Dr. Jorge Neval Moll Neto is a neuroscientist specializing in cognitive neuroscience. He received his M.D. from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and his Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the University of São Paulo. He furthered his expertise with a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA. His research focuses on behavior and moral cognition as well as the neuroscience of prosocial and antisocial behavior, values, and affiliative emotions. Dr. Moll is a member of Stanford University's Life Sciences Council and a co-founder and board member of the D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR).
André Moll received his medical degree from Faculdade Souza Marques in Rio de Janeiro and holds an executive MBA in business administration from COPPEAD UFRJ. He also completed post-graduate training in radiology at Santa Casa de Misericórdia and an executive MBA from the Miami Global Executive MBA for the Americas program. He has held leadership positions such as Executive Director of Oncologia D'Or and Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR). He currently contributes his expertise as a member of the Board of Directors of Rede D'Or São Luiz.
Renata Moll received her medical degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and completed residencies in pediatrics at the IPPMG and pediatric Cardiology at the National Institute of Cardiology (INC). She furthered her expertise with a Master's and Doctorate in Medicine (Radiology) at the UFRJ, where she also specialized in echocardiography. She currently focuses on echocardiography and contributes as a researcher and lecturer within the IDOR Postgraduate Program. Her research interests include cardiovascular imaging, congenital heart disease and translational medicine.
Sergio Mello is an executive with over 27 years of experience in communications, marketing, and project management. His background spans the product design, entertainment, and non-profit sectors. Sergio has held senior leadership roles at top global entertainment and innovation companies and, for the past 7 years, has focused on philanthropy, science, and startups. Sergio is a passionate team builder who thrives in creating horizontal, collaborative, and humanized organizations. He currently lends his expertise to Pioneer Science and IDOR Philanthropy as a board member and senior executive, overseeing communications, partnerships, and operations.
Scientific Director
Dr. Sérgio Teixeira Ferreira is a renowned scientist and leader in Alzheimer's disease research. He is a full professor at the UFRJ Institutes of Biophysics and Medical Biochemistry and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the National Order of Scientific Merit. He has held fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trust Latin American Program in the Biomedical Sciences. He was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Investigator and Chairman of the Pan-American Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. With a degree in chemistry, an M.S. and Ph.D. in biophysics, and a postdoctoral fellowship in physics, Dr. Ferreira's multidisciplinary research program spans biochemistry, physical chemistry, cell biology, and—for the past 25 years— neuroscience. He has primarily focused on understanding the mechanisms of memory loss in Alzheimer's disease, a field in which he is a pioneer in Brazil and Latin America. He currently chairs the Scientific Committee of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.
Executive Director
Roberta Costa Marques is an agronomist with a master’s degree in applied economics from USP, a graduate degree in Education and Inclusion from PUC-Rio, and a specialization in Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. With over 20 years of experience managing social organizations, Roberta has served as the Executive Director of Desiderata Institute for 11 years. She is passionate about public health and education policy and is driven by a commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable populations.
Education Manager
Ana Cassanti is an environmental engineer with a bachelor’s degree from UNESP (Brazil) and a master’s degree in energy and environmental sciences from the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), where she also obtained a university teaching qualification from the Vrije Universiteit. Her experience spans the non-profit and private sectors as well as primary, secondary, and higher education in Brazil and abroad. Before joining Pioneer Science, she worked at the Global Center on Adaptation, focusing on the critical intersection of science, education, and youth engagement. A strong advocate for social change, she co-founded the Associação Brasileira de Incentivo à Ciência, driven by her belief in the power of education, science, and equity to transform society.
Administrative and Financial Manager
Leandro Ferreira is a financial professional with over 24 years of experience in the field. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UniverCidade in Rio de Janeiro, an MBA in Finance and Controllership from Candido Mendes University, and an Executive MBA in Management specializing in Financial Management from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. His managerial career has taken him to various organizations, including financial institutions such as Banco Bradesco and large corporations such as Huawei, Ericsson, and Gavillon. Leandro has strong skills in treasury, risk analysis, cost control, macroeconomic analysis, consulting on expansion projects, and budgeting. For the past year and a half, he has used his financial expertise to support philanthropic and scientific endeavors.
Science Program Manager
Marcelo Moura holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with technological attributions, a master's degree, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from UFRJ. His professional experience includes positions at ISI Biosynthetics and Fibers and SENAI CETIQT, where he focused on biotechnology research and development, collaborating with various industries and research centers. He also led the biotechnology team at the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Fibers, overseeing the acquisition and execution of research and development projects.
Events and Community Manager
Rosiane Chanquini holds a bachelor's degree in advertising, marketing and communications from Mackenzie University, a master's degree in administration and marketing from ESPM, and a graduate degree in frontiers of neuroscience from Albert Einstein. Rosiane spent over 25 years of her career at IBM Brazil, where she led integrated communications campaigns, provided business consulting, forged strategic alliances and managed multidisciplinary projects. Passionate about social change, Rosiane believes in the power of education to transform society and she is driven to help break the cycle of poverty. She is active at the NGO Casa José Coltro, where she has volunteered for over three years.
Science Program Specialist
Priscilla Penna holds a bachelor's degree in business administration (IBMR) and a graduate degree in administration (FGV) and is currently pursuing an MBA in project management at UFRJ. Her career has focused on research and innovation projects, with experience working with various funding agencies. Priscilla has played a key role in implementing project offices, applying Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) methodologies, and conducting process mapping to optimize operations. She strongly advocates education and research as drivers of development in Brazil.
Social Media Analyst
Jhonatan Dias Gonzaga is a journalist with a bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Uberlândia and is currently pursuing a master’s in science and culture communication at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). A member of the Brazilian Network of Science Journalists and Communicators (Rede ComCiência), Jhonatan has experience in press relations, institutional communication, public relations, podcasting and audiovisual production. His work has been published in Agência Bori, Portal Drauzio Varella, Sensu Comunicação, Scidev.net, and other science communication channels. Jhonatan firmly believes in institutions' power to foster dialogue around knowledge, especially for young audiences.
Executive Secretary
Ádila Mossri brings over 20 years of experience supporting senior executives in various sectors, including private banking, healthcare, industry and commerce, and oil and gas. Her background, which includes a bachelor’s degree in social work and executive secretary courses and training in Portuguese, time management, and emotional intelligence, provides a strong foundation for her work. Ádila is motivated to apply her deep understanding of human dynamics to philanthropy.
Executive Secretary
Rosana Coelho holds a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese and English literature from UFRJ, where she also did volunteer work as a researcher in sociolinguistics. Her experience includes teaching Portuguese and English, culminating in a role as pedagogical coordinator in 2005. In 2010, she expanded her skills with a degree in executive secretarial studies and transitioned to a career as an executive assistant within multinational companies in the oil and gas, chemical, and marine sectors. At Pioneer Science, Rosana uses her skills and experience to support the organization's mission of advancing scientific discovery for the benefit of humanity.
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