Last week, the Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) welcomed new classes to its Postgraduate Programs. There are 12 new students in the Master's program in Neuroengineering, with backgrounds in health, biological sciences, engineering, and exact sciences, and 14 new professionals in the Multiprofessional Residency in Healthcare for People with Disabilities (RESPCD), which for the first time includes Physical Education.
The Postgraduate Program in Neuroengineering (PPGN) has offered, since 2013, The master's program is designed for individuals with undergraduate degrees in the fields of exact sciences, engineering, biological sciences, and health. Integrated with Within the CAPES Interdisciplinary evaluation area, the PPGN aims to train highly qualified professionals for the production of knowledge and development of technological solutions focused on addressing global challenges.
Biomedical engineer Andres Ocampo is one of the new students in the Master's program in Neuroengineering. Originally from Bolivia, Andres spent a period in cooperative research at ISD in 2025 through the institution's open interdisciplinary laboratories program, which opens its doors to scientists from around the world.
Now, he returns as a student in the PPGN program, joining a research project coordinated by Professor Carolina Gonzalez that aims to investigate how memory works in the brain, using Neural signal processing techniques.
“I decided to return for a master’s degree because the experience I had during the program at ISD was extremely positive and further sparked my interest in the field. The project I developed motivated me a lot, especially because of the opportunity to work with advanced equipment and experimental methodologies that are ideal for the line of research I intend to pursue,” says Andres.
The RESPCD program, offered by ISD since 2018, includes professionals in Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy, Psychology, Social Work, and Occupational Therapy, and in 2026, it will include Physical Education for the first time, with the selection of two professionals in the field.
Gabriella Noronha is one of those professionals who sought out RESPCD with the goal of integrating her theoretical knowledge with the reality of healthcare and understanding physical exercise and body practices as tools for the autonomy, health, and quality of life of people with disabilities.
"As a physical education professional, I see the residency program as an opportunity to expand my role within the multidisciplinary team, gaining a better understanding of the physical education professional's role in the prevention, treatment, and promotion of health," she states.
Postgraduate studies at ISD
The ISD annually offers places for two cohorts (one per semester) of the Master's program in Neuroengineering and one cohort of the Multiprofessional Residency in Healthcare for People with Disabilities. Students enrolled in both programs are integrated into the Institute's activities in the areas of neuroengineering and neuroscience research, as well as maternal and child healthcare and healthcare for people with disabilities.
The teaching modality for both programs is in-person, with activities carried out at the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience (IIN-ELS) and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Education and Research in Health (Anita), ISD units located in Macaíba, Rio Grande do Norte.
More information about how the programs work and how to enroll is available on the website. www.institutosantosdumont.org.br.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization of the Federal Executive Branch, supervised by the Ministry of Education, with the intervention of the Ministry of Sport. It encompasses the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Education and Research in Health, both located in Macaíba. The ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research, and outreach activities, as well as contributing to a more just and humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
