Two participating B-MRS members are listed among the new area coordinators (mandate 2018-2022) of CAPES, the Brazilian federal agency for the improvement of higher education, mainly graduate programs.
Professor Antonio Eduardo Martinelli (Department of Materials Engineering of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, UFRN) was reappointed as coordinator of the Materials Area of CAPES. Currently, Martinelli is a B-MRS Scientific Director and chairman of the XVII B-MRS Meeting. He was also director of the society in 2008-2009 and 2016-2017.
Professor Fernando Lázaro Freire Jr (Department of Physics of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio) was chosen coordinator of the Area of Astronomy/Physics of CAPES. Member of the founding board of B-MRS, Freire Jr, served two terms as president of the society (2006-2007 and 2008-2009) and two as director (2004-2005 and 2012-2013). He coordinated the Physics and Astronomy Area of the Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ) from 2008 to 2012. He was director of the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (CBPF) from 2011 to 2015 and director of the Department of Physics of PUC-Rio from 2003 to 2008.
According to CAPES, the area coordinators are consultants designated to coordinate, plan and execute the activities of their areas, including those related to the evaluation of graduate programs. The process of choosing the coordinators involves all the Brazilian graduate programs of the area in question, as well as the boards and authorities of CAPES.