The University Council (Consu) defined, this Tuesday (4), the composition of the shortlist with the names indicated to represent Unicamp on the Superior Council of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp). The first name on the list is that of Professor Cláudio Francisco Tormena, from the Department of Organic Chemistry of the Institute of Chemistry (IQ). Next, Professor Iscia Teresinha Lopes Cendes, from the Department of Medical Genetics and Genomic Medicine of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), and Professor Rodolfo Jardim de Azevedo, from the Department of Computer Systems of the Institute of Computing (IC). The names will be forwarded to the governor of the state, who will make the appointment. Professors Carlos Alfredo Joly (Institute of Biology – IB) and Marisa Beppu (IQ) also competed for the nomination.
The new appointee will fill the vacancy left by the former rector of Unicamp, Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, who was elected to serve as the Foundation's Administrative Director. The new term will end on July 12, 2030.
The Superior Council, the highest deliberative body of FAPESP, is responsible for defining the strategic, scientific, financial, and administrative direction of the institution. Its task is to determine the Foundation's general orientation and define priorities for scientific and technological funding. Furthermore, it is responsible for establishing structuring guidelines, such as policies on integrity and good scientific practices, intellectual property, transparency, data governance, and financial management.
Cláudio Tormena graduated in Chemistry in the mid-1990s and obtained his doctorate in Sciences from Unicamp in 2000. Before that, however, he completed a sandwich program at the University of Liverpool, England. He joined the IQ-Unicamp as a professor in April 2006 and received the title of Associate Professor in 2012. Tormena is a full member of the Academy of Sciences of the State of São Paulo.
“Unicamp’s representation on the Fapesp board requires a comprehensive vision of the São Paulo science, technology and innovation system, built on experience in research, training, human resources, university management and interaction with research funding instruments,” said the director of the IQ, Ítalo Odone Mazali, who defended his colleague’s nomination to the University Council.
Iscia Teresinha Lopes Cendes, in turn, works in the field of neurogenetics, focusing on the study of genetic and phenotypic markers in neurological diseases, with a special emphasis on epilepsies. Her main interest lies in investigating the molecular mechanisms that contribute to these diseases. She has received numerous awards and distinctions for scientific contributions, including election as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the highest recognition for scientists in Brazil.
“She is a scientist with a strong academic output, but she has also directed a significant part of her career and energy towards a strategic aspect of current science, which is making genomic data from populations normally outside the global north available,” explained Professor Erich Vinicius de Paula, from the Department of Clinical Medicine at FCM.
Rodolfo de Azevedo, Director of the Institute of Computing (IC) between 2017 and 2019, is a member of the Council of the Brazilian Computer Society (2015-2019). He was president of the Virtual University of the State of São Paulo – Univesp (2019-2023) and Regional Secretary of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC) between 2023 and 2025. He was a member of the Scientific Technical Council of the Eldorado Institute (2021-2026) and currently serves as general coordinator of Technologies and Innovation Partnerships at Fapesp.
“A foundation that funds science in all areas will have to decide how it intends to preserve the breadth and quality of that funding in the face of changing revenue sources, and thus decide how the state of São Paulo should train its next generation of researchers,” said IC director Leandro Villas.
Career Why
The University Council (Consu) also approved on Tuesday the proposal that creates and regulates the Permanent Commission for Full and Exclusive Dedication to Research (CPDIEP) at Unicamp. The new body will be responsible for analyzing, monitoring, and overseeing the full and exclusive dedication work regime of employees belonging to the Researcher Career (Carreira Pq).
According to the resolution approved by the council, the commission will be responsible for overseeing compliance with the full-time and exclusive dedication requirements for researchers. Furthermore, it must issue opinions on the hiring, retention, and termination of professionals.
Reporting to the university's administration, the commission will be composed of five members, three of whom will be representatives from the Researcher (Pq) career track, representing the biological, exact, and human/social sciences areas, nominated by the Internal Chamber for Researcher Development (CIDP). The members' term will be two years, with the possibility of reappointment.
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