Access the original news on the IFUSP portal (pt-Br)
Brazilian Society of Physics awards researcher Neilo Trindade, from IFUSP, with the Anselmo Salles Paschoa Prize. Black researcher with a background in public school education now guides several young people and encourages them to pursue scientific careers.
Adapted from the text by Prof. Susana Lalic, the researcher responsible for Trindade’s nomination.
Prof. Dr. Neilo Trindade, from the Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo (IFUSP), is a young 39-year-old PhD, declared black, who recently received the Anselmo Salles Paschoa Prize – 2024, from the Brazilian Society of Physics. This prize aims to value and give visibility to black people who conduct excellent research in different areas of Physics.
Originally from Taquarituba, in the interior of São Paulo, Neilo faced significant challenges from an early age, being raised by a single mother. Determined to escape poverty, he excelled in exact sciences in public schools and enrolled in the Physics Teaching degree at UNESP, Bauru campus, driven by his passion for physics and the demand for teachers in the field. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in research under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Rosa M. F. Scalvi.
In his master’s degree in the Science and Technology of Materials Program (POSMAT) at UNESP/Bauru, Neilo investigated the optical and electrical properties of alexandrite and was a student representative on the POSMAT Council. In his PhD, he focused on semiconductors, specifically ZnO and ZnO:Al, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. José Roberto Ribeiro Bortoleto, completed in 2015. He completed two postdoctoral fellowships: the first at IFUSP, supervised by Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Mateus Yoshimura, focusing on dosimetric materials; and the second at Clemson University (USA), under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Luiz G. Jacobsohn, working with natural and synthetic detectors.
Professionally, during his master’s, Neilo began his teaching career in higher education, teaching at UNESP/Bauru. He also worked as a permanent high school physics teacher and in private colleges, where he held various roles, including course coordinator and college director. He was a substitute physics teacher at UFSCar and UNESP/Sorocaba. In 2016, he became a professor at the Federal Institute of São Paulo (IFSP), where he stayed until 2022, when he was approved as a professor at the Institute of Physics at the University of São Paulo (USP), consolidating his career at a renowned institution.
In his research, Neilo is dedicated to the study of dosimetric materials, both natural and synthetic, important for the precise determination of irradiation dose in various contexts, including medical and technological applications. Using luminescence techniques, especially Thermoluminescence (TL) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), his projects cover the study of Brazilian minerals and the synthesis of ceramic detectors for radiation dosimetry. He also develops and characterizes pellets that combine minerals with fluorinated polymers, creating thin, flexible, and resistant radiation detectors. Recently, he has characterized minerals similar to those found on the Moon and Mars and established a Laboratory for Synthesis and Development of Detectors, block F (Dosimetry building).
Neilo Trindade has mentored many young people, including black men and women, encouraging them to pursue scientific careers. Despite being a young doctor, Neilo has some impressive numbers, with more than 30 scientific articles, over 100 published abstracts, dozens of student awards, more than 30 presentations at conferences, and 4 completed master’s supervisions. Neilo has also coordinated projects funded by agencies such as Fapesp and CNPq; he is a CNPq Research Productivity Fellow – Level 2 and an Evaluator for the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research.
Given Neilo Trindade’s journey, from public school in a peripheral area to becoming a professor at the Institute of Physics at USP, he stood out as a highly worthy candidate for the Anselmo Salles Paschoa Prize, promoted by the Brazilian Society of Physics. His nomination was made by Prof. Dr. Susana Lalic (UFS-IPEN), with recommendation letters from Prof. Dr. Roseli Kunzel (UNIFESP), Prof. Dr. Ronaldo Silva (UFS), and Prof. Dr. Luiz Jacobsohn (Clemson University – USA), who was also a student of Prof. Anselmo Salles Paschoa.
* Currently, according to the USP Statistical Yearbook, among the 5151 professors at USP, only 121 self-declare as black. At the Institute of Physics, of the 115 professors, only 6 self-declare as black.
