Diaspora Brazil Awards Report 1
2014 - Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development - ABDI Any part of this publication may be reproduced as long as the source is cited. Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development Diaspora Brazil Network Team Eduardo Rezende Project Specialist Lanna Dioum - Senior Project Analyst Rodolfo Milhomem de Sousa - Senior Project Analyst Management Roberto dos Reis Alvarez Analysis and Strategic Projects Manager Coordination Patricia Vicentini Chief of International Affairs Communications Manager Oswaldo Buarim Júnior Text Editor Ivan Bicudo Graphic Design and Publishing Marco Lúcius Freitas ABDI Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development Setor Bancário Norte, Quadra 1 - Bloco B Ed. CNC - 70041-902 / Brasília DF Tel.: (61) 3962-8700 www.abdi.com.br
Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Mauro Borges Lemos Minister Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Minister Eduardo dos Santos Secretary-General José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho Under-Secretary-General for Environment, Energy, Science and Technology Benedicto Fonseca Filho Director of the Department of Scientifi c and Technological Affairs Ademar Seabra da Cruz Junior Head of the Science and Technology Division Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development Mauro Borges Lemos President Maria Luisa Campos Machado Leal Director Otávio Silva Camargo Director Cândida Beatriz de Paula Oliveira Chief of staff Roberto dos Reis Alvarez Analysis and Strategic Projects Manager Patricia Vicentini Chief of International Affairs
BRAZIL HONORS TALENTED SCIENTISTS LIVING ABROAD IN AWARDS CEREMONY Because of the globalization phenomenon, there are numerous knowledgeable and talented Brazilian professionals living outside the country today. With the aid of technology, national borders have become increasingly flexible, making it easier for one to relocate and to make a living away from one s country of origin. This is often the case with highly qualified professionals, such as scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs, who seek new opportunities and new challenges in renowned organizations around the world. Among them are those who show outstanding dedication and innovative vision in their area of expertise, and significantly contribute to build a positive image of Brazil in the global arena while developing important connections between their country of residence and Brazil. In an effort to provide these professionals with much-deserved recognition for their outstanding work and contributions, the Diaspora Brazil Awards were created by the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development through its program Diaspora Brazil Network. This program aims to create connections between Brazilians living abroad and companies and institutions in Brazil to spur international collaborative projects and opportunities in knowledge-intensive areas. In May 2014, the first edition of the Diaspora Brazil Awards took place where six Brazilian professionals living in the USA were invited to Brazil to be recognized in the following categories: Professionals of The Year, for their excellence in the areas of Information Technology and Communications (IT) and Health Sciences; Diaspora Brazil Network Highlights, for their remarkable contribution in expanding and strengthening the Diaspora Brazil Network program abroad; and Honorable Mention, for their notorious knowledge and individual efforts to elevate the image of Brazil abroad through science, technology, and business. The ceremony was held at the Itamaraty Palace, located in the heart of the country s modernist capital, Brasília. 4
AWARDEES // HONORABLE MENTION
AWARDEES HONORABLE MENTION Marcelo Nóbrega Ph.D. Human Genetics, Associate Professor, University of Chicago. Illinois-USA Received his M.D. degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil, and his doctoral degree in physiology and molecular genetics from Medical College of Wisconsin in the US. He was also a postdoctoral fellow at University of California at Berkeley. Marcelo has been in the United States for 17 years and is an associate professor of the Department of Human Genetics at University of Chicago, where he directs a research laboratory focused on the genetic basis of disorders caused by mutations outside the coding DNA. He and his group were the fi rst to identifi ed the genetic combinations related to the gene IRX3 associated with obesity, a study published in Nature magazine in March 2014. Among other achievements, Marcelo was also counted among the researchers who participated in the Human Genome Project. José Nelson Onuchic Ph.D. Biological Physics, Professor and Researcher, Rice University. Texas-USA Professor and researcher in the fields of Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry at Rice University, and the co-director of the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), José Nelson obtained his bachelor degree from the University of Sao Paulo and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1987 under the mentorship of Professor John J. Hopfield. In 1990, he joined the University of California at San Diego. In 2006, he was appointed member of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2009, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. His current research interest is on theoretical and computational biophysics, focused on molecular and chemical reactions methods in condensed matter, an area of research aimed to use modern methods of theoretical physics to solve complex biological phenomena. 6
AWARDEES // PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
AWARDEES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Cláudio Antonio Pinho Joazeiro Ph.D. Biology, Associate Professor and Researcher, Scripps Institute. California-USA Cláudio is a Brazilian living in San Diego for 23 years, with prominent positions in both academia and in the pharmaceutical industry and is a witness to the recent process that led that city to become the second largest global center for innovation in the field of biopharmaceuticals. He holds a Bachelors of Sciences in Biology and a Masters of Sciences in Biochemistry from the University of Sao Paulo. He received his doctoral degree in Biology from the University of California, in San Diego. Since 2006 he has been an associate professor at the Scripps Institute, a private, non-profit research institution responsible for advisory in innovation for more than 60 companies in the biopharmaceutical market. Professional of The Year Health Sciences Duília Fernandes de Mello Ph.D. Astrophysics, Researcher and Professor, Catholic University of America, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Maryland-USA Bachelors of Arts in Astronomy from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Master of Sciences in Astronomy from the University of Alabama in the US. Duília also holds a doctoral degree in Astrophysics from the University of São Paulo and served as a postdoctoral fellow at Cerro Tololo Hubble, Chile- USA. She has worked in Sweden and in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Currently, Duília is an associate professor of the Department of Physics at the Catholic University in Washington, DC. Professional of The Year Information and Communications Technology 8
DIASPORA BRAZIL NETWORK DISTINCTIONS
DIASPORA BRAZIL NETWORK DISTINCTIONS Cristina Caldas Ramos Ph.D. Immunology, Chief of the Department of Educational Cooperation, General Consulate of Brazil in Boston. Massachusetts-USA Cristina is co-founder of the Brazilian Researchers and College Students Network of Boston (PubBoston), and coordinator of the Department of Educational Cooperation of the General Consulate of Brazil in Boston. She has been focusing in recent years on the activities of locating, engaging and supporting Brazilian scientists and scholars in the United States, specifi cally in the New England region, to connect them with organizations in Brazil. Cristina holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of Brasilia, with also a doctoral degree in Immunology from the University of Sao Paulo. Eliseu Ortega De Oliveira Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, Medicinal Chemist Scientist, Georgetown University. Washington-DC-USA Eliseu is a medicinal chemist scientist, currently working at the Center for Drug Discovery of Georgetown University, where he conducts research on the development of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer, infl ammation, analgesia and disorders of the central nervous system. He obtained a doctoral degree in Medicinal Chemistry (School of Pharmacy, USP) and a Masters of Sciences degree in Organic Chemistry (Institute of Chemistry, USP). Eliseu is the co-founder of Brazilian Expert Network - BEN-DC, a group of Brazilian professionals in the Washington-DC area, and is a strong supporter of the Diaspora Brasil Network in the US Mid-Atlantic region. 10
I d like to dedicate this award to all Brazilian university students who are investing in their careers, and to deliver them all a message of optimism: keep on battling because it is rewarding to do what we love. Duília Melo Duília Mello, Professional of The Year, Information and Communications Technology award winner With this work we can eventually create an economy based on knowledge, one that not only meets the medical needs of patients, but also creates jobs and generates economic wealth through a reverse flow of technology transfer. Claudio Joazeiro Maria Luisa Campos Machado Leal, Director of the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development and Cláudio Joazeiro, Professional of the Year, Health Sciences Winner Award 11
I feel enormously proud to know Brazilians who are conducting research at the knowledge frontier. I experience it almost every day. At the same time I have a desire for Brazil to know these people; get to know these talents abroad. Cristina Caldas, Diaspora Brazil Network Distinction Award Winner and Antônio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, Director of Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health Cristina Caldas I really want to emphasize that the work we are doing in the United States is more than a dream become reality. It is a vision of the future, a vision of a new Brazil, a vision of a new America to Brazilians there. Eliseu Oliveira Eliseu Ortega de Oliveira, Diaspora Brazil Network Distinction Award Winner and Ambassador Jose Antonio Marcondes, Under-Secretary-General for Environment, Energy, Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 12
The Diaspora Network has a key role in integrating these professionals and eventually starting a new process of development and innovation in Brazil. Marcelo Nóbrega Marcelo Nóbrega, Honorable Mention Award Winner and Mauro Borges Lemos, Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade It is an honor to be here, mainly because interactions with Brazil have been a big part of my life, aside from my scientific career, and to be recognized for it makes me very happy. Jose Nelson Onuchic José Nelson Onuchic, Honorable Mention Award Winner and Paulo Sotero, Director of the Brazil Institute, Wilson Center 13
Left to Rigth: Paulo Sotero, Director of the Brazil Institute, Wilson Center; Maria Luisa Campos Machado Leal, Director of ABDI; Ambassador Eduardo dos Santos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Antônio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, Director of Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Health; Guilherme Melo de Azevedo, Deputy Chairman of the National Council for Scientifi c and Technological Development; Adriana Machado, Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for General Electric in Latin America We believe our citizens abroad, especially those involved in science, technology and innovation activities, are not isolated brains that have left the country. They are international antennas, the extended arms of our innovation system. You are honored today by the high quality of your work and the special and strong commitment in maintaining ties with Brazil and your compatriots abroad. Luiz Alberto Figueiredo - Minister of Foreign Affairs 14
I believe that the Brazilian economy today, from the point of view of it s industry, their economic development, is based on the knowledge economy. Therefore we must have an organic connection with the Brazilian brains abroad. Mauro Borges Lemos - Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Maria Luisa Campos Machado Leal, Director of ABDI; Patrícia Vicentini, Chief of International Affairs of ABDI; Cláudio Joazeiro, Award Winner; Rodolfo Milhomem, Senior Analyst of ABDI; Marcelo Nóbrega, Award Winner; Eduardo Rezende, Specialist of ABDI; Cristina Caldas, Award Winner; Lanna Dioum, Senior Analyst of ABDI; Mauro Borges Lemos, Minister of Development, Industrial and Foreign Trade; Ruy Caldas, Professor of Genome Sciences and Biotechnology of the Catholic University of Brasilia; José Nelson Onuchic, Award Winner; Duilia Melo, Award Winner; Eliseu Ortega, Award Winner; Roberto Alvarez, Analysis and Strategic Projects Manager of ABDI; Otávio Camargo, Director of ABDI 15
Contact diasporabrasil@abdi.com.br www.diasporabrasil.com.br Follow the Diaspora Brazil Network on social networks: Facebook and Linkedin: Rede Diáspora Brasil Twitter: @ DiasporaBR