Memorial descritivo para promoção à classe de Professor Titular da Carreira do Magistério Superior

Abstract

I present this memorial not only as a requirement for promotion to Full Professor, but as a summary of a life dedicated to teaching, research, and management at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU). My journey, marked by overcoming personal challenges and the constant pursuit of scientific excellence, is deeply intertwined with the history of this institution itself. It was here that I began my education and where, over the last 16 years, I have consolidated my identity as a teacher. My first academic steps were taken in this University, where I graduated in Chemistry (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) and completed my master’s degree in physical chemistry, focusing on Crystallography. However, science demands the exploration of new frontiers. Therefore, I went on to the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) to pursue a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry, a stage enriched by a sandwich internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the United States. Later, I deepened my specialization with a postdoctoral fellowship in the Polymer Group at the São Carlos Institute of Physics (USP), dedicating myself to molecular dynamics simulations in biological systems. Back at home as a professor and researcher, I have been actively involved in consolidating the field of Theoretical Chemistry and Molecular Modeling at UFU. My efforts are focused on the study of biopolymers—such as chitin and chitosan—and the development of nanobiosensors. I am proud to see this dedication reflected in dozens of articles published in high-impact international journals, but mainly in the training of new scientists whom I have had the honor of advising on doctoral theses, master's dissertations, and scientific initiation projects. In the classroom, I have traversed various fields of knowledge, teaching courses in chemistry, physics, engineering (mechanical, mechatronics, and aeronautics), biology, and animal science, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. My teaching is guided by a genuine commitment to quality education and overcoming daily pedagogical challenges. I always seek to integrate theory with practice in order to spark excitement and scientific interest in my students—a motivation that stems from my own experience of vocational discovery and love for chemistry. In addition to teaching and research, I have remained actively involved in the administrative life of the UFU Chemistry Institute, contributing through various institutional committees and in the organization of teaching responsibilities. Looking back, I see a journey defined by resilience and the defense of public higher education. In these pages, I reaffirm my unwavering commitment to the advancement of science, the training of new researchers, and the continued strengthening of the Federal University of Uberlândia.