On December 26, 2024, a meeting of the ED 1.26 Dissertation Council operating under the Institute of Botany was held. The Dissertation Council meeting was chaired by Professor Sayyara Ibadullayeva. Shabnam Gadir gizi Isayeva, a full-time PhD student at the Institute of Botany, defended her dissertation on "Flora, vegetation and palynology of some species of mud volcanoes of the Shamakhi-Gobustan region" to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology in the specialty of 2417.01 – Botany.