15/05/2020

Jacob Palis is honored in the 'Scientists of Brazil' series.

“We need to create more mechanisms to track early talents in the sciences, giving them opportunities and incentives. Only with a contingent of brilliant minds in the field is it possible to improve teaching and produce innovation,” assures Jacob Palis. The philosophy that runs through the life of the emeritus researcher at IMPA and the countless initiatives that have multiplied the leading figures in mathematics in Brazil are celebrated in an episode of the series "Brazilian Scientists You Need to Know," from Nexo Jornal .

The video, almost 5 minutes long, narrates Palis's academic trajectory and highlights among his achievements the training of new exponents in mathematics. "Jacob supervised 41 doctoral students who then supervised another 274 researchers, an impact on the geometric progression of Brazilian mathematics." The result of this work, initiated by Palis and other pioneers, led Brazil to the world elite of mathematics in 2018.

The mathematician grew up in a family that valued knowledge, in Minas Gerais. The son of a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father, the youngest of eight siblings, he moved to Rio de Janeiro at age 16 to attend high school. He ranked first in engineering both times he took the university entrance exam, and the second exam was only necessary because, in the first, Palis was too young to enter the University of Brazil (later called the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ).

Towards the end of his undergraduate studies, he attended courses at IMPA and the Brazilian Center for Physics Research (CBPF). He graduated as the top student in his university and had his interest in mathematics guided by some professors. In the 1960s, he went to the University of California (USA) under the guidance of Professor Stephen Smale, where he pursued his doctorate focusing on dynamical systems.

Even with an invitation to continue as an assistant professor at Berkeley, Palis returned to Brazil in 1969 to work at UFRJ and IMPA. He secured funding from BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) to establish a strong doctoral program at IMPA, motivated by the creation and strengthening of academic programs focused on mathematics in Brazil.

Palis's experience in raising and investing funds in academic development led him to hold positions such as president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Brazilian Mathematical Society, the International Mathematical Union (IMU), and director-general of IMPA for ten years.

Furthermore, the mathematician was the first Brazilian to join the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was a member of the Scientific Council of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and also served as its president between 2003 and 2005. At the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), he was Secretary-General from 2001 to 2006 and elected president of the organization from 2007 to 2012. Palis's list of awards includes the Abdus Salam Medal, the Grand Cross of the National Order of Scientific Merit, the Inter-American Prize for Science, and the Balzan Prize, among others.

In March 2020, the researcher's 80th birthday was celebrated in a series of events at IMPA , the Brazilian Academy of Sciences , and PUC-Rio.

The video series "Brazilian Scientists You Need to Know , " supported by the Serrapilheira Institute, is available on YouTube and features 11 more experts who have made revolutionary impacts on Brazilian science. Among the researchers are Carlos Chagas, the sanitation expert who dedicated his life to bringing sanitation and medical care to the interior of Brazil; Bertha Lutz, the biologist who led the fight for women's rights; and Milton Santos, the geographer who expanded the frontiers of geography.

Check out the video: