Event Celebrates Aloisio Araujo’s Legacy in Mathematical Economics
The 25th Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET) began this Monday (the 13th) at IMPA’s headquarters. The opening ceremony brought together researchers from different countries to celebrate the career of IMPA emeritus researcher and FGV professor Aloisio Araujo, who turned 80 in January 2026.
IMPA Deputy Director Jorge Vitório Pereira highlighted the historical significance of the event and Araujo’s contributions to mathematical economics in Brazil. “After earning his Ph.D. at Berkeley (California), he could have stayed in another country, but he returned to a Brazil that had virtually no mathematical economics. He founded an undergraduate program in the field here in 1980 and worked for years, practically on his own. Aloisio was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1946. His career and the field of mathematical economics in Brazil grew together,” Pereira noted.
Jorge Vitório Pereira
The president of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics (2010), Christopher Pissarides, a professor at the London School of Economics, highlighted the importance of the conference for the community of economic researchers and emphasized the role of SAET in promoting debates and advances in the field.
On his first visit to IMPA, Pissarides thanked the Institute for organizing the event and highlighted Araujo’s contributions to the research. “It is a great pleasure to see so many of you participating in this conference. We wish Aloisio every success and thank him for his contributions to the economy and to the advancement of research,” he said.
Christopher Pissarides
Speaking on behalf of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), IMPA researcher Claudio Landim also paid tribute to Aloisio Araujo. “It is a privilege and an honor to be here and to be able to personally congratulate Aloisio. Among the milestones of his career is the founding of the School of Mathematical Economics in Brazil. This is a major contribution to Brazilian science, to mathematics, and to IMPA. I am very happy to be here to honor all of his students and his career,” he said.
Claudio Landim
Representing the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), the event’s sponsor, Nelson Barbosa, Director of Planning and Institutional Relations, presented the history of the institution—founded in 1952—and its support for Brazilian development. Barbosa also highlighted IMPA’s role in training master’s and doctoral students and in advancing economic research in the country.
“I would like to thank the researchers at IMPA for the excellent work they have done over the past few decades, especially Professor Aloisio Araujo for all his dedication and achievements, and also the Getulio Vargas Foundation,” he said.
Nelson Barbosa
The event’s opening ceremony also featured Andreu Mas-Colell, a professor in the Department of Economics at Pompeu Fabra University, and a lecture by M. Ali Khan of Johns Hopkins University.
Andreu Mas-Colell
Aloisio Araujo expressed his gratitude for the tribute and spoke about how moving it was to participate in the gathering that brings together researchers from different countries. “I feel very proud to be here. It is a great joy to be part of this moment.”
Aloisio also emphasized the importance of the people who were part of his professional journey and supported the development of economic mathematics in Brazil.
Aloisio Araujo
The 25th Annual SAET Conference continues through July 18 at IMPA, bringing together researchers from different countries to discuss recent advances in economic theory. In addition to Christopher Pissarides, the program will feature two other Nobel laureates in Economics, James J. Heckman and Lars Peter Hansen, professors at the University of Chicago, as well as other prominent researchers.
The special program honoring Aloisio Araujo’s 80th birthday will take place on Saturday (the 18th). The 25th SAET is sponsored by BNDES and supported by CNPq and Faperj.