Dulce Maria de Araújo Melo was just a child when she invented an efficient method for extracting oil from castor beans, a fuel that was artisanally produced by her family for use in lamps.
Now 71, this distinguished Brazilian scientist, who remains active in her laboratory, boasts a vast academic output: 300 articles published in international journals, 20 patents filed or granted, and nearly 200 completed supervisions.
Dulce Maria fell in love with chemistry laboratories during her undergraduate degree in Pharmacy at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). In 1979, she graduated and became a civil servant, but her passion prevailed, and the young woman sought scientific training in São Paulo.
In 1982, she completed her master’s degree in Inorganic Chemistry at USP and was hired as a professor at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). In 1985, she began her academic career at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). At the same time, she began her doctorate at the University of São Paulo (USP), also in Inorganic Chemistry, receiving her diploma in 1989.
At UFRN, Dulce Maria played a key role in establishing the doctoral program in Materials Science and Engineering, the Cement Laboratory, and the Environmental Technology Laboratory. She also coordinated the graduate programs in Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering.
At B-MRS she served as scientific director for two terms (from 2004 to 2025 and from 2010 to 2011) and also coordinated the 6th B-MRS Meeting, held in Natal in 2007.
In 2025, she was honored by our society with the José Arana Varela Award, which is granted annually to an outstanding researcher in the field of materials in Brazil. As part of the award, she will deliver a plenary lecture on October 1st, at the XXIII B-MRS Meeting, on perovskite catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.
Learn more about Dulce Maria in this interview she gave to the B-MRS Newsletter.
Tell us what led you to become a scientist.
Since I was a child, I’ve been very curious and observant. Once, I saw my grandmother extracting castor oil, in a very traditional way, and upon seeing that methodology, I immediately decided to choose another method that would produce a higher oil content. The oil was used to light lamps in the homes of my father’s employees. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to make some modifications to the extraction process. This resulted in a significant increase in oil production.
Some time passed, and I went to Fortaleza for high school. After finishing high school, I took the university entrance exam and passed, and began taking courses in chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, among others. I quickly fell in love with chemistry. I spent my days in the lab helping my inorganic chemistry professor (Ester Weyne) prepare experimental classes. And from then on, I found myself wanting to know more and more about that complex and enchanting world.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I was already a federal civil servant, but I was away from the place that gave me joy and pleasure. I took unpaid leave and applied for a master’s degree in inorganic chemistry at the University of São Paulo. At the time, there were only five scholarships for twelve applicants, but since I was accepted first, I received a CNPq scholarship. I completed my master’s degree under the supervision of Professor Léa Barbieri Zinner and Professor Geraldo Vicentini.
One of the external circumstances that helped me become the scientist I am was the attention I received from my husband (now a professor at UFRN) and my advisors, who allowed me to grow scientifically and participate in international conferences where I could chart all the paths I wanted to follow. This allowed me to be resilient and always seek knowledge beyond what I already had.
When I finished my master’s degree, I passed three competitive exams for different universities, and my first contract was in August 1982 at UFPB, where I spent two years and six months. In 1985, I transferred to UFRN, and that same year, I returned to the University of São Paulo to pursue my doctorate.
After completing my doctorate, I won my first research project at CNPq, and we began developing special materials for catalysis, sensors, and materials for adsorbing metals from water produced in the oil and gas industry. My dedication was strongest in the upstream area, and in the meantime, we created two important laboratories for UFRN: the Cement Laboratory (Labcim) and the Environmental Technology Laboratory (Labtam).
Currently, I coordinate Labtam, whose expertise encompasses the energy sector, focusing on biomass, chemical looping processes, catalytic materials, and oxygen transporters, in addition to a strategic area such as machine learning.
What accomplishments have given you the greatest satisfaction in your research career, besides scientific research itself?
Besides scientific and technological research, I consider myself a project and people manager and a successful administrator, considering that Labtam has 30 researchers, 7 professors, and 10 udergraduate students, as well as master’s and doctoral students, all with grants.
I created the PhD program in materials science and engineering in 1998 and coordinated it for four years, currently with a 7.0 (maximum) CAPES rating. I was coordinator of the PPGQ from 2020 to 2023, which had a 4.0 rating for 18 years, and during that time we achieved a 6.0 rating.
Another activity that gave me great pleasure was participating in the advisory committee for the Metallurgy and Materials area of the CNPq. Ultimately, these little things bring us satisfaction.
Based on your experience, what can you tell us about the possibilities of training as a materials scientist in the Northeast region today and 40 years ago?
Today, becoming a materials scientist in the Northeast is no longer a major challenge, especially regarding the infrastructure available for graduate programs. A level 7 program (CAPES) has more resources, has many projects, and, consequently, scholarships are available. Today, opportunities abound, and globalization allows us to discuss results with other scientists from around the world in real time. Furthermore, funding agencies subsidize many training programs. Today, we have well-established funding programs. Finally, 40 years ago, there was only a graduate program in materials science and engineering, in São Carlos, as it was the first institution to create this program. I personally consider myself a scientist in the field of strategic materials, not because I took this course, but because of the areas I have a thorough command of.
Briefly comment on the main research topics you’ve addressed throughout your scientific career in the field of materials.
Considering my research background, rare earths (lanthanides) have never been outside the scope of my research, as they were addressed in my master’s dissertation and doctoral thesis in different contexts of synthesis and characterization, especially in my doctoral work, which involved the preparation of single crystals for determining crystal structures. This provided me with a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Rare earths are such important elements that they can be used to produce neodymium magnets (used in BYD cars), lasers, photovoltaic panels, perovskite catalysts, sensors, etc. Currently, we use lanthanum-nickel-based perovskites to produce synthesis gas and inorganic lanthanum-bismuth-based perovskites to produce solar cells. We have published papers on the subject and patents applications. It’s an exciting and challenging topic.
Regarding the Cement Laboratory, we established it in 1989 (myself, Prof. Eduardo Martinelli, and Prof. Marcus Melo) and coordinated it until 2010. In this area, we trained many master’s and doctoral students, many of whom are now working in oil and gas companies. We produced extensive work in this area and held 11 patents. We left the laboratory well-equipped with over 10 million dollars in equipment (of course, the effort was made by the entire team), and today it is managed by Prof. Júlio Cézar Freitas and Prof. Martinelli.
Considering my entire career, I believe that what excites me most is creating new materials for application in what is called a global challenge: smart materials such as nanometric catalysts, batteries, carbon nanotubes, and supermagnets.
Think about the scientific or technological discoveries you’ve participated in throughout your career and briefly describe some that you consider most relevant or interesting.
One of the most recent discoveries concerns changes in the behavior of materials, based on their modulation by artificial intelligence. We modulate materials for specific purposes using a platform developed in our laboratory, using key algorithms to obtain the best material for this or that purpose.
In your teaching and research career, have you encountered any challenges related to being a woman?
I personally have never encountered any challenges because of being a woman. Also, I’ve always taken on the greatest responsibilities; perhaps this behavior has protected me.
After 45 years of dedication to science, what are your next plans?
My plans are basically twofold: to continue collaborating at Labtam, mainly in the project area, and to give lectures in public schools to encourage young people to pursue careers that contribute to the growth of the country.
Leave a message for our younger readers who are starting a scientific career in Brazil or are considering it.
Message to young people: Never give up on your dreams. It may be difficult today, but it’s never been easy for anyone!