Suzana Herculano-Houzel assumes chair Otavio Frias Filho – 05/08/2023 – Power

Biologist and neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel will take office this Tuesday (9) as holder of the Otavio Frias Filho Chair in Communication, Democracy and Diversity Studies, created by USP’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA) in partnership with Sheet.

The ceremony will be held in an online event at 3 pm, with the participation of the neuroscientist and representatives of the two partner institutions. There will be a live broadcast on the IEA website (www.iea.usp.br/aovivo) and YouTube, with prior registration.

Herculano-Houzel has been an associate professor at Vanderbilt University (United States) since 2016 and a columnist for Sheet. She is one of the main names in Brazilian neuroscience, with works of international repercussion.

“The invitation to the chair not only makes me very honored. It is also the perfect opportunity to explore with the public and specialists themes that interest me as a researcher”, declared Herculano-Houzel when being announced as the new holder.

Recognized for her research on the evolution of the brain, the neuroscientist will address the subject “Science, Communication and the Future”, promoting contact between different disciplines.

Scientific dissemination has always been one of its focus. Among his many books for the lay public is “The Human Advantage – How Our Brain Became Superpowerful” (Companhia das Letras). She was also the presenter of a segment on Fantástico, on TV Globo.

For his inauguration, Herculano-Houzel will give a conference with the title “As long as it works: for a more optimistic vision of life where diversity is the norm”.

The neuroscientist succeeds journalist Muniz Sodré, who is professor emeritus at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and columnist for Sheet.

The chair was launched in February 2021, when the Sheet completed 100 years of existence. The initiative honors journalist Otavio Frias Filho (1957-2018), who led the modernization project launched by the newspaper in 1984 and directed the newsroom until his death, due to cancer.