University of São Paulo - Brazil

Winners of the Nobel Prize participate in meeting at USP

Three laureates were present at an event at the University and interacted with the community in a chat about their scientific career.

by Michel Sitnik for USP Journal

David MacMillan, Serge Haroche, and May-Britt Moser on stage at the International Diffusion Center (CDI) of USP, where they shared their stories and answered questions – Photo: Michel Sitnik/USP Images.

On the morning of Wednesday, April 17, the University of São Paulo (USP) welcomed three Nobel Prize winners. In a chat that included advice, anecdotes, and many requests for selfies, Serge Haroche (Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012), May-Britt Moser (Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2014), and David MacMillan (Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2021) shared their personal stories as scientists and discussed their views on the scientific development landscape. The event, called “Nobel Dialogue Brazil 2024,” had the theme “Creating our future together with science” and took place at the International Diffusion Center (CDI) of USP, with an auditorium packed with about a thousand people, including many students who had the opportunity to interact with the guests and ask questions.

At the opening, the rector of USP, Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, emphasized the importance of bringing students closer to these science personalities: “The innovative contribution of today’s guests lies in the global scientific discourse. In addition to being a huge inspiration, certainly this meeting will be a catalyst for our students and faculty to deepen their research efforts.”

The president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), Helena Nader, highlighted the importance of a university like USP hosting such an event: “This event is part of the celebrations of USP’s 90th anniversary, and we are very happy to be part of the select group of the top 100 universities in the world. The next generation is here watching us, represented by students and young researchers. I would like to remind you that in 2015, 193 countries approved a global agenda with objectives to be achieved by the year 2030, including protecting the planet and lifting people out of poverty, seeking sustainable development in a collective journey anchored in science. There are only seven years left until the deadline for this commitment, and we are still far from the agreed-upon results. So, I ask all of you here to embrace science and education, so that we can change the planet.”

When asked about how he would define the concept of scientific impact, David MacMillan explained that there are various ways to create such impact: “Basic research is the first step. Something you investigate can become something incredible and fundamental in 20 years, and in chemistry, we have many examples of that. But there is another impact that I often mention, which is the possibility of inventing a reaction on Monday and, by Friday, people are already using it in the pharmaceutical industry. Suddenly, that bubble you live in ends up affecting the rest of the world. This has an impact on society as a whole.”

MacMillan also commented on how this balance between types of research can be challenging for new scientists: “It’s important to have funding agencies, and sometimes, the reviewers of these agencies can be tough because they are looking for things that make sense based on what we already know. But young researchers may want to go in a very different direction. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to obtain funding for that. So we have a problem, which is ending up doing things that make sense instead of things that are more unusual or have more risk. That’s the big balance for young researchers. It’s trying to navigate to get the resources and do what needs to be done, but without abandoning that high-risk component.”

About a thousand people, including students and researchers from USP and other institutions, packed the audience at the International Diffusion Center of USP – Photo: Michel Sitnik/USP Images.

Serge Haroche also addressed the issue of research costs and funding and how it affects the freedom of work: “In addition to research becoming increasingly expensive and heavily reliant on resources, we see a trend in research programs to direct investigations from the top down, which creates a series of limitations. This is not how research should happen, as you start researching because of curiosity and applications end up arising from an unexpected situation. Legislators should pay more attention to this and understand that they should support research by creating conditions for it to be done from the bottom up.”

Haroche mentioned that he has been to USP several times before and is very familiar with Brazil, having even collaborated with academics from the country, including the current Vice-Provost for Research and Innovation at USP, Paulo Nussenzveig. Finally, he offered some advice to the younger audience: “The essential thing is to have curiosity, to focus on a field that truly interests you, to work well with interdisciplinary approaches, and to know how to deal with setbacks, always with humor and support among the team. Failures are constant, but the great reward of a scientist is when they realize that something previously unknown has been discovered and shared with the world. Being able to observe phenomena that were once hidden and dreaming that they may be useful one day is the greatest satisfaction we can experience,” he affirmed.

For May-Britt Moser, who also emphasized the importance of handling the pressures of this type of work, the role of a leading scientist goes far beyond research itself: “For me, the responsibilities I have not only as a researcher but as a leader mean a lot. We are responsible for the science we conduct, for the animals we use, and also for the people working with us. We become so immersed in the laboratories that it’s as if our hobby is our job. That’s why I feel obligated to ensure that people are happy at work. Doing science is often difficult, and we have to deal with failures, challenges, and the search for answers. But, at the same time, working hard and arriving at an answer is addictive, and that’s why many scientists talk so much about passion. I became a scientist because I was a curious child, and that’s why I’m so addicted today. Even with all the difficulties, I see it as a blessing to be able to do this kind of thing. I consider myself very lucky.”

May also emphasized the importance of diversity in the workplace: “In our laboratory, we have people from 30 different countries. They are from various ethnic backgrounds, and this is very good because diversity enriches. It’s important to have people of all colors, and we’re not just talking about gender or skin color, but also on the inside, with the most varied attitudes, backgrounds, views, and experiences. That’s what broadens our horizons for our work,” she said, emphasizing that “the important thing is not to accept labels. Simply be scientists and be proud of it.”

The meeting was organized by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) in partnership with Nobel Prize Outreach, a communication arm of the Nobel Foundation that promotes events with laureates to inspire scientists around the world.

Watch the full event below:

Serge Haroche is a French physicist, born in Casablanca, Morocco. Since 2001, he has been a professor of Quantum Physics at the Collège de France. In 2012, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with David Wineland, “for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems.” Haroche is a member of the French and European Academies of Sciences. He is also a foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Academies of Sciences of Brazil, Colombia, Russia, and Morocco. He holds honorary doctorates from the Weizmann Institute and the Universities of Montreal, Patras, Strathclyde, and Bar Ilan.

May-Britt Moser is a Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist, head of the Department of Neural Computation at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2014, shared with the Norwegian Edvard Moser and the British-American John O’Keefe. Her research aims to understand the neuronal basis of higher cognitive functions and focuses on spatial navigation and memory, as these are fundamental cognitive functions shared by all animals. Moser’s articles have attracted special interest because spatial representation is one of the first functions to be characterized at a mechanistic level in neuronal networks, and impaired navigation skills are a major symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.

David MacMillan is a British chemist, a professor at Princeton University since 2006. In 2021, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Benjamin List, “for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis.” Catalysts are substances that accelerate chemical reactions without becoming part of the final product, important for chemists’ ability to build molecules. In 2000, the two researchers developed a new type of catalysis based on small organic molecules, making chemistry more environmentally friendly. It is used, for example, in pharmaceutical research.