Memorial descritivo da trajetória acadêmica e profissional

Abstract

I am Fábio Augusto do Amaral and I present this descriptive memorial as a reflective requirement of my journey, necessary for the promotion to the rank of Full Professor at the Institute of Chemistry of the Federal University of Uberlândia. My trajectory is the result of quality public education, from my early literacy in Várzea Paulista, technical school at SENAI and at the Antenor Soares Gandra school, both in Jundiaí, to my academic consolidation at UFSCar, where I completed all of my higher education, with a Bachelor's and Licentiate degree in Chemistry, culminating in a PhD in Sciences, emphasis in Electrochemistry, finalized in 2005. After a period of pedagogical maturation at the University of São Francisco, I joined UFU as a faculty member in 2010, committed to the inseparability between the various university spheres, such as my work in teaching, research, extension, and management. In Teaching, I have always taken on various disciplines of different natures and workloads, providing a solid and necessary education for undergraduate and/or graduate students. In the scope of Research, my work, since the establishment of the Laboratory of Analytical, Electrochemistry, and Wastewater Treatment (LAETE), has been one of partnership, initially with Sheila Cristina Canobre, my partner in this journey, until the present moment, with the incorporation of Ricardo Brocenschi (a former advisee) and Rodrigo Amorim (son of a friend from UFU). There, I develop research focused on the extraction/separation of polymeric fractions from biomass, originating from agro-industrial waste for various applications and, in the area of Electrochemistry, both in energy storage (solid polymer electrolytes) and in the detection/degradation of emerging contaminants. The collaboration at LAETE has allowed the publication of dozens of scientific articles in medium/high-impact journals, in addition to the supervision of numerous undergraduate research and graduate students, strengthening national science. In University Extension, my dedication reflects the belief that knowledge must overflow the walls of academia. I highlight the creation of the IQUFU Umbrella Extension Program, the Café na Química (focused on the dissemination of Science), and the coordination of the Leveling Courses in Mathematics and Chemistry, a project that has already reached its tenth edition (reaching more than two thousand students), both fulfilling, respectively, a vital social role of disseminating IQUFU's actions to the community and welcoming incoming students to the University, preparing them for the challenges of higher education. I would also highlight my effective participation in the Chemistry of Things Exhibition (now in its third edition), which takes Science beyond the University walls. But it was in Management that I had the greatest prominence, both in the coordination of two undergraduate courses (Bachelor's in Industrial Chemistry and Licentiate), leading strategic curricular reforms, and as Director of the Institute of Chemistry, where I sought to modernize curricula, update regulatory documentation, and optimize administrative processes. The management model adopted by my administration is innovative, as it strictly follows the principle of equity between technical staff and faculty, distributed into five advisory chambers (Budget, Planning and Infrastructure, Teaching, Extension, and Research and Graduate Studies), which are consultative and guide the Institute of Chemistry Council (CONIQ) in decision-making. Incidentally, I have been presiding over CONIQ for two terms, being the first director of IQUFU to serve two consecutive mandates. All of this trajectory, marked by a consistent score in every year, demonstrates a balance between scientific rigor and administrative commitment. I view this new stage that is to come not as a final point in my career, but as the maturation of a career dedicated to human formation and scientific/technological progress. I remain motivated to contribute so that the public university continues to be an agent of social transformation and academic excellence. I remain committed to honoring those who taught me, maintaining an active role in the human and academic construction of my students, the greatest reason for my efforts and struggles. In the end, this memorial is also about the people who build me daily, in my successes and mistakes, but always in the certainty of being a good public servant.