Serrapilheira Issues Public Call for a New Executive Director

The Serrapilheira Institute launched a public call for proposals to select a new executive director. The person chosen will replace geneticist Hugo Aguilaniu, who has served as the Institute’s executive director since its founding in 2017. Aguilaniu will take over as head of Instituto Relva, an initiative that began as a Serrapilheira pilot project.

Candidates for the position of executive director must hold at least a Ph.D.; have a broad understanding of the university environment and the national and international scientific research system; have proven experience in leadership and management; and be able to engage in dialogue with scientists, the media, and partner institutions in Brazil and abroad.

To apply for the position, interested candidates must submit a resume of up to three pages and a proposal for Serrapilheira of up to five pages, including an assessment of the institute’s performance and strategic proposals for the future. Applications will be accepted until September 4, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. (Brasília time). Check it out here is the announcement.

Serrapilheira will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2027

As the first private nonprofit institution dedicated to promoting science in Brazil, Serrapilheira provides flexible financial support to young scientists investigating fundamental questions in the natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science. The Institute also contributes to the training of a new generation of researchers in ecology and strengthens science journalism and the dissemination of science.

Serrapilheira was launched at IMPA in 2017, and the Institute’s creation can be traced back to Jacob Palis (1940–2025), a researcher emeritus and director-general of IMPA from 1993 to 2003. “The inspiration for creating Serrapilheira “It came directly from Jacob Palis, the renowned researcher at the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA),” Serrapilheira states in an article on the website.

Over the past nine years, Serrapilheira has invested nearly R$ 130 million in more than 400 science and science outreach projects and has helped train nearly 180 students. During this period, eight IMPA researchers were selected through the Institute’s science funding calls: Vinicius Ramos, Luna Lomonaco, Jethro Van Ekeren, Felipe Gonçalves, Olivier Martin, Marcelo Campos, Bruno Braga, and João Pedro Ramos.