🏆 ABCM-Springer Award

A few days ago, I was surprised by several congratulatory messages on my WhatsApp. I’ll admit it took me a moment to understand what was happening. Only then did I find out that my PhD thesis had been selected for the ABCM–Springer Award for Best PhD Thesis in 2024.

The award recognizes outstanding work in mechanical engineering and mechanical sciences, and receiving it was a moment of great joy.

I believe that everyone who decides to pursue a PhD faces countless challenges. Overcoming them requires developing skills that are rarely found in any manual.

My own path, from choosing the research topic to the defense, was highly non-linear. I joined COPPE/UFRJ in 2020, at the Center for Nonlinear Mechanics (Mecanon), excited to learn and collaborate with my peers. Unfortunately, just two weeks later, the pandemic hit and a lockdown became necessary. I took all my coursework remotely, which was far from ideal. The challenges multiplied during that period. When in-person activities finally resumed, most of my colleagues had already graduated, and my journey ended up being quite solitary. On the other hand, this forced me to figure out many things on my own—always under the thoughtful and careful guidance of Prof. Marcelo Savi, and with the support of family and close friends.

Doing research at the PhD level means understanding every detail of what you are investigating. This depth makes it possible to move forward and contribute to expanding the state of the art in your field. But the path also requires dealing with frustration and learning to cultivate resilience, since doubt and uncertainty are part of the daily routine of any researcher.

Another essential point is knowing how to communicate your research, not only to the scientific community but also to those outside it. In this sense, scientific writing, public speaking, and the ability to synthesize ideas become fundamental.

Receiving this award reminded me that, despite the obstacles, research is above all a journey of external and internal discovery. The message that remains is simple: if you feel this is your calling, it is worth persisting and overcoming the challenges.

I will be presenting the results of my PhD thesis in a special session at COBEM 2025, which will take place from November 9 to 14.