Professor Roberto Mendonça Faria (São Carlos Institute of Physics – University of São Paulo), president of SBPMat since 2012, was elected second vice-president of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS), an international association whose members are scientific societies or technical groups interested in promoting interdisciplinary research and education in the Materials field. IUMRS currently congregates the materials research societies of Africa, Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan.
The election was made by voting during the IUMRS-ICAM event (Jeju, Korea, October 25 to 29), more precisely at the General Assembly of IUMRS, the annual meeting of the representatives of the adhering bodies. The participants at the meeting voted after hearing the candidates’ action plans. Professor Faria, representing SBPMat, won the voting against researchers from China, Japan and United States. His proposal consisted in a stronger activity in the Latin American countries.
Succeeding a representative of the Chinese materials research society (Chinese – MRS), Prof. Yafang Hane, Faria takes over for two years the second vice-presidency of IUMRS, from January 1st, 2016 onwards.
Professor Robert Chang (Northwestern University), general secretary of IUMRS and one of the founders of the entity, stated that he expects that Professor Faria’s participation in the Executive Board of IUMRS will help expand the entity’s activities in South America.
