Committee finalizes the selection of young scientists attending the Intercontinental Academia

The Senior Committee that coordinates the Intercontinental Academia (ICA) has completed the final stage of the selection process of the 15 young researchers who will participate in the pilot-project initiative. The result is the composition of a plural group, which includes the geographic diversity and the dialogue between East and West pursued by the ICA's creators for this first edition. Among the scientists there are representatives from three continents and nine countries: Germany, England, Finland, India, Japan, China, Taiwan, the United States and Brazil.

The selection began in the Senior Committee Meeting held in September 2014 at the Institute for Advanced Study in Freiburg (FRIAS), when the first names were chosen. In order to ensure the participation of young researchers from different countries, cultures and academic traditions, the decision on the other scientists was postponed until there was time for new candidates from other regions of the world to sign up.

The process was resumed in the 3rd Meeting of Directors of University-Based Institutes for Advanced Study (UBIAS) - a network which brings together 34 institutes for advanced studies based in universities around the world, to which the ICA is bound. During the event, held in November 2014 in Taipei, there was agreement on the appointment of four new candidates, all from Asia. The process was finalized in February 2015, when the last two researchers were chosen.

INTERCONTINENTAL ACADEMIA

Synthesized in the concept 2+2+2, the ICA is an international academic cooperation project which aims to bring together two institutes of UBIAS from two different continents to develop, over two interdisciplinary workshops, a joint research focused on a cross-thematic topic.

PARTICIPANTS

America

André Mascioli Cravo - Brazil
A psychologist graduated from USP, where he also received his PhD in neurophysiology and did a post-doctoral internship at the Medical School. Cravo is a professor for cognitive neuroscience at the Math, Computing and Cognition Center of the Federal University of ABC (UFABC).

Eduardo de Almeida - Brazil
A biologist graduated from the University of Minas Gerais and a PhD in entomology from Cornell University. Almeida is a professor of the Department of Biology at USP’s Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP).

Adriano De Cezaro – Brazil
A mathematician graduated from the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), PhD in mathematics by the National Pure and Applied Mathematics Institute (IMPA) and postdoctoral fellow at the Computer Science Institute of the University of British Columbia. Cezaro is a professor at FURG’s Mathematics, Physics and Statistics Institute.

Helder Nakaya - Brazil
A biologist graduated from USP, where he also received his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology. Post-doctor from Emory University. Nakaya is a professor at the Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis of USP’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (FCF), and at the Department of Pathology of Emory University‘s School of Medicine.

Marius Müller - Brazil (in spite of being German, USP is supporting him at the ICA)
A biologist graduated from the Christian-Albrechts-University and PhD in marine biogeochemistry from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences. Müller is a post-doctor from the Oceanography Laboratory of Villefranche-sur-mer and from the Institute of Marine Studies of the University of Tasmania. He is a post-doctorate fellow at USP’s Institute of Oceanography (IO).

Nikki Moore - United States
A bachelor of Arts from Baylor University and master in History, Theory, and Art and Architecture Criticism from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Moore is a doctoral student in art history at Rice University.

Asia

Norihito Nakamichi — Japan
Graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture of the Nagoya University, where he also received his PhD in the same area. Nakamichi is an associate professor at the Institute of Biomolecules Manufacturing (ITBM) of the Nagoya University.

Kazuhisa Takeda — Japan
A bachelor in literature from the Reitaku University that has obtained his PhD in area studies from the Sophia University. Takeda is an assistant professor of the Institute for Advanced Study and a researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies, both at Waseda University.

Saitya Das — India
A bachelor in letters (English language) from the Gauhati University that has obtained his PhD in semiotics and structure philosophy from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. Das is a post-doctor in philosophy of literature from the Unit of Philosophy Training and Research of the Université de Marc Bloch Strasbourg 2. He is a professor at the English Studies Center of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Christian Hein — Taiwan
A bachelor and a doctor in English and German comparative literature from the University of Hannover. Hein is a professor at the Languages Center of the Free Arts College of the National Taiwan University.

Liu Yangyang — China
A bachelor from the Nanjing University that holds a PhD from the University of the Southwest, both in China. Yangyang is an associate professor at the Department of Psychology of the Nanjing University.

Europe

Boris Roman Gibhardt — Germany
A bachelor of general and comparative literature, history of art and musicology from the Johannes Gutenberg Mainz University that has obtained his PhD in general and comparative literature from Free University of Berlin. Gibhardt is a professor for art history at the University of Bielefeld and a visiting researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies / Interdisciplinary Research Center at the same institution.

David Gange — UK
A historian graduated from the Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, where he also obtained his PhD in history and was a post-doctoral fellow. Gange is a senior professor of modern history at the University of Birmingham.

Eva von Contzen — Germany
A bachelor of English and Classical Art from the Ruhr-University Bochum that holds a PhD in theory of English medieval narrative. She has been a junior visiting researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Freiburg (FRIAS). At the Ruhr-University Bochum she is currently a professor for culture, literature, and medieval and ancient English language.

Valtteri Arstila — Finland
A social scientist graduated from the University of Turku, where he has also obtained his PhD in philosophy. Arstila is a researcher of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Turku.