Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award in Health and Technology
Brazil
Number of recipients
Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) is looking for a scholar to interact with a multidisciplinary group of researchers in the areas of Health and Technology.
Teaching activities, if any, should not exceed three hours per week.
For further information about this award, please visit the Fulbright Commission website.
Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS) in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul
UNISINOS (Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos) is a Brazilian private community-based Jesuit University, founded in 1969. The university has two Campi located in Southern Brazil (one in São Leopoldo and the other in Porto Alegre) and distance learning centers across the country. UNISINOS welcomes more than 17 thousand students in its undergraduate, master, and Ph.D. programs, which have developed more than 450 research projects, all in its six Schools: Polytechnic, Business, Law, Health, Creative Industry, and Humanities. Technologies applied to health care and the development of medical devices are the main areas of research and innovation for the university, which have been developed through its five technological institutes and the Technological Park – Tecnosinos, where Unisinos shows leadership in expanding knowledge to be applied to several industrial sectors and in the local community.
The awards can total two, three, or four months long.
Two- or four-month awards can be split into equal segments of 1+1 months or 2+2 months between July 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. Split awards are known as Flex Awards. For additional information, please see the Flex description below.
Please be aware that most institutions in Brazil take a recess between December and January.
Flex awards allow the stay to be split into two visits of one or two months each between July 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. There must be a period of at least two months between the two in-country stays.
The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and engage with the host-country academic community.
The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two or three short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host-country academic community.
- Smart materials applied to medical devices and biomedical applications;
- Electrochemical biosensors;
- Wearable, electronic, and flexible sensors;
- Application of nanomaterials in health care technologies;
- Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence applied to health care technologies.
For the award period, UNISINOS will arrange housing at no additional cost for the scholar. It will also provide an English-speaking student to help the scholar settle in.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Candidates can contact UNISINOS to discuss their research projects, plans, and shared interests.
Feel free to direct any project-related questions to Professor Tatiana Rocha at UNISINOS. Would you please copy the Fulbright Commission on your UNISINOS messages?
You will not be at a disadvantage if you do not communicate with UNISINOS before applying.
Preference for tenured faculty.
The scholar will receive a fixed sum of US$ 5,400 per month to cover all expenses but housing. Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos will arrange housing for the award period at no additional cost to the scholar.
Scholars who opt for a Flex Award will receive US$2,400 for two international roundtrip tickets. Scholars on non-flex awards will receive US$1,500 for an international roundtrip ticket.
Information on the following website can help scholars figure out the cost of living, meals, and incidentals in different capital cities in Brazil. There can be significant differences in smaller towns, with lower prices. https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/brazil
Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos will arrange housing for the award period at no additional cost for the scholar. It will also provide an English-speaking student to help the scholar settle in.
During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in the Western Hemisphere (WHA) region may apply for a short-term regional travel grant for activities such as workshops, seminars, presentations, lectures, performances, exhibits, curricular advising, and similar projects, at institutions in eligible WHA countries (Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay). The Regional Travel Program covers travel to and from the destination; lodging may be offered by the hosting institution. Scholars may only apply for this grant once in country on their Fulbright grant. Scholars who apply for the Flex award are ineligible for the Regional Travel Program. Additional information can be found at the Regional Travel Program website.
Brazil
To learn more about Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards in Brazil for 2024-25, please view our archived webinar and slides to hear directly from the Fulbright Commission, IIE staff and U.S. Scholar alums regarding award details, the scholar experience and application guidance.
Summary
Up to 41 awards are available in Brazil. This includes up to 30 All Disciplines awards for early and mid-career scholars, professionals, artists, and 11 Distinguished Scholar Awards in all regions in Brazil. The Distinguished Scholar Awards are opportunities for mid-career and senior academics with experience in Health and Technology, Medical Sciences, Planetary Health, Social Innovation and Sustainability in Multicultural Contexts, and other disciplines.
Fulbright Interdisciplinary Network (FIN)
To promote proficuous dialogues about contemporary issues in the Brazilian context from a U.S. perspective, the Fulbright Commission and the U.S. Embassy in Brazil have created the Fulbright Interdisciplinary Network (FIN). FIN is an opportunity for Distinguished Scholars to connect with five Brazilian universities during the award period and enrich their experience through online and onsite discussions, working collaboratively with faculty and advising students from all regions of Brazil.
Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and it is similar in size to the continental United States. It is also the largest country in South America and the largest Portuguese-speaking country globally, with around 211 million people and 43% living in its Southeast region. As to ethnic background, like the United States, Brazil has a very diverse population. According to the Brazilian Statistics Bureau, Brazilians self-identify as White (42.7%), two or more races (46.8%), Black (9.4%), and of Indigenous or Asian descent (1.1%). The most important economic sectors are agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services. In spite of poverty reduction achievements over the last decades, inequality remains at high levels in one of the world's largest democracies and economies.
After achieving universal coverage in primary education, Brazil is now struggling to improve the educational system's quality and outcomes, especially at the lower and upper secondary levels.
Brazil has a wide range of higher education institutions, with over 200 universities, as well as 3,472 master’s programs and doctoral programs with 122,000 graduate students. There are currently over 37,000 research groups around the country, with more than 200,000 researchers. Its leading research centers in agriculture, energy, biotechnology, environmental sciences, and epidemiology attract scholars and students worldwide. Among the top 20 universities listed in the Times Higher Education 2020 ranking, 13 are from Brazil. Additionally, Brazil is responsible for 52% of Latin American publications in indexed journals, which places the country as fourteenth worldwide by the Scimago Journal and Country Rank.
The extended coverage of Fulbright U.S. Programs in the country has been possible thanks to the significant contributions from Brazilian strategic partners such as the Brazilian Government through the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES).
2017-18 Study and Researcher Kainen Bell in Olinda, Brazil
2015-16 and 2019-20 U.S. Scholar John Spencer in Ilha de Marajó, Brazil
2017-18 Study and Researcher Vanessa Castaneda in Salvador, Brazil
2018-19 Fulbright U.S. Student Matthew Aruch
- Blog from 2019-2020 U.S. Scholar to Brazil Theresa Robbins Dudeck in Theater Studies in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: https://www.theimprofessor.com/single-post/2019/11/29/impro-in-brazil-endings
- News from 2019-2020 U.S. Scholar to Brazil King Chung in Audiology in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba and Bauru, Sao Paulo:
For candidates in the medical sciences, please note that Fulbright Scholars may not engage in activities that require direct patient or clinical contact.