Guilherme Ary Plonski and Roseli de Deus Lopes take office as directors of the IEA

Roseli de Deus Lopes and Guilherme Ary Plonski during the presentation of their management program, on March 6

Professors Guilherme Ary Plonski and Roseli de Deus Lopes took office on April 12 after being elected to the positions of directors of the IEA for 2020-2024. They obtained 94 votes from members of the institute's electoral college on March 10.

Plonski was the deputy director of the Institute for the previous four years, and is a professor at USP's Polytechnic School (EP) and at the School of Economics, Business, and Accounting (FEA). Lopes is also a professor at EP.

To dispute the votes, the elected representatives have presented the management program "Innovation, Excellence, Openness." There were no competing candidates.

Conducted through an electronic voting and counting system, the election was attended by current and former members of the Institute's Board, former directors and deputy directors, directors of USP's undergraduation and research units, representatives of congregations that make up the University Council, and IEA's research committee chairman.

Proposals

In their management program, the pair proposes greater emphasis on the academic mission of the Institute as a place for critical reflection, a sensor of advancements on the international border of knowledge, and an incubator of propositional ideas.

They also argue that the IEA should incorporate a study platform to better understand the global challenge of technological disruption and elaborate systemic proposals to deal with this scenario.

The program considers that the priority of developing the theme "University in Transformation" at the IEA should be maintained in order to discuss how academia can contribute to societies dealing with some of the major global challenges, such as the risks arising from technological disruption and the growing polarization in the field of ideas.

Profiles

In addition to currently being IEA's deputy director, Plonski has been a member of the Institute's Board for two terms. A full professor at FEA and an associate professor at EP, he is a member of the congregation at USP's Institute of International Relations (IRI) and vice-coordinator of the univerisity's Innovation Center. He has also chaired the Institute for Technological Research (IPT).

Associate professor at EP, Lopes is the coordinator of several programs of USP's Dean for Research and general coordinator of the Brazilian Science and Engineering Fair (FEBRACE), which she has conceived. She has been director of Estação Ciência and academic coordinator of the program "USP and the Professions," both linked to the Dean for Culture and Extension.