The 2025 Admiral Álvaro Alberto Award for Science and Technology was awarded to Antônio José Roque da Silva, a professor of physics at the University of São Paulo (USP), coordinator of the Sirius project, and general director of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo. The award, granted by Brazil’s National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) and the Brazilian Navy, is one of the country’s most prestigious science prizes. It consists of a diploma, a medal, R$200,000 in cash, and a trip to Antarctica. Silva was head of the design and construction of Sirius, one of the most advanced synchrotron light sources in the world, for 15 years. “Sirius is the materialization of what Brazilian science is capable of doing when there is a long-term vision, adequate investment, and appreciation of knowledge. It is a concrete example of the technical and intellectual capacity we have in Brazil, something we need to show society with pride,” he said in a CNPEM statement.
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