Internationalization

Among the goals established for the four-year period, with the aim of improving research and developing new technologies, there was an encouragement to increase the number of faculty members with post-doctoral experience, mainly through the CAPES-PrInt Program and funding agencies like CNPq. As a result, the PPG-RPAq currently has nine permanent faculty members with post-doctorates (Alfredo Olivera, Maria Raquel, Suzianny Cabral, Silvio Peixoto, Roberta Soares, Flávia Frédou, Thierry Frédou, and Paulo Travassos) and one collaborating faculty member (Paulo Duarte). Among the highlighted experiences, Professor Maria Raquel Moura Coimbra completed her post-doctorate at the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela – Campus de Lugo, Spain, from January to December 2022. Professor Paulo Eurico Pires Ferreira Travassos was at the Université de Montpellier, France, from November 2021 to January 2022. Professors Roberta Borda Soares (September 2019 to March 2021) and Silvio Ricardo Maurano Peixoto (September 2019 to March 2021) completed their post-doctoral stages at Auburn University, United States. More recently, Professor Suzianny Maria Bezerra Cabral da Silva carried out her post-doctorate at the Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy, from May to October 2024. Additionally, Professor Flávia Frédou completed a training course at the “Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy,” a renowned international institution that offers an intensive three-week course in Rhodes, Greece. Its main objective is to promote a course on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, serving as an educational forum for the discussion of fundamental principles of law and contemporary oceanic policies.

In addition to strengthening faculty qualifications, the program also increased the participation of students in sandwich PhD programs through the CAPES Sandwich Doctorate Abroad Program (PDSE). Below are the students participating, along with the countries, institutions, and periods of the program:

Katia Cristina Aparecido
Julio Guazzelli Gonzalez
Andrey Paulo Cavalcanti Soares
Matheus Lourenço Soares da Silva
Thaiza Maria Rezende da Rocha Barreto
Deyvid Willame Silva Oliveira
Gessica Cavalcanti Pereira Mota
Elizabeth Pereira dos Santos
Laenne Barbara Silva de Moraes
Renata da Silva Farias
Vivian Graziela Oliveira Carneiro

Students 1 - France
Students 2 - France
Student 3 - USA
Student 4 - Canada
Student 5 - Canada
Student 6 - Italy
Student 7 - Spain
Student 8 - Italy
Student 9 - Spain
Student 10 - United States
Student 11 - United States

Student 1 - UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTPELLIER
Student 2 - UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTPELLIER
Student 3 - NOAA
Student 4 - UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA- BRITISH COLUMBIA
Student 5 - UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA- BRITISH COLUMBIA
Student 6 - UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE
Student 7 - UNIVERSIDAD DE ALMERÍA
Student 8 - UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI FIRENZE
Student 9 - UNIVERSIDAD DE ALMERÍA
Student 10 - AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Student 11 - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Student 1 - 12/01/2021 to 31/05/2023
Student 2 - 09/2020 to 08/2021
Student 3 - 09/2024 to 10/2024
Student 4 - 01/2024 to 06/2024
Student 5 - 01/2024 to 06/2024
Student 6 - 01/02/2024 to 31/07/2024
Student 7 - 01/03/2024 to 31/08/2024
Student 8 - 01/09/2021 to 28/02/2025
Student 9 - 01/01/2023 to 30/06/2023
Student 10 - 01/12/2021 to 31/05/2022
Student 11 - 01/03/2021 to 31/08/2021

The Sandwich Doctorate Abroad (PDSE) programs conducted with the mentioned institutions were crucial in providing a more robust and diversified academic training for the PPG-RPAq students. These institutions offer excellent infrastructure and advanced research conditions, allowing the development of high-level theses in various fields of knowledge.

Besides the direct impact on the students' education, the international experience significantly contributed to strengthening the scientific production of the program. The increase in student participation in high-impact publications, along with the improvement of the publication quality by alumni and students, resulted in a significant growth in scientific output during the 2021-2024 period, surpassing the indicators observed in the 2016-2020 period. This advancement reflects not only the consolidation of the program in the national and international scenario but also the effectiveness of the strategies implemented for the internationalization and qualification of the research developed at PPG-RPAq.

It is important to highlight the international cooperations of PPG-RPAq with institutions of excellence in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture, which have strengthened academic exchanges and increased the program's international presence. Among the established partnerships, institutions such as the University of Almeria (Spain), University of Florence (Italy), University of Udine (Italy), Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (Mexico), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Malaysia), Universidad Agrária La Molina (Peru), Universidade Técnica de Agricultura (Cape Verde), University of Bologna (Italy), University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), University of Montpellier (France), NOAA (United States), University of Victoria - British Columbia (Canada), Auburn University (United States), University of Washington (United States), and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD, France) stand out.

These partnerships offer wide opportunities for exchange for faculty and students, promoting the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and technologies. Furthermore, strengthening these partnerships enhances the development of joint projects, collaborative research, and participation in international networks, directly contributing to the qualification of the program and the formation of highly skilled researchers in the global scenario.

In the context of policies and planning actions aimed at internationalization, PPG-RPAq prioritized the strengthening of new institutional partnerships, promoting the participation of faculty and students in the CAPES-PrInt Program through initiatives like PVE (Visiting Professor from Abroad), MTE (Missions for Work Abroad), and PDSE (Sandwich Doctorate Abroad Program). Through the PVE program, the program hosted the following professors:

Dr. Giuliana Parisi from Università degli Studi di Firenze – Italy
Dr. Jason Cope from NOAA Fisheries – United States
Dr. Francesca Tulli from Università Degli Studi Di Udine – Italy
Dr. Bastien Mérigot from Université de Montpellier – France
Dr. Lorenzo Lopez Rosales from University of Almería – Spain
Dr. Vincent Vantrepotte from Université Lille Nord – France
Dr. Eduardo Quiroz Guzmán from Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste – Mexico
Dr. Juan José Gallardo Rodríguez from University of Almería – Spain

These interactions contributed to significant advancements in research and innovation at PPG-RPAq. Notable activities include the Brazil-Italy event, which facilitated meetings with students and researchers, sessions with representatives from other universities and the Brazilian Association of Marine Shrimp Farming, a lecture on Brazil-Italy cooperation at UFRPE, and the presentation on “Aquaculture and fishing in the EU and Italy: situation, problems, and perspectives” at the Fish Technology Symposium in Natal/RN, as well as a course on "Traditional and Innovative Fish Processing Techniques."

The PVE program, executed with professors from all these institutions, provided direct contact with the master's and PhD students of the program, meetings with UFRPE researchers and other Northeast institutions for collaborative projects. These actions also strengthened postgraduate education, with these foreign researchers teaching classes in other languages (English) in the program. These courses offered through the PVE program in the "Special Topics" curricular component significantly contributed to the formation and expansion of knowledge among our students:

1/2024 - Bacteriophage therapy in aquaculture: current status and future challenges – Dr. Eduardo Quiroz Guzmán – Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste – Mexico
1/2024 - Bioprocess sustainability – Dr. Juan José Gallardo Rodríguez – University of Almería – Spain
2/2023 - Microalgae biotechnology – Dr. Lorenzo Lopez Rosales – University of Almeria – Spain
2/2023 - Community diversity and ecological functioning – Dr. Bastien Mérigot – University of Montpellier – France
2/2022 - Elements of fish nutrition – Dr. Francesca Tulli – University of Udine – Italy
2/2022 - Traditional and innovative techniques for fish processing and quality assessment – Dr. Giuliana Parisi – University of Florence – Italy
2/2022 - Applied data-limited stock assessment – Dr. Jason M Cope – NOAA Fisheries, USA
2/2022 - Remote sensing optical properties of water and radiometry of ocean colors – Dr. Vincent Vantrepotte – Université Lille Nord – France

The MTE (Missions for Work Abroad) program allowed PPG-RPAq faculty members to visit renowned international institutions, promoting scientific collaboration, strengthening academic partnerships, and increasing the program’s visibility. Under this program, Professors Alfredo Olivera Galvez, Maria Raquel Moura Coimbra, Suzianny Maria Bezerra Cabral da Silva, Luis Otavio Brito da Silva, and Flávia Frédou participated in academic exchanges at institutions like the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Del Noroeste (Mexico), Auburn University (USA), Università di Bologna (Italy), University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), University of Montpellier (France), and University of Toulouse (France). During these missions, lectures on the Postgraduate Program in Fisheries Resources and Aquaculture and the research lines developed were held, with visits to laboratories, research facilities, and meetings with principal researchers and team members at each department, as well as opportunities for collaboration with professors from other institutions.

The PVE, MTE, and PDSE programs significantly expanded cooperation actions between international institutions, where professors and students from our program engaged in strengthening the course, fostering new institutional interactions, and providing greater scientific development for the involved students.

These interactions led to an increase in publications in partnership with foreign researchers, more students in co-supervision, a greater number of professors with post-doctorates, and an increase in students in sandwich PhD programs.

Regarding internationalization with already established partnerships, we highlight the maintenance and expansion of the international cooperation agreement for the formation of doctors with the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, collaboration between French and Brazilian research teams IRD – UFRPE – UFPE through the LMI Tapioca – Tropical Atlantic Interdisciplinary laboratory on physical, biogeochemical, ecological, and human dynamics, and the CAPES-COFECUB 2019–2022, through student and researcher exchanges between Brazil (UFRPE/UFPE) and France (Univ. Montpellier/Brest/Marselha).

Also important in terms of internationalization is the participation of our faculty members in international scientific committees, such as the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) and WECAFC (Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission).

The international cooperation initiatives of PPG-RPAq, including dual degrees (co-supervision), brought significant innovations both to academic guidance and the curriculum structure of partner institutions. These collaborations were established with reference universities like the University of Montpellier (France), Université de Bretagne Occidentale (France), and Université de Toulon (France). As a result, multidisciplinary thesis committees were formed, and academic opportunities for students were expanded. Between 2021 and 2024, ten sandwich doctorates were completed in universities in France, Italy, Spain, the United States, and Canada, further strengthening the program’s internationalization.

Students with Dual Degrees (Co-Supervision):

France: Julio Guazzelli Gonzalez – Université de Montpellier; Alex Souza Lira – Université de Bretagne Occidentale; Leandro Nolé Eduardo – Université de Montpellier; Julie Salvetat – Université de Toulon; Anne Justino – Université de Bretagne Occidentale; Katia Cristina Aparecido – Université de Montpellier

Students with Sandwich Doctorates:

France: Latifa Pelage – Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)
United States: Andrey Paulo Cavalcanti Soares – NOAA; Vivian Graziela Oliveira Carneiro – University of Washington; Renata da Silva Farias – Auburn University
Canada: Matheus Lourenço Soares da Silva – University of Victoria, British Columbia; Thaiza Maria Rezende da Rocha Barreto – University of Victoria, British Columbia
Italy: Deyvid Willame Silva Oliveira – Università Degli Studi di Firenze; Elizabeth Pereira dos Santos – Università Degli Studi di Firenze
Spain: Gessica Cavalcanti Pereira Mota – Universidad de Almería; Laenne Barbara Silva de Moraes – Universidad de Almería

These international partnerships were essential for enhancing the education of students, providing access to new research methodologies, and strengthening academic collaborations between teaching and research institutions across different countries.