Applications for postdoctoral fellowships are invited for conducting fundamental and innovative research at the Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV). One of the positions is to work at the LEMAF – Laboratory of Spectroscopy of Functional Materials at Physics Institute of USP in São Carlos and the other at the LAVIE – Laboratory of Special Glasses at Chemistry Institute of UNESP, in in Araraquara, Brazil; The period of the fellowship is two years, starting in SeptemberOctober 2019, renewable for two additional years upon mutual consent.
CeRTEV is an 11-year (started in 2013) joint effort of the Federal University at São Carlos (UFSCar), the University of São Paulo (USP) and the São Paulo State University (UNESP), to research the area of Functional Glasses and Glass-Ceramics.
The post-doctoral research will be focused on fundamental investigations in optical and magnetic glasses with views to innovative applications. Position one will focus on the development (design, synthesis and characterization) of optical glasses for photonic and biophotonic applications among which could be sensing (ionizing radiation, temperature, gas, etc), optical amplifying, lasing, etc. Position two will focus on the synthesis and characterization of different families of glasses and glass-ceramics (oxide, phosphate and fluoride) with magnetic properties. This is a very new field of application for glasses and many opportunities and possibilities are available. Previous experiences with magnetic characterization techniques and/or synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles are also desired.
The researcher is expected to conduct the post-doc activities in one of the joint CeRTEV laboratories cited above under supervision ofthe leading Principal Investigator in these labs, but also working in close collaboration with the other CeRTEV researchers and students.
Applicants should have a Ph.D. degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science or Engineering (knowledge in electronics and device building is also welcome), previous experience in glass science, solid state physics or chemistry is advantageous. The language requirements are English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.
The monthly fellowships (non-taxable) include ca. BRL 7,373,10 -plus 15% professional expenses (e.g., for travel). Our post-docs from Canada, Russia, Iran, India, Colombia, Pakistan and Brazil typically spend from BRL2000 to BRL2500/month for comfortable living style. Travel expenses from and to their home countries will also be covered.
Please send your application including CV, list of publications, a 2-page research proposal, and the names and email addresses of two senior references by July 10, 2019 to the following persons: Profa. Andrea de Camargo (email- andreasc@ifsc.usp.br) and Prof. Marcelo Nalin (email – marcelo.nalin@unesp.br)
Brazil’s first laboratory dedicated to the study of vitreous materials completes 40 years in December 2016. This laboratory, which began its activities with only a small muffle furnace with temperature up to 1100 °C, today has 18 ovens, 4 which reach 1750 °C, and also thirty instruments to manufacture and characterize glasses distributed over 500 m2. The anniversary in question is LaMaV´s (Vitreous Materials Laboratory), of the Department of Materials Engineering (DEMa) at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).
On the 40th anniversary of LaMaV, the team declares it is fully satisfied with its achievements [see box beside]. The pioneering work of the laboratory was essential in generating, disseminating and applying scientific knowledge on glass in the country, in academia and in industry. “We prepared about a hundred masters, doctors and post-docs, who now work as professors and researchers at major institutions such as USP, UFSCar, ITA, UEPG, UEMa, UFBa, PUC, IPT, CEFET, UFF, UNESP, UFLavras, UFABC, CTA, UNIOESTE and in other institutions in Brazil and abroad, and in numerous companies. This is a very important legacy! ” said Edgar Dutra Zanotto, one of the founders of SBPMat and the Materials Research journal, who founded LaMaV and heads it until today.
But the efforts and results of LaMaV go beyond national borders, since it always featured internationality. The laboratory has received students and visiting professors from dozens of countries. Its team has brought to Brazil the most important international conferences on glasses, it participates in the editorial boards of almost all major specialized journals on vitreous materials and has received seven of the most prestigious international awards and honors of the area – in addition to more than 20 national awards, including the Almirante Álvaro Alberto* award. The group research, especially that on nucleation and crystallization of glasses and glass ceramics, is recognized worldwide. “A significant part of active researchers in this area have heard, attended a lecture or read an article or patent resulting from our research. We have indeed put the city of São Carlos and Brazil on the world map of glass research!” adds Zanotto.
LaMaV is currently very active on glass crystallization issues, structural relaxation and residual stress processes, glass ceramics, biomaterials, and mechanical, rheological, electrical and biochemical properties of vitreous materials. “Today we have an impressive laboratory and excellent financing, mainly from FAPESP (the São Paulo State research foundation) but also from Capes, CNPq (federal funding agencies) and some companies. However, the endless bureaucracy of the funding agencies for purchasing materials and equipment, the accountability and also the uncertainties related to the future of universities (e.g., austerity measure PEC 55 and others), coupled with the shortage of secretaries, technicians and engineers (lab managers) to assist in the organization and maintenance of laboratories, have always been and continue to be formidable obstacles,” ponders Zanotto.
The making of…
It all began on December 15, 1976, when Zanotto was hired as assistant professor at DEMa-UFSCar. His main objective was to start glass research work in the department. In 1970, the first undergraduate course in Latin America in Materials Engineering was created, and two years later DEMa was created. By 1976 the department already had research groups in metals, polymers and ceramics, but no one worked with glasses, Zanotto remembers. “The creation of LaMaV was a natural outcome of setting up the undergraduate course in Materials Engineering at UFSCar,” declares Professor Zanotto.
At the end of 1976, Edgar Zanotto was a newly graduated materials engineer (at UFSCar) who had just completed scientific initiation research work under the guidance of visiting Professor Osgood James Whittemore, researcher in the area of ceramic materials of the University of Washington (USA). “My undergraduate research carried out that year, focused on the chemical durability (leach) of candidate glasses for the encapsulation of radioactive waste,” recalls Zanotto. “And, amazingly, this subject is still hot! ”, he adds.
Soon after being hired, Zanotto created LaMaV. The first experiments – carried out by Zanotto himself – consisted of melting glass at low melting point, using a muffle furnace and a platinum crucible (recipient that can be used at high temperatures), borrowed from the chemical analysis laboratory of the university.
In 1977, the founder of LaMaV started the Master’s program in Physics at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry at São Carlos (IFQSC) of USP, under the guidance of Professor Aldo Craievich, who was probably the only scientist active in the glass area in Brazil before 1976. In fact, he is the author of the first two papers on glasses signed by researchers from Brazilian institutions, both published in 1975. During the Master, Zanotto produced and thermally treated glasses (to generate crystallization) at LaMaV, carried out microscopic investigation at the DEMa metallurgy laboratory, and characterized glasses by XRD and SAXS at IFQSC-USP. Zanotto finished his Master’s research work and defended the dissertation a year and a half later. That same year he began his doctorate, also in the area of glasses, at the University of Sheffield (UK), under the supervision of the famous Professor Peter James. In 1982, having defended his doctorate, Zanotto returned to LaMaV.
“In the first 10 to 15 years, isolated work, inexperience and the uncertainties and difficulties associated with the mercurial research funding, in addition to the reduced physical space and little laboratory infrastructure disrupted our activities”, recalls Zanotto. Nearly a decade after the laboratory was created, the second Professor of the group was hired, Oscar Peitl Filho, Zanotto’s former master’s and doctoral student. A few years later, Ana Candida Martins Rodrigues became the third professor of the LaMaV team. Then in 2013, Marcello Andreeta was hired. “Today we are 4 teachers, 1 technician, 1 administrative assistant and about 30 research students and post-docs, 7 from other countries,” says Zanotto.
The year of 2013 was a milestone in the history of LaMaV due to the approval by FAPESP and the beginning of activities of CeRTEV (Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials). Directed by Zanotto, CeRTEV brings together LaMaV (headquarters of the center) and other laboratories from UFSCar, USP and UNESP, to conduct research, development and education activities in the field of vitreous materials, with funding from FAPESP until 2024. “With CeRTEV, we have established one of the largest academic research groups on glass on this planet, with world-class infrastructure, 14 professors and about 60 research students!”, acclaims Zanotto.
“Looking back, if I could return to December 1976, with the experience accumulated over these 40 years, I believe I’d do it all over again, but more efficiently!”, expresses the founder of LaMaV.
Doctoral students from 28 countries attending the “Glass and glass-ceramics school” at LaMaV, August, 2015.
The São Paulo Advanced School on Glasses and Glass-ceramics, organized by the Center for Research, Technology and Education for Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV) of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) was held during August 1-9, 2015, in São Carlos, SP, Brazil. It counted on generous financial support from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the Department of Materials Engineering (DEMa-UFSCar), the Institute of Physics (IFSC)-USP, Brazil, and Owens-Illinois, USA.
The School was widely advertised during 2 months at CeRTEV´s email list of glass researchers, at Klaus Bange´s email list, and on key web sites related to glass research: American Ceramic Society, Society of Glass Technology, International Comission on Glass, Linkedin (glass research and technology groups), Brazilian Ceramic Society, Brazilian Physical Society, FAPESP, SBPMat (Brazil-MRS), as well as in some journals: Nature, ACerS Ceramic Bulletin, and Glass International.
The participants were selected among hundreds of applicants from around the globe. The selection criteria included a thorough analysis of their CVs, recommendation letters, and the scientific standing of their current research group. The large number of applications and the outstanding quality of many of them made this process quite difficult. In the end, approximately 100 highly qualified students from 19 countries were accepted. Among the international participants were 12 from the US, 8 from France, 7 from Germany, 6 from India, 3 from Italy, 3 from Colombia, 3 from Russia, 3 from China, 2 from Canada, 2 from Argentina, 2 from Turkey, 2 from the Czech Republic, and one each from Spain, Finland, Korea, Japan, UK, Portugal and Tunisia, plus about 40 students from Brazil. Twenty extra guest students and professors were allowed to attend the classes. The organizers covered the travel, meals and accommodation expenses of most of the selected PhD students and instructors.
The school program covered several key, state-of-the-art, topics on glass and glass-ceramics, ranging from structural characterization to relaxation, thermodynamics, crystallization, and properties. The program comprised 11 lectures of 2 hours each, and 3 tutorials about the powerful SciGlass database/software – with a free user license for all the attendees during the School days.
The first day started with an overview of the school objectives and the overall plan (delivered by Prof. Edgar D. Zanotto). The second day started with a “fire” session, where the students had a 1 minute to “sell” the highlights of their PhD research work and poster. In the next day, the school was opened with Professor Hellmut Eckert´s lecture on “Glass structure by NMR techniques”, followed by a lecture by Prof. P.S. Pizzani entitled “Glass structure by Raman spectroscopy”. In the afternoon, the students were assembled into groups of five and a challenge was proposed: to develop – under the guidance of an assigned tutor – an original proposal for a postdoctoral research project on a topic related to glass or glass-ceramics, to be presented at the end of the school, as a requirement for their final “diploma”. This day ended with a practical tutorial of SciGlass, coordinated by Dr. Alex Priven. On the fourth day, the school started with Professor Prabhat Gupta´s lecture on “Structural and stress relaxation in glasses”, followed by Prof. J.P. Rino´s lecture on “Dynamic processes in glass by MD simulation”. After lunch, Prof. Zanotto presented the lecture “Nucleation, growth and crystallization of glasses”, which was followed by another SciGlass tutorial session. The fifth day started with a lecture on “Optical properties of vitreous materials” delivered by Prof. Ballato followed by Prof. A. S. S. de Camargo´s lecture “Spectroscopic techniques applied to glasses and glass-ceramics”. In the afternoon the students had a guided visit to several laboratories of the Physics and Materials Engineering Departments of UFSCar. Lectures on “Mechanical properties of glasses” (Prof. V. Sglavo, Italy) and “Mechanical properties of glass-ceramics” (Prof. F. Serbena, Brazil) were presented on the sixth day of the school. After lunch, the students attended the final tutorial class on SciGlass and presented the main results of their PhD work in a 2-hour poster session. On Friday, the 7th day, Prof. A. Ghosh delivered his lecture on “Electrical properties of vitreous materials”. After this lecture, the students were invited to visit the laboratories of the Physics Institute of the University of São Paulo (USP). The afternoon was dedicated to the final discussions about the postdoctoral projects. The 8th day started with the presentations of Prof. Peitl, Marina Trevelin, Clever Chinaglia (all from CeRTEV (Brazil) and Murilo Crovace on “Bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics”. After this presentation, Prof. Osvaldo N. Oliveira Junior gave an overview of FAPESP`s funding opportunities for young researchers’ projects. Profs. Zanotto´s and Eckert´s talks on research opportunities at CeRTEV finished the morning talks. The remainder of the day was dedicated to working on the students´ research proposals, which were then defended during the final day of the conference. All the 18 presentations were of very high quality and very interesting research ideas were proposed. Many professors and attendees commented that they will likely build on some of these ideas in their own future research! The school ended with Prof. Zanotto´s and Eckert´s farewell speeches and acknowledgements. The lectures and other information can be downloaded from http://www.certev.ufscar.br/g-cc-brasil.
The vast majority of received feedback indicates that the school was a great success and should be repeated. This was likely one of the largest short courses focusing on glass education worldwide. We are confident that the attendees have benefitted greatly from the information and perspectives presented at this school and that they will return home to their on-going research projects with inspiration and new ideas. We hope to remain in touch with these future leaders in academic and industrial glass research, to develop collaborations and joint research projects with them and their advisors in the future.
M. R. B. Andreeta, A. C. M. Rodrigues, E. D. Zanotto and H. Eckert
CeRTEV (www.certev.ufscar.br), São Carlos, SP, Brazil
Glass-ceramics, discovered in the decade of 1950, are produced by the catalyzed internal crystallization of certain glasses containing nucleating elements, and submitted to temperatures from 500 to 1,100 °C. They can present many properties which make of them interesting materials for many applications in the fields of medicine, odontology and architecture, among others.
In the XIV SBPMat Meeting, glass-ceramics will be addressed in a lecture entitled “60 years of glass-ceramics R&D: a glorious past and bright future”. The lecturer will be Edgar Dutra Zanotto, full professor of the São Carlos Federal University (UFSCar), in Brazil, and director of the Brazilian Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials (CeRTEV).
Zanotto became fascinated by glass-ceramics in 1977, when he read the book Glass Ceramics byPeter McMillan, from Warwick University (United Kingdom), while he was completing the graduation course of Materials Engineering at UFSCar. From that moment on, these materials and their crystallization process have been the focus of his studies, first in his Master’s Degree in Physics (USP São Carlos, Brazil) then in his PhD in Glass Technology (University of Sheffield, United Kingdom) and, until the moment, in the research and development projects that hedevelops with his group in the Laboratory of Glass Materials (LaMaV) at UFSCar.
“Orchid”. Optical microscopy image of crystallization in eutetic glass. Credits: Vladimir Fokin e Edgar Zanotto (LaMaV-UFSCar).
Edgar Zanotto is author of an important production in science and glass technology. There are more than 200 scientific articles, with approximately 3,500 citations in Web of Science and 5,000 in Google Scholar; 20 book chapters; 17 patent orders; 2 books and 4 prefaces of international books. His H index is 34, according to Web of Science, and 39 according to Google Scholar. Zanotto already received 28 prizes or distinctions from diverse entities, as American Ceramic Society, Elsevier Publishing Company, International Commission on Glass, The World Academy of Sciences and CNPq, the Brazilian Federal Research Foundation. He is Commander of the Brazilian National Order of the Scientific Merit. He was chairman of six of the most important international congresses on the glass area. He gave more than 110 invited lectures and a dozen of plenary lectures. He is editor of the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids.
Here is a mini interview with this lecturer of the XIV Meeting of SBPMat.
SBPMat newsletter: – What are your most significant contributions or the ones with bigger social impact in the subject of glass-ceramics? Explain them very briefly and comment what was generated from them (papers, books, patents, products, etc.).
Edgar Zanotto: – I believe that the most significant contributions of my research group are referred to tests and improvements of models of nucleation, crystal growth and total crystallization of glasses. Moreover we developed and tested, successfully, models that describe the sintering with concurrent glass crystallization, besides several measurement techniques and theories of dynamic processes (viscous flow, structural relaxation, diffusion and crystallization) in glasses. The numbers of papers, patents and books generated from these researches are described above.
Optical microscopy image of crystal scratch in isochemical glass. Credits:Valmor Mastelaro e Edgar Zanotto (LaMaV – UFSCar).
SBPMat newsletter: – Please, name some products made with glass ceramics that are in the market and some possible promising applications.
Edgar Zanotto; – Throughout the last 39 years we develop glass ceramics from iron and steel slags and from recycled glasses – for application in civil construction and architecture – and also more sophisticated materials for odontological and medical use. These will be presented in the lecture.
SBPMat newsletter: – If you wish, leave a message or an invitation to your plenary talk to the readers who will attend the XIV SBPMat Meeting.
Edgar Zanotto: – In the lecture I intend to revise the main models of nucleation and crystal growth in glasses and to discuss their applicability to the development of new glass ceramics. Everything will be illustrated with colorful figures of innumerable new products. I hope that the lecture will be interesting and motivating for the students and researchers (experimental and theoreticians) of the areas of materials science and engineering, and condense matter physics and chemistry.
The Advanced School on Glasses and Glass-Ceramics (G&GC São Carlos) will take place in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil, in August 1-9, 2015. The School is organized by the CeRTEV (Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials and will be funded by FAPESP (The São Paulo Research Foundation) and the Department of Materials Engineering of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).
We are aiming at selecting 100 top-quality Masters and PhD students (50 Brazilians, and 50 foreigners from all over the world), with excellent CVs, who are currently doing research in the area of glasses and glass-ceramics. We will cover the international travel expenses to and from Brazil, as well as the hotel expenses, including breakfast, and lunch while in São Carlos, for nine nights. Internal travel expenses (for instance, to reach the international airports in other countries), compulsory health insurance, VISA application and dinners will not be covered. The travel expenses of Brazilian students coming to São Carlos will also be covered.
The theoretical and experimental lectures will be taught by the most senior faculty of the CeRTEV as well as by several well-known, highly experienced international invited instructors. The classes will cover the fundamentals of structure, relaxation processes, crystal nucleation, growth, overall crystallization, and properties (mechanical, electrical, optical and bio) of glasses and glass-ceramics.
Interested candidates are cordially invited to upload the following documents in the School’s website*:
Letter of intent;
CV (2-3 page biosketch). Only students working on glassand glass-ceramic research will be considered;
Official (signed) declaration from your university proving that you are enrolled in a Masters or PhD program at the time of registration.
A signed recommendation letter should be sent directly from the thesis advisor to dedz@ufscar.br and ligia.diniz91@gmail.com and o.lucas.lima@gmail.com.
Depending on the number of high-quality applications received the number of students per research group may be restricted. Submissions with incomplete documentation will not be considered.
Questions should be addressed to Professors Edgar D. Zanotto (dedz@ufscar.br), Marcello Andreeta (andreeta@ufscar.br) or Hellmut Eckert (eckert@ifsc.usp.br).
Registration will be open from December 2014 to January 2015. The selected candidates will hear from us by February – March 2015.
The period of the fellowships is two years, starting in January 2015, renewable for two additional years upon mutual consent.
CeRTEV is an 11-year, approximately USD$22 million joint effort of the Federal University at São Carlos (UFSCar), the University of São Paulo
(USP) and the State University of São Paulo (UNESP), to conduct fundamental and applied research in the area of Functional Glasses and Glass-Ceramics. The center comprises 14 faculty members, including some of the world experts in vitreous materials and structural characterization techniques. Research will focus on new glasses and glass-ceramics and the development of structure/crystallization/properties correlations (mechanical, optical, electrical, catalytic, biological) for technological applications.
Applicants should have a PhD degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science or Engineering, and have a genuine interest in conducting interdisciplinary research in an international environment. Previous experience in glass science, solid state physics or chemistry is advantageous. The monthly fellowships (non-taxable) include ca. R$ 6.000,-
plus 15% professional expenses. Travel expenses from and to their home countries will also be covered. The three sister universities are equal opportunity employers and are committed to increasing the proportion of women and ethnic minorities in academia.
Please send your application including CV, list of publications, a 2-3 page research proposal, and the names and email addresses of two references by October 15, 2014 to Prof. Edgar D. Zanotto (dedz@ufscar.br).
