Free Event - Bilingual English/ Portuguese
Brazil–U.S. Science: Connecting People, Ideas & Impact
2026 ScientistA Award Hybrid Webinar
Recognizing distinguished female scientists from
Brazil doing postdoctoral research in the US.
Career advice, keynote, and awards.
Friday, November 6, 2026 at 2-4 pm PT
(5-7 pm ET, 19h-21h Brasília)
Opening Remarks
Ronaldo Costa, Consul General of Brazil
Consul General of Brazil in San Francisco
Ronaldo Costa Filho is a seasoned Brazilian diplomat currently serving as Consul General of Brazil in San Francisco, California, appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 2023. His career spans over three decades in various high-level positions within the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international missions.
Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Ambassador of Brazil
Ambassador of Brazil to the United States
Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti is a Brazilian diplomat and economist who became the first woman to serve as Brazil's Ambassador to the United States in 2023. With nearly five decades in diplomacy, she was Brazil's Permanent Representative to the UN (2007–2013), presided over the Security Council in 2011, served as Ambassador to Germany (2013–2016), and was Chief of Cabinet to UN Secretary-General António Guterres (2017–2021). She has also held senior posts in Brazil's Foreign Ministry and received honors such as the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Rio Branco.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Mariangela Hungria, Embrapa
Mariangela Hungria is a Brazilian microbiologist and agronomist renowned for pioneering biological nitrogen fixation technologies that reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers. Her innovations have transformed sustainable agriculture across more than 40 million hectares in Brazil. In 2025, she became the first Brazilian woman to receive the prestigious World Food Prize.
Learn More
Join scientists, researchers, and leaders from Brazil and the United States for a hybrid event celebrating Brazilian women in STEM, scientific excellence, international collaboration, and research with global impact.
Speakers
Mirian Krystel, PhD
ScientistA Scientific Board Member, Dimensions Sciences
Biomedical scientist and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University investigating how the cellular machinery that produces proteins influences adipose tissue function and metabolic health. Her work combines expertise in genetics, molecular biology, and ribosome biology to better understand mechanisms underlying health and disease.
Marcia Fournier, PhD
Founder, President, Dimensions Sciences
Dr. Marcia Fournier is a biomedical leader, scientist, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in genomics, precision medicine, and healthcare innovation. Dr. Fournier holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and came to the U.S. on a Brazilian government scholarship. Her career blends academic research, biotech entrepreneurship, and public service, with a focus on translating scientific discovery into scalable, data-driven health solutions that improve patient outcomes.
Professional Development Panel
Juliana Popovitz, PhD - BALSA member
Juliana Popovitz is a Group Leader at BreezeBio, a biotechnology company that has developed a nanoparticle platform for treating genetic diseases. She leads a team of scientists testing these nanoparticles in animal models, with a current focus on neurological and autoimmune diseases.
Juliana earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Psychology from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) in Brazil. She then completed her PhD in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, where she studied how brain injury affects neuropsychiatric disorders.
Organized by Dimensions Sciences, Grupo Mulheres do Brasil - Vale do Silicio, and Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco in partnership with BALSA, Brave, Brazilian Innovation Diplomacy Program, CATERMAN, Brazilian Embassy in Washington and partners.