy from ENA – National School of Agronomy (currently UFRRJ). He began his career in 1962 in the Soil Conservation Division, of the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanics of the State of São Paulo, where he worked for four years in the implementation and dissemination of conservation practices on agricultural properties. In 1966 he joined the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC). During his 26 years of experience at IAC, he carried out pedological surveys and pedogenesis and soil geomorphology studies. During this period, he studied for a master’s and doctorate at North Carolina State University – USA, a university that greatly influenced his training. In Brazil, he contributed to the training of many soil scientists who collaborated with him or were guided by him, developing a broad base of knowledge on pedogenesis and soil-landscape associations in tropical regions. The excellence of his work led to recognition in Brazil and in countries such as the Netherlands, the United States and Australia.

Igo Lepsch was the first Editor of the Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, serving in this role from its launch in 1977 until 1980, remaining as Assistant Editor until 1997. Since his retirement from IAC in 1992, he has worked in several research institutions. teaching and research in the country, such as ESALQ and the Federal Universities of Uberlândia, Lavras and Minas Gerais, supporting undergraduate and postgraduate programs in agricultural sciences and geography, as well as advising scientific journals linked to these institutions. Among his many contributions, his dedication to preparing textbooks for undergraduate and postgraduate education stands out: “Soils – Formation and Conservation”, “Soil Formation and Conservation” and “19 Lessons in Pedology”. He also coordinated and co-wrote the “Manual for Utility Survey of the Physical Environment and Classification of Land in the Use Capacity System” and the Brazilian Manual for Survey of Land Use Capacity, which had a new edition released in 2015.