Sergio Neves Monteiro graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 1966. Soon after graduation, he went to the United States to continue his education at the University of Florida (UF), invited by a professor from that university. At UF he developed work on deformation of materials and obtained master’s (1968) and doctorate (1972) degrees, both in Materials Science and Engineering. In 1976 he held a postdoctoral fellowship in Germany, at the University of Stuttgart.
Between his masters and doctorate, he returned in 1968 to UFRJ as a professor and became coordinator of the Metallurgical Engineering course, as well as he participated in the creation of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program in the Institute Alberto Luiz Coimbra for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering (COPPE). He was full professor of the Metallurgical Engineering department at UFRJ and COPPE until he retired from his post in the university in 1993. Then he started working in the Darcy Ribeiro State University of the North of Rio de Janeiro (UENF), where he took part in the implementation of the university and created the Advanced Materials Laboratory. He was full professor at UENF until 2012. Since 2012, he is a collaborating professor of the Military Institute of Engineering (IME), also in Brazil.
Throughout his career, he held various management positions at UFRJ, UENF, the research foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), the Department of Science and Technology of the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Association of Metallurgy and Materials (ABM), among other institutions.
He is holder of a fellowship 1A from the Brazilian national research foundation (CNPq) for scientific productivity. In 47 years of academic life, he advised about 80 masters and doctoral dissertations and has published over 500 articles in national and international journals, as well as 58 book chapters.
He received awards and distinctions from ABM, FAPERJ and Institute of Superhard Materials (Ukraine), among others. He is a fellow of the American Society for Metals.
Here follows an interview with the researcher.
SBPMat Newsletter: – So what led you to become a researcher and work in the Materials area?
Sergio Neves Monteiro: – Since I was a child I have been interested in nature, like animals, rocks, stars, earthquakes, volcanoes and all that surrounds us. So when I was admitted into the School of Engineering at UFRJ, the area I was immediately interested in was Metallurgy and Materials. In my third year at the university, as monitor of professor Hervasio de Carvalho (then president of the National Nuclear Energy Commission, CNEN) I came into contact with research and was motivated to take courses at COPPE, which had recently been implemented at the UFRJ Chemistry School in Praia Vermelha. Invited by Professor Robert Reed-Hill, one of the professors of the course, I traveled to the University of Florida shortly after the completion of my undergraduate course to pursue masters studies, and thus, beginning my career as a researcher.
SBPMat Newsletter: – What, in your consideration, are your main contributions to the Materials area?
Sergio Neves Monteiro: – As a professor at UFRJ, I implemented in 1968, along with professors Walter Mannheimer and Ubirajara Cabral, the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program in COPPE. I was part of the education of the first masters and doctors in the area and participated in the organization of the 1st CIBECIMat, coordinated by professor Waldimir Longo from IME. I was Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at UFRJ, Secretary of Higher Education in MEC in Brasilia, Assistant Secretary of Science and Technology of the State of Rio de Janeiro and President of the Board of FAPERJ. In research, I have been actively and innovatively contributing with the following topics:
· Dynamic aging of metals;
· Properties of composites reinforced with natural fibers;
· Ballistic protection mechanisms associated with new materials;
· Characterization of conventional ceramic with incorporation of industrial waste;
· Processing techniques of diamonds and other metals/superhard alloys.
Details of my accomplishments are available in my curriculum in the Lattes Platform.
SBPMat Newsletter: – Leave a message for our readers who are starting their careers as scientists.
Sergio Monteiro Neves: – I congratulate the young Brazilian scientists for the path they have chosen. I remember that much more than a career with stability and adequate remuneration in teaching and research institutions, being a researcher can bring great personal satisfaction and the certainty of contributing directly to the country’s development. The publication of articles in international journals of high impact is a tremendous achievement with recognition by the community. Research has been one of the main tools for technological advances and quality of life in developed countries.
Hamilton Gomes Ventura
Abaixo de Deus e graças ao professor Sergio Neves Monteiro optei pela especialidade de Metalurgia na Escola Politécnica da UFRJ. Com uma palestra e seu entusiasmo de acreditar no nosso Brasil, conclui em 1976. Hoje me considero um profissional realizado e, embora não tenha mais contato com ele, acompanha-o através da ABM (Associação Brasileira de Metalurgia a Materiais).