Rogerio Cezar Cerqueira Leite

Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory Brazil

Rogério Cezar de Cerqueira Leite (aliases R. C. C. Leite, R. C. Cerqueira Leite) obtained his BS in Electronics Engineering at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics in 1958 and his PhD at the University of Paris in 1962. He, then, spent 8 years at “Bell Telephone Laboratories” (USA) as a researcher specialized in lasers and solid state physics. In 1970 Cerqueira Leite returned to Brazil to direct the Institute of Physics of the recently founded State University of Campinas. Simultaneously, he created the Institute of Arts at the same University. In 1975 he became the General Coordinator of the Professional Schools of this University. Elected Rector in 1978 was prevented to take office by the military Government. From 1982 to 1986 he was the CEO of the Power and Light Company at the State of São Paulo. He created and directed several high-tech companies, was editor to “Solid State Communication” (1973-88), Oxford, England. He is, from 1978; member of the Editorial Board of “Folha de São Paulo”, the largest and arguably most influential newspaper in Brazil. Published 80 scientific papers in technical journals, 15 books, more than two thousand newspaper articles and gave more than 500 talks on technical and non-technical subjects. Received the Chair of the University of Montreal (1979), “L’Ordre National du Merité de France” (1978) and became the first Professor Emeritus of the State University of Campinas in 1987. In 1991 an International Festschrift Symposium was held for his 60 years and a Proceeding was published by “World Scientific”. He had more than 3000 quotations on impact journals (Science Citation Index), was honored with the Brazilian Grand Cross of Merit in Science and the titled of Emeritus Researcher of the Brazilian National Research Council. He is Chairman of the Board of the National Light Synchrotron Laboratory in Brazil since 1984 and was a Member of the Working Group in Energy of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. He coordinated the two Brazilians largest research programs in biofuels, among others. Recently he has created the National Bio-ethanol Laboratory, the Bio-Technology Laboratory and the Nano Technology Laboratory which together with the National Light Synchrotron Laboratory integrate the largest research facility in Brazil and probably in the Southern Hemisphere, the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials at which he is presently CEO and Director General.

Rogerio Cezar Cerqueira Leite

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