Professor Fernando Cerdeira, from the Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW), died at the age of 83 on August 22nd. A leading figure in the field of condensed matter physics, especially in studies on semiconductor physics and optical properties of solids, Cerdeira dedicated more than three decades to research, teaching, and the training of scientists at Unicamp.
Cerdeira joined the University in 1974 as a full professor at IFGW, affiliated with the Department of Condensed Matter Physics (DFMC), and participated in the process of consolidating research in the area, with emphasis on studies carried out through spectroscopy. He also worked on the implementation and modernization of laboratories and the coordination of projects.
Graduating in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires in 1966, Cerdeira obtained his doctorate in Physics from Brown University in the United States in 1971. His doctoral thesis, defended that year, remains preserved at the IFGW. The document, which records an initial stage of his scientific career, today also helps to tell the story of a researcher whose work spanned decades within the Institute.
For Professor Amir Caldeira, from IFGW, Cerdeira's story is intertwined with part of the trajectory of physics research at the University. Caldeira arrived at Unicamp in 1980, and Cerdeira was the first person he met at the Institute. According to the physicist, the relationship became close from the very first days, and it was Cerdeira who helped him settle in Campinas.
More than friendship, however, Caldeira highlights Cerdeira's role in building an environment of academic excellence. According to him, the professor did not have a profile geared towards political or administrative work, although he held positions such as department head and postgraduate coordinator. "His work was mainly linked to research, training, and the defense of high academic standards. Fernando always aimed to preserve high academic standards," says Caldeira.
According to the professor, Cerdeira had broad and profound knowledge of Physics. His scientific contribution was mainly concentrated on the study of the optical properties of semiconductor materials, fundamental to modern electronics. Through techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, the researcher investigated how light interacts with these materials.
Professor Alex Antonelli, also from IFGW, met Cerdeira in late 1993 when he joined the University. As a theoretical physicist, Antonelli did not work directly in the same laboratories, but he became close to his colleague through their time together at the Institute.
Antonelli has a concrete memory of his time with Cerdeira: he inherited some of his professor's notes, which he still uses as a reference today. Besides his solid scientific background, he emphasizes his colleague's intellectual curiosity, which extended far beyond Physics. "He was a man of many interests. It wasn't just the professional side. He read a lot, he was very cultured, he knew a lot. Talking to him was always very good," he says.
Even after Cerdeira's retirement in 2011, Antonelli maintained contact with the professor, which included occasional conversations and dinners. "He was a very dear person, he will be greatly missed," says Antonelli.
Professor Odilon Couto Junior, currently responsible for the Optical Properties group at IFGW, met Cerdeira in 2000. He recalls that he initially approached Cerdeira to request a scientific initiation grant, and was then referred to work in the laboratory. "He knew a lot," he emphasizes. In group meetings, he points out, Cerdeira was frequently sought out by colleagues when questions arose about the experiments. "He was a person who saw far ahead."
According to Couto Junior, although the lines of research have transformed over the years, an important part of Cerdeira's legacy remains in the way scientific work is carried out in the laboratory. "Today we do things very differently from what he did, despite using the same equipment. But what remains from him is the way we work, the way we conduct experiments, the seriousness with which we strive to do our work," he states.
The technological evolution of the field itself helps to contextualize Cerdeira's career path. When the professor began his studies, researchers worked primarily with semiconductor materials on a macroscopic scale. With the advancement of technologies, research began to incorporate increasingly smaller structures, reaching materials on a nanometric scale. "The research involves investigating how atoms interact with light and how electrons behave in these materials, fundamental knowledge for technologies such as lasers, LEDs, and other electronic devices," he explains.
Cerdeira's academic career was also marked by international activity. He was a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Germany and a visiting scientist at Bell Laboratories in the United States between 1990 and 1991. In Spain, he worked as a visiting professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Valencia, in addition to being a visiting researcher at the Institute of Materials Science in Barcelona, linked to the Spanish National Research Council (ICMAB-CSIC), between 2000 and 2002.
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