It was in public school, during high school, that Ingrid David Barcelos first heard about college entrance exams. No one in her neighborhood, on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, had gone to the university, but the girl showed an interest in Physics, and her school teachers encouraged her to prepare for an undergraduate course.

With great dedication to her studies, Ingrid managed to get into the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFGM) and obtain her bachelor’s and undergraduate degrees in Physics. Initially, she thought about working as a teacher, but at university she learned about the profession of researcher, in which she began to train with a scientific initiation project on carbon nanotubes and graphene.

After that, despite having only one woman and only one black person as professor in her undergraduate studies, the young black woman decided to pursue an academic career, completing her master’s degree and then her doctorate, both with research on two-dimensional materials, in the prestigious Postgraduate Program in Physics at UFMG. During her doctorate, she spent a period at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), in the city of Campinas.

Then, the awards began. Her doctoral thesis won the José Leite Lopes Award from the Brazilian Physics Society (SBF) and received an honorable mention in the 2016 Capes Thesis Award in the Astronomy and Physics category.

After two years of postdoctoral studies at UFMG, which included research internships in Italy, in an Advanced Photonics laboratory at CNR-NANOTEC, she became part of the research team at CNPEM’s National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), where she currently, at the age of 38, heads the Microscopic Samples Laboratory of Sirius, the Brazilian 4th generation synchrotron light source.

In 2021, Ingrid was awarded the “For Women in Science” prize in Physical Sciences, granted by L’Oréal, UNESCO and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). And now, in October 2024, she was chosen from 13 excellent candidates as the winner of the first edition of the B-MRS Prize for Early Career Woman Scientist.

Learn a little more about this outstanding young scientist in the interview.

B-MRS Newsletter: The B-MRS award was a recognition of the quality and impact of your scientific production over the last 5 years, including the work you presented at the XXII B-MRS Meeting. Please give some tips for the younger members of our community on how to achieve these results.

Ingrid Barcelos: To achieve results with significant impact, some strategies were essential for me, and I believe they can help other young researchers:

– Choosing the topic is important. Dedicate yourself to themes that present knowledge gaps that are still little explored. To do this, being up to date with recent publications and research trends is essential.

– Collaborations in different areas and with theorists broaden the perspectives of the work and can bring new insights that make the research richer and more complete. This increases the chances of producing innovative articles.

– The quality of the results depends on the rigor of the methods. I strongly recommend investing in advanced techniques and methodologies that bring new information, thus making the work more relevant to the scientific community.

– Patience and persistence! Publishing in high-impact journals often requires several revisions and even reformulations of the study. Do not be discouraged by CONSTRUCTIVE criticism; it is an opportunity to improve the work and make it even more solid and impactful.

B-MRS Newsletter: Tell us a little about the research papers you are most proud of.

Ingrid Barcelos: The paper I am most proud of is my first paper as corresponding author, published in Nature Communications in 2021. This milestone represents an important personal and professional advancement in my career, symbolizing my growth as an independent researcher. It gave me the responsibility of coordinating and guiding all stages of the research and writing, as well as strengthening collaborations with other researchers. This role was essential for my development in scientific management and in the consolidation of collaboration networks.

This study investigates the behavior of SnO₂ nanoribbons, a widely known material, using an advanced experimental technique that allows us to observe, at the nanoscale, the interaction of the vibrations of the crystal lattice with light, revealing optical confinement phenomena. We explore how these interactions can be tuned, paving the way for applications in optoelectronic technologies in an energy range still little explored in the literature: the terahertz region.

B-MRS Newsletter: What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspects of being a scientist?

Ingrid Barcelos: The most rewarding aspects for me go beyond those experienced in the laboratory, such as the following: The outreach projects allow me to see the sparkle in the girls’ eyes when they learn about science and realize the impact of research on their lives. Their curiosity is inspiring and reinforces the importance of making science accessible to everyone. Being a role model for black girls and inspiring them to see science as a career possibility is extremely rewarding. Being able to show them that they have a place and can thrive in the scientific field is a constant motivation in my work and a commitment that I carry out with pride.

B-MRS Newsletter: Based on your experiences, what do you think organizations like B-MRS can do to help more black women become prominent scientists?

Ingrid Barcelos: I believe that organizations like B-MRS can play a key role in promoting a more inclusive environment and equal opportunities for black women in science. Based on my experiences, I see some initiatives that can make a difference, such as promoting spaces for dialogue where black women can share their experiences and discuss strategies for mutual support, strengthening the network of scientists and creating a sense of belonging. In addition, encouraging scholarships and funding exclusively for black women in research projects is essential, as it expands opportunities and reduces inequalities, enabling more women to develop their careers independently. Increasing the visibility of the achievements of these scientists is also important, with awards, events and publications that recognize their work, inspiring new generations and showing that success is possible. These actions, together with institutional inclusion policies, contribute to a more diverse and rich science, where black women can stand out and inspire future generations.

B-MRS Newsletter: Leave a message for black girls who are starting a career as scientists in Brazil or are considering this possibility.

Ingrid Barcelos: Believe in your potential and don’t let anyone limit your dreams! It’s often difficult to find role models who look like you in science, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a place here. Quite the opposite: science needs your perspectives, your courage, and your determination. Whenever possible, surround yourself with people who support your growth. Diversity enriches science, and I’ll be rooting for each of you to reach your full potential! It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!

September 29, 2024, a sunny Sunday with mild temperatures. Through the glass façade of the Blue Med Convention Center, we see the end of the estuary of Santos with its port complex, which is the largest in Latin America.

At the secretariat, open since 8:30 am, people pick up their badges. They all have one interest in common: Materials Science and Technology. They will enjoy the rich program of the twenty-second edition of the B-MRS Meeting, the scientific event held annually by the Brazilian Materials Research Society, always in different cities in Brazil.

This edition, which took place in the city of Santos, on the coast of the state of São Paulo, from September 29 to October 3, saw a record number of participants: 1,777 people from 36 countries around the world and 24 states in Brazil. Just over 40% of them were professors, researchers, business professionals and post-doctoral students. And almost 60% were undergraduate, master’s or doctoral students.

Opening with 1,250 people in the room

“For us, the students are the most important part of the event,” said Ivan Bechtold (UFSC), president of B-MRS, at the opening ceremony of the event, held on Sunday at 7 pm, in front of an audience of about 1,250 people. The scientist recalled his first participation in the annual B-MRS Meeting, in 2004, when he was still a doctoral student. Later, he organized one of the event’s symposia. In 2019, he was the general chair of the B-MRS Meeting. And today he presides over the society.

The B-MRS event, in fact, provides many Brazilian students with very valuable experiences that are typical of international scientific conferences, but on national soil. In this edition, social networks were responsible for demonstrating this, through posts from participants sharing, for example, that they were giving their first presentation, whether oral or poster, or that they were acting for the first time as chairs of a session.

In addition to the B-MRS president, the opening table of the XXII B-MRS Meeting included the event chairs, Lucas Fugikawa Santos (professor at UNESP Rio Claro) and Laura Oliveira Peres (professor at Unifesp); the president of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS), Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior (professor at IFSC-USP), and the pro-rector of Graduate Studies and Research at Unifesp, Fernando Atique. The master of ceremonies was Eduard Westphal, professor at UFSC.

In his speech, Lucas Santos also addressed the students. “I participated in the first B-MRS event in 2002, when I was finishing my doctorate,” he said. “It will be a pleasure to see students who are participating in this edition being chairs of the event in 22 years!”

In his speech, Atique highlighted the importance of developing materials to build a better world and its impact on all sectors of the economy, while Oliveira Junior recalled that collaboration is essential to face global challenges and that scientists have a fundamental role to play in overcoming these challenges. “We have to work hard and together,” he said.

After discussing the event’s program and thanking everyone for their participation, coordinator Laura Peres encouraged attendees to make the most of the meeting. “Interact with your peers, challenge your ideas and explore new research avenues so that, together, we can push the boundaries of Materials Science and contribute to a more sustainable and innovative future,” she said.

After the opening speeches, the room was filled with lightness and joy with the song “Here comes the sun”, by the Beatles. On the three screens, a photo of a sunrise and the text “Here comes the Sunlight”. On the stage, very excited, was the IFUSP professor Marília Junqueira Caldas, a researcher in the area of ​​Materials Physics for 45 years, ready to begin the Memorial Lecture Joaquim da Costa Ribeiro, an honor from B-MRS for researchers with a long and distinguished trajectory within the community.

During her talk, Marília shared with those present her pleasure in scientific discovery driven by curiosity. The scientist told the story of her main contributions to understanding the behavior of various semiconductors, such as silicon, some polymers, graphene and, more recently, materials for use in solar energy, which set the tone for the talk.

[Read our interview with Marília Junqueira Caldas.]

New activities in special sessions and at the booths

Although the sunny Sunday invited a pleasant walk along the seafront in the famous Jardim da Orla de Santos, more than 280 people decided to take advantage of the day to train themselves by participating in the four pre-event short courses, lasting 3 or 6 hours, that the XXII B-MRS Meeting offered, at no extra cost, to participants. In these sessions, renowned experts shared their knowledge on nanoparticle synthesis, microscopy techniques (TEM, 4DSTEM) and writing and publishing scientific articles.

In addition, throughout the week, event attendees were able to enjoy other special sessions. On Monday morning, the American Chemical Society brought ACS on Campus to the B-MRS Meeting, a session to learn about academic publishing and meet editors. On Tuesday afternoon, between 3 and 4 p.m., participants could choose from ten lectures and discussion panels that took place in parallel. Instead of researchers from the field, different guests took the stage at these special sessions: journalists, entrepreneurs, startup investors, representatives of scientific publishers, experts from the scientific instrumentation market… The highlight of this special moment in the program were the three roundtables with their lively discussions about successful scientific dissemination and extension projects, the challenges of being a woman and a scientist, and the possibilities for scientists who want to be entrepreneurs.

Interaction and entertainment were also present in the exhibitors’ area. The booths hosted a wide range of activities: prize raffles, technology demonstrations, competitions and challenges. There were 36 exhibitors at this edition of the event, including companies of research instruments and supplies, research centers, startups and scientific publishers.

Symposia: more than 1,700 contributions presented with much scientific discussion

Between Monday and Thursday, 1,732 research contributions were effectively presented within the 29 thematic symposia that comprised the event. To make this possible, around one hundred researchers from 17 countries acted as organizers of these symposia. Under the coordination of the event chairs, Laura and Lucas, these scientists led the organization of their symposia in all phases, from the submission of the proposal, at the end of last year, to the selection of the best papers, on the last day of the event.

This participation of the international community in organizing the symposia of the B-MRS event ensures, time and again, the desired variety, topicality and thematic and geographic representation. In fact, the symposia of this edition addressed the most diverse types of materials: two-dimensional and three-dimensional, electronic ceramics and polymers, high-entropy alloys, smart and sustainable materials, among many others. In more than 500 oral presentations and approximately 1,200 posters, participants presented and discussed recent advances in the design, synthesis, production and characterization of these materials, as well as their applications in areas as varied and important as health, renewable energy, agriculture, environmental remediation, electronics and cultural heritage.

“We were privileged to host renowned international researchers who delivered inspiring talks on the latest advances and opportunities in the field of Organic Electronics,” says researcher Rafael Furlan de Oliveira, from LNNano – CNPEM, who was one of the organizers of the symposium on organic conductive materials and their applications in Electronics, Photonics and Bioelectronics. “The contributions from Brazilian researchers and students were equally impressive, demonstrating the creativity, resilience and scientific excellence of our community,” he adds.

The oral sessions, held in up to 12 simultaneous rooms at the convention center, featured 12-minute presentations (and 25 minutes for invited speakers), followed by a few minutes for questions from the audience. “Each talk at the symposium was followed by lively discussions, reflecting the significant interest in the specific but promising field with vast potential for application of our symposium,” says Frank Alain Nüesch, one of the organizers of the symposium on organic materials that absorb and emit radiation in the near infrared. Nüesch is a researcher at Empa, a Swiss institution dedicated to the science and technology of advanced materials.

The thematic focus of the symposia, present since the first edition of the B-MRS event, brings together people with different backgrounds who are approaching very similar topics from different perspectives, creating an environment conducive to collaboration. “The room was filled to capacity, with attendees engaged in lively discussion with the speakers, which contributed to the high scientific standard of the symposium. Furthermore, it was evident that there was a notable
degree of interaction between researchers with regard to potential future collaborative endeavours and the formulation of new research projects,” reports João Coelho (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain) as co-organizer of the symposium on sustainable development of Printed Electronics.

Scientific discussions also flourished during the event’s three poster sessions, held each late afternoon on the ground floor. Given the large number of posters (about 400 per session), people approaching the area and walking through the exhibition halls could experience the transformation of loud unintelligible noise into interesting conversations and motivating encounters.

Social program: socializing is a must

At the XXII B-MRS Meeting, there was no shortage of opportunities for socializing for all tastes.

The traditional welcome cocktail party, open to all event participants at no extra cost, was held on Sunday evening at the convention center itself, providing the first reunions of the event in a celebratory atmosphere, with delicious food and drinks.

During the week, morning and afternoon coffee breaks were served in the booth area. In addition to replenishing energy and injecting caffeine to face the following sessions, these breaks were very important moments for interaction between researchers and exhibitors.

In addition, on Tuesday evening, the Conference Party took place, another successful tradition of B-MRS events. The party was held at Arena Clube, one of the main nightclubs in Santos. With rock and pop from different decades and countries, the DJ pleased the various generations and tribes present at the venue, who were able to have fun dancing in groups of friends.

Plenary sessions: basic and applied science and innovation for sustainable development

Over the following days, in the main hall of the convention center, with hundreds of people in the audience, six plenary lectures were given by renowned scientists from Brazil, the United States, Italy, Poland and Singapore.

On Monday morning, opening the scientific program, Thomas Randall Lee presented in a didactic and pleasant manner the results obtained by his research group at the University of Houston (USA) in the production and characterization of nanoparticles of various shapes (such as stars, cubes and spheres) with interesting photonic and magnetic properties. “Randy”, who has participated in several editions of the B-MRS event, also spoke about the applications of these nanostructures in the generation of clean energy and as sensors in the medical field.

The second plenary lecture corresponded to the José Arana Varela Award, granted annually by B-MRS to an outstanding researcher in the field of materials in Brazil. This year, the distinction was granted to Bluma Guenther Soares, a professor at UFRJ and researcher at IMA, in recognition of the dimension and quality of her scientific production and her work in training researchers. In the lecture, the honoree addressed part of her wide range of impactful work in the field of organic materials: the use of ionic liquids as additives in conductive polymeric nanocomposites.

[Read our interview with Bluma Guenther Soares.]

“Semiconductors in bottles” that can be used in the production of flexible electronics were the subject of the third plenary lecture, given by Professor Wojciech Pisula, from the Lodz University of Technology (Poland). In these materials, semiconductor films are formed from solutions through self-organization processes of their molecules. The plenary lecturer, who is the author of several articles on the subject featured on the covers of renowned journals, showed that understanding and controlling this process is crucial to achieving high performance in electronic devices.

In the fourth plenary session of the event, Federico Rosei, from the University of Trieste (Italy) captivated the audience with his speech. The scientist pointed out that the Sun emits more energy in one hour than the planet Earth consumes in a year. On the other hand, he said, there are one to two billion people who still do not have access to electricity. However, the conversion of energy from the Sun into electricity is far from sustainable. The devices developed to date use materials based on fossil fuels, or on toxic or scarce elements, in addition to being difficult to recycle. The Italian scientist, who until recently worked at the University of Quebec (Canada), is studying materials that can be used to generate more sustainable photovoltaic devices. But his vision is not optimistic. According to him, in order to achieve truly sustainable development, what humans need is to change their consumption patterns.

The fifth plenary lecture demonstrated the potential of paper, a sustainable material, as a substrate for high-performance electrochemical sensors that can be used to detect substances such as pesticides, botulinum toxin or mustard gas. Scientist Fabiana Arduini, from the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy), showed the research and development work that her group has been carrying out until producing small devices that, using only electrodes printed on paper, can replace a complete laboratory.

The last plenary session of the event was given by a prominent researcher and inventor in the field of batteries, Rachid Yazami. In 1980, the scientist created the graphite anode that is now used together with the lithium cathode in batteries that are prevalent in almost all applications, from portable electronics to electric cars. In 2011, Yazami founded KVI, a company based in Singapore that develops, manufactures and exports batteries. In his lecture, the scientist showed how he is working to improve the charging speed, safety and lifespan of lithium batteries through non-linear voltammetry. After showing a map of Brazil revealing that almost all the elements needed to manufacture batteries are present in the country, he expressed his desire to see a battery gigafactory installed here and many young Brazilian researchers working in this area.

Closing ceremony: 3 young female researchers and 41 students awarded

On Thursday, at around 11:15 a.m., the room was packed to attend the last session of the event, the closing and awards ceremony. Chair Laura  presented the event’s figures, celebrated the record number of participants, and thanked the participants, symposium organizers, invited and plenary speakers, exhibitors, B-MRS staff and directors, local and program committees, and volunteers who, together, made the event possible.

In turn, chair Lucas said that, for him, organizing the event was a way of thanking B-MRS for everything the society has given him throughout his career. He shared that, upon accepting the challenge, he had to put aside his insecurities and think about his duty; he simply had to do it, because someone has to do it. “This event is very important to motivate the next generation of scientists,” he said.

The floor was then turned to the coordinators of the next B-MRS Meeting: Luiza Amim Mercante (UFBA) and Daniel Souza Corrêa (Embrapa Instrumentação), the youngest duo to accept the challenge so far. The chairs quickly showed the event location, the city of Salvador (BA), with its undeniable cultural and natural richness, and the meeting venue, which will be the Salvador Convention Center, an impressive building on the seafront. In addition, the coordinators announced the speakers for the 6 plenary sessions and the memorial lecture of the event and the launch of the call for symposia, which was open until November 4.

[Access the webpage of the XXIII B-MRS Meeting.]

Closing the panel’s statements, the president of B-MRS reinforced the importance of the event to keep the community united and announced the location of the 2026 B-MRS Meeting, the city of Curitiba (PR), and its chairs, Gregório Faria, from IFSC-USP, and Paula Rodrigues, from UTFPR.

Finally, the long-awaited moment arrived when the winners of the awards for the best contributions of the event were announced. Representing the award committee, Professor Iêda Maria Garcia dos Santos, financial director of B-MRS, spoke with pride that the society was granting an award exclusively to women for the first time, the B-MRS Award for Early Career Woman Scientist. Sponsored this year by the journal Electronic Materials (MDPI), the award recognizes the female author of the best oral presentation of the event, considering, in addition to the work presented, her previous scientific production. This year’s winner was Ingrid David Barcelos, a researcher at CNPEM. However, the award committee, composed of B-MRS scientific directors Ingrid Weber (UnB) and Lucimara Stolz Roman (UFPR), also granted honorable mentions to Janaína Artem Ataide (Unicamp) and Ingrid Rodríguez Gutierrez (UFABC and CNPEM).

[Read our interview with Ingrid Barcelos.]

Finally, amidst rounds of applause, the winners of the student awards were announced. Forty-one Bernhard Gross awards were given to the best oral presentation and best poster of each symposium. The list of winners showed a good level of gender representation (23 males and 18 females) and geographic representation (institutions from the 5 Brazilian regions, as well as Germany, Canada and Italy), in addition to the presence of 11 undergraduate students, standing out at the beginning of their scientific training. Among these winners of the B-MRS award, six contributions were chosen as the best to receive cash prizes from the scientific publisher ACS Publications and another six from journals of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

[Learn more about the criteria used to select the winners.]

[See the list of all the 2024 winners.]

And so, with the award-winning students on stage posing with their certificates for a group photo, the twenty-second edition of the B-MRS event came to an end.

See you in Salvador!

 

[All photos taken by the official photographer of the XXII B-MRS Meeting can be accessed and downloaded in the shared folders here.]

Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.

The call for thematic symposia is now open as part of the XXIII B-MRS Meeting program. The meeting will take place at the Salvador Convention Center, in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), from September 28 to October 2, 2025. The chairs of the event are Luiza Amim Mercante (UFBA) and Daniel Souza Corrêa (Embrapa Instrumentação).

Proposals must be submitted by researchers with a PhD degree by November 4, 2024, using the form available at https://sbpmat.org.br/proposed_symposium/.

The program committee of the XXIII B-MRS Meeting will evaluate the proposals. The preliminary list of approved symposia will be available on November 29, 2024.

Due to the growing interest in participating in the B-MRS Meetings, the number of submitted proposals far exceeds the symposia that can be accommodated in the scientific program. The program committee will therefore give priority to proposals of exceptional interest to the materials science community.

Each symposium will receive four (4) registration fee waivers. In addition, for every 100 abstracts submitted, the symposium will receive one (1) additional waiver.

We recommend that at least two of the co-organizers rotate for symposia with previous editions. A diverse international group of four (4) co-organizers, with gender equality, is considered the best choice. Including interdisciplinary research and industrial involvement is highly encouraged for symposia. Furthermore, we suggest caution with excessive number of invited speakers, so that oral sessions are available for presentations by members of our community. Likewise, gender and geographic balance of invited speakers is strongly encouraged.

Rio de Janeiro, 09 de maio de 2024

NOTA DE APOIO À FAPESP

A Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa em Materiais (SBPMat) manifesta preocupação com a proposta de corte de 30% no orçamento da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) para o ano de 2025.

As instituições de ensino e pesquisa do estado de São Paulo são responsáveis por grande parte do conhecimento científico gerado no Brasil, em especial na área de materiais, e contribuem com a formação qualificada de pesquisadores para atuarem na academia, no mercado de trabalho e para empreender.

A FAPESP tem um papel central no financiamento destas atividades e a redução de 30% dos recursos comprometerá significativamente este processo, sendo um retrocesso não apenas para o desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico do país, mas para a sociedade em geral por ele beneficiado.

O engajamento de todos os setores da sociedade é fundamental para alertar os parlamentares da Assembleia Legislativa de São Paulo, a fim de impedir que isso aconteça.

 Ivan H Bechtold

Presidente da Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa em Materiais – SBPMat

The organizing committee of the XXIII B-MRS Meeting, which will be held in Salvador (Bahia, Brazil) from October 28 to November 2, 2025, invites the scientific community to send suggestions for speakers for the plenary sessions.

Plenary lectures should interest a broad audience, with different levels of training and thematic specialties. Scientists are expected to be renowned researchers at an international level, capable of giving a motivational talk that addresses the advances achieved over time in their research topic, in addition to discussing challenges and prospects for the future.

The XXIII B-MRS Meeting is chaired by Luiza Amim Mercante, from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and Daniel Souza Correa, from Embrapa Instrumentação (São Carlos/SP).

Suggestions must be sent by May 20th this year through this Google form.

 

Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.

“Science is alive, dynamic, exciting and enriching, and being part of its advancement is a great privilege”, says Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira, winner of the 2023 Capes Prize for Doctoral Dissertation in the area of Materials.

The award distinguished the 49 best doctoral dissertations, one per area of knowledge, defended in Brazilian postgraduate programs in 2022. In addition, 98 honorable mentions were awarded. More than 1,400 works applied for this edition of the Capes Award, whose ceremony was held in Brasília on December 14th.

In her research work, Ana Elisa developed two electrochemical sensors, one made of graphite and the other made of carbon nanotubes, capable of detecting in real time a breast cancer biomarker (the CA 15-3 protein) in biological samples (blood serum and saliva). This protein appears at higher than normal levels in most women with breast cancer after the initial phase of the disease – which is why it can be used to monitor these patients’ response to treatments, as well as to screen for metastasis and detect recurrence of cancer.

The sensors developed in Ana Elisa’s doctorate were produced on paper substrate on which electrodes were printed using conductive inks using simple methods, such as screen printing and handwriting. To detect the CA 15-3 biomarker, the sensors were modified with antibodies to this protein.

The research was carried out under the guidance of Professor Arnaldo César Pereira within the Postgraduate Program in Physics and Chemistry of Materials at the Federal University São João del-Rei (FQMat – UFSJ), in the state of Minas Gerais. However, the work is the result of ten years of scientific training in the area of sensors, from undergraduate research to PhD, always at UFSJ and with the same supervisor.

In this interview for the B-MRS Newsletter, this young scientist, born in Barbacena (interior of Minas Gerais), talks about the sensors and the difficulties and joys of the path she took to complete the best Brazilian Materials dissertation defended in 2022.

B-MRS Newsletter: Tell us a little about your scientific background.

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: My academic career began when I entered the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ) in 2011. I did two “scientific initiations” (undergraduate research) guided by Prof. Dr. Arnaldo, both in the sensor development area. That was the introduction to my career as a researcher. From there, I understood the importance of scientific research and was sure of my desire to continue my studies in postgraduate studies. In 2015, I completed my master’s degree in the Physics and Chemistry of Materials Program at UFSJ, and started my PhD in 2017, in the same program.

When I was writing my doctoral project, I really wanted something in the health area, so I chose the development of sensors to determine biomarkers. But I had to decide what the sensor would determine, which disease. Today breast cancer is the most common type of tumor in women in most parts of the world. Women over 50 are most affected by this type of cancer. Statistically, about one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Therefore, I decided that in my doctorate I would focus on the application of sensors to determine breast cancer biomarkers.

During my years of research, I published 19 papers in different journals. Between graduation, master’s and doctorate, it was ten years at UFSJ. A decade of lots of study, learning, challenges and personal evolution. I am eternally grateful for the role my university played in my professional journey.

B-MRS Newsletter: What were the biggest challenges you faced in carrying out the award-winning thesis?

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: The path during my doctorate was not easy. But, definitely, the main difficulty was the surprise of a global pandemic that at that time had taken the lives of millions around the world. Adapting to a new reality and having the laboratory interrupted for months was challenging. When I finally returned, making up for lost time was extremely tiring. I spent morning, afternoon and night in the laboratory, and often left without results. This was very stressful. However, with a lot of effort and dedication I managed to meet this challenge. And receiving this award just confirms that it was worth it!

The award was a big surprise. I am feeling extremely honored to have my doctoral work recognized by receiving such an important award. It’s an indescribable feeling. I celebrate this victory with everyone who, indirectly or directly, helped me make my dream come true.

B-MRS Newsletter: What are the advantages of the sensors developed in relation to other disease detection techniques?

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: Electrochemical sensors have some advantages over conventional techniques: high selectivity and sensitivity, low production cost of the devices, they do not require much maintenance for their use and conservation, the analysis can be done in real time and specialized technicians may not be necessary.

In addition to having a quick response and often without the need for pre-treatment, printed electrodes can be manufactured on a large scale, allowing low-cost production. They are disposable, eliminating the need for cleaning. Consequently, printed sensors are known as low-cost, miniaturized, disposable, and high-sensitivity devices. Printed electrodes can replace the conventional three-electrode system (working, reference, and counter) using conductive inks and a substrate.

B-MRS Newsletter:  You assembled the sensor prototypes. What steps would be necessary for these devices to be used outside the laboratory?

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: The results of the work suggest the possibility of using printed electrochemical sensors as an alternative for determining CA 15-3 in biological samples. However, there are many more studies that can and should be carried out on these proposed sensors in order for them to become commercial.

They can be further optimized by trying to increase sensitivity and lower the limit of detection and quantification. Another possibility is the modification of printed sensors to determine other biomarkers, not only for cancer, but for other diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.

Electrochemical sensors can also be designed for point-of-care (POC) analysis due to their fast analytical response, possibility of miniaturization and simple operation. POC testing is usually performed in close proximity to the patient, allowing for instant availability of results to make immediate, informed decisions about patient care.

Therefore, some experimental optimizations could be performed on the proposed sensors to reduce analysis time and allow the use of portable potentiostats. Printed electrochemical sensors have great potential in health monitoring and, fortunately, many works are being generated in the literature involving different materials for these purposes. The results of this dissertation corroborate this idea and present a possibility of developing sensitive devices for CA 15-3.

B-MRS Newsletter: Leave a message for our readers who are doing their undergraduate, master’s or doctoral research.

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: There is a sentence attributed to Marie Curie that says “Throughout my life, new discoveries about nature have made me happy like a child”. That’s how I felt throughout my academic career. And that’s how I still feel when reading a good article, when developing a project or when I read about new research. Science is alive, dynamic, exciting and enriching. Being part of the advancement of science, even if only in a very small way, is a great privilege.

B-MRS Newsletter: If you would like to make any other comments, feel free.

Ana Elisa Ferreira de Oliveira: I would like to give special thanks to some people who were by my side during this journey. To my parents, sister and nephews for their constant support and encouragement. To my husband Lucas for being by my side at all times. To Mayra, my faithful laboratory companion, for her help and partnership. To Prof. Dr. Lucas Franco Ferreira for the partnership and collaboration. To my colleagues in the research group (Polymer and Electroanalytical Research Group – GPPE), I would like to thank you for your support, collaboration, companionship, pleasant conversations and moments of joy. And in particular, I would like to thank my advisor Prof. Dr. Arnaldo César Pereira for the opportunity granted. He welcomed me as a student nine years ago, and since then we have gone through undergraduate research, master’s degree and now the dreamed doctorate. Thank you for your guidance, conversations and partnership, for trusting in my work and for your constant encouragement. It is difficult to describe in words your importance in my professional journey.