Diaspora Brazil Awards
Report
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© 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 Scientific 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.
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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 first to identified 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.
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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, ChileUSA. 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
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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, specifically 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, inflammation, 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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 Scientific 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
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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
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Contact
[email protected]
www.diasporabrasil.com.br
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Twitter: @ DiasporaBR