From right to left – Ms. Leila Santos, Public Engagement Coordinator; Mr. Ryan Howlands, Consul General; Professor Papa Ndiaye, General Superintendent for International Relations at UFRJ; and Mr. Guilherme Ramos, International Relations Analyst at UFRJ.
On Thursday, September 24, the Office for International Relations (SGRI), represented by its General Superintendent, Professor Papa Ndiaye, and International Relations Analyst, Guilherme Ramos, attended the event “Shaping Tomorrow Together”, organized by the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro.
The meeting marked the arrival of the new Consul and Director of Public Diplomacy, Ryan Rowlands, and aimed to strengthen connections and encourage future collaborations among the institutions represented.
*Translated using artificial intelligence. Minor inaccuracies may occur.
On Monday, September 15, the International Relations Office (SGRI), in partnership with the School of Letters at UFRJ, welcomed a delegation from East China Normal University (ECNU).
The meeting aimed to strengthen ties between the two institutions and discuss possibilities for cooperation, particularly in the fields of Humanities, Arts, and Languages.
Representing UFRJ were Professor Papa Ndiaye, Superintendent of International Relations, Guilherme Ramos, International Relations Officer at SGRI, Professor Andrea Belfort, future director of the Confucius Institute at UFRJ, along with Professor Roberto de Freitas, Director of Extension at the School of Letters, and Professor Patrícia Almeida, Head of the Portuguese as a Foreign Language Division.
From ECNU, the delegation included Professor Ruihua Dai, Dean of the School of Education, staff member Ni Ziram, as well as Yong Zhou, Deputy Director of the Division of Cooperation and Exchange, accompanied by his assistant, Suosi He.
*Translated using artificial intelligence. Minor inaccuracies may occur.
Consul General of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Roberto Enrique Rubio Cunillera, alongside UFRJ’s Superintendent of International Relations, Professor Papa Matar Ndiaye.
On Thursday afternoon (09/18), UFRJ received representatives from the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Rio de Janeiro. Present at the meeting were Consul General Mr. Roberto Enrique Rubio Cunillera and Administrative Assistant Ms. Erika Lozada.
During the visit, UFRJ expressed interest in strengthening ties with Dominican higher education institutions, with the prospect of establishing future international cooperation agreements. It was noted that, so far, no partnerships are in place between the university and institutions from the Dominican Republic.
The Consul General offered the support of the Consulate to help facilitate this connection. The meeting marked the beginning of a dialogue that is expected to continue, paving the way for joint initiatives within the framework of South-South cooperation.
*Translated using artificial intelligence. Minor inaccuracies may occur.
Rector of UFRJ, Professor Roberto de Andrade Medronho, and President of EHESS, Professor Romain Huret.
Last Monday, September 15, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) signed a memorandum of understanding with the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), a prestigious French institution of higher education.
The agreement, signed by UFRJ Rector Professor Roberto de Andrade Medronho and EHESS President Professor Romain Huret, marks a new stage in cooperation between the two institutions, laying the groundwork for joint initiatives with a focus on the Humanities and the Arts.
The EHESS delegation was welcomed at a meeting held in the Rector’s office, which also included representatives from UFRJ’s International Relations Office and the Consulate General of France in Brazil. The Consulate was represented by Vincent Brignol, responsible for science and technology, who reaffirmed the Consulate’s commitment to strengthening ties between UFRJ and French institutions of higher education and research.
*Translated using artificial intelligence. Minor inaccuracies may occur.
If you are a native English speaker and are learning Portuguese as a second language in Brazil, you can contribute to a research study by participating in a speech production test.
To participate, interested individuals should contact the researcher by email at matheusesteves@letras.ufrj.br or by phone at +55 (21) 98931-9072.
The UFRJ General Superintendent for International Relations, Professor Papa Matar Ndyaie, and the representative of HEP Inc. signed the document that formalizes the agreement between the two institutions.
During the 5th International Meeting CCS EM FACES: Food Insecurity-Hunger in the World, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the Haitian Education Project (HEP) signed a cooperation agreement aimed at combating hunger in Haiti,
The Center for Health Sciences (CCS), through its Nutrition department, will support HEP in training personnel and seeking sustainable solutions to tackle food insecurity.
From left to right: Anaize Henriques (CCS), Andrew Macrae (CCS), Papa Matar (SGRI), Luiz Eurico Nasciutti (CCS), and Avany Fernandaes (INJC).
Students from UFRJ, UFF, and UFMG, who served as liaison officers, together with the SGRI team – Museum of Tomorrow (RIO)
In the first week of June, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), through its Office for International Relations (SGRI), hosted two major international events: the Meeting of the League of Universities from Brazil, Russia, and Belarus (June 5), and the BRICS+ University Presidents Forum (June 6–7). Focused on strengthening ties among higher education institutions from participating countries, both events were supported by students from UFRJ, UFF, and UFMG, who served as liaison officers.
Modeled after the role of diplomatic liaisons, these students were responsible for welcoming and assisting foreign delegations throughout their stay, offering logistical, cultural, and administrative support. They worked directly with university presidents, vice-presidents, directors of international relations, and representatives from government agencies and ministries—helping from the moment of arrival to the signing of academic agreements.
In addition to assisting the delegations, liaison officers also contributed to the organization of the events, taking on tasks such as participant registration and technical support.
UFRJ students were selected through a public call issued in 2024, originally aimed at preparing for the G20 Education Working Group meeting. The university extended invitations to other Brazilian institutions, which nominated their own representatives.
For the students involved, the initiative was a valuable opportunity for intercultural exchange and professional development—particularly for those aiming to build international careers.
Watch the video below (Portuguese only) to hear from some of the students who took part in this unique experience.
With the recent appointment of Professor Roberto Medronho as rector of UFRJ, Papa Matar Ndiaye, professor at the School of Chemistry, was appointed as the new General Superintendent of International Relations at the university. He succeeds Professor Amaury Fernandes, a professor at the School of Communication who held the position during the term of the last rector.
In the last session of the Council on International Relations, held on June 4th, Papa was introduced by Professor Amaury as his successor. On this occasion, both Professor Amaury Fernandes, as a former superintendent, and Professor Jennifer Lowe, who is also leaving her position as Academic Coordinator of International Relations, were praised by the Council for the excellent service provided to the university. Professor Papa thanked Professor Amaury and Professor Jennifer for their work in structuring UFRJ’s International Office and for their availability and generosity.
The new superintendent
Professor Papa Matar, born in Senegal, holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Coppe’s Chemical Engineering program, and a PhD in Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering from the School of Chemistry. Currently, he is a professor of the Graduate Program in Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering at UFRJ and of the Chemical Engineering Program at COPPE.
Motion of thanks from SGRI team
The staff of our International Office (SGRI) is immensely grateful to professors Amaury Fernandes and Jennifer Lowe for the four years of cordiality and good service and warmly welcomes Professor Papa Matar, wishing him success during his term.
The Centre for Business and Economics Research (CeBER) is organizing the International Conference on Economics and Business Roads to Sustainability – ICEBRS – to be held at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC), Portugal, from June 29 until July 1, 2023.
This conference is part of FEUC’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
