The University of Plymouth Brazilian Connections and Caribbean partners

Promoting collaborations between Plymouth and Brazilian universities, developing multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary cutting-edge research
South America on Planet Earth view from space with continents outlines abstract background. Globalization, connection concept. Shutterstock 1508435567
The University of Plymouth Brazilian Connections and Caribbean partners (UBC) facilitates and promotes collaborations between colleagues at the University of Plymouth and similar sized universities (so far) in Brazil, Venezuela and the Caribbean to develop multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary cutting-edge research to benefit our communities.
The academic staff and postgraduate exchange programme plays an important part in the internationalisation at the University of Plymouth and has a growing network which currently consists of nine disciplines within Science, Engineering and Social Sciences at Plymouth and its Brazilian partners.
So far links have been established and are continuously developed in the research areas of ecotoxicology, biochemistry, chemistry, aquaculture, geology and geography, micro-palaeontology, oceanography, remote sensing, disaster management, nanotechnology, engineering and psychology.

The history of UBC

The vision of Dr Petra-Manuela Schuwerack, a former lecturer in Marine Environment at the University, UBC was launched in 2008.
Petra-Manuela had a vision of an international network and student exchange program with South America and the Caribbean. Sharing her idea with Professor Alcir Dafre, his team and colleagues at UFSC quickly led to the birth of University Brazilian Connections (UBC). A successful funding bid to The British Council followed, and a few months later Marcela Uliano, the first student, arrived to study with Petra-Manuela and Dr John Moody at Plymouth.
In June 2009 Petra-Manuela, Professor Mick Fuller and Professor Malcolm Hart linked with the Federal University of Paraiba (UFPB), Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) and the Federal University of Espiritu Santo (UFES) bringing together more staff from an expanding range of disciplines to discuss collaboration.
It has been a wonderful journey so far with many success stories.

Projects and collaborations

Our Brazilian and Caribbean partnerships promote and encourage collaborative working across a range of subject areas

Exchange opportunities

With such a wide network of partners in many different disciplines we are able to help students, at BSc, MSc and PhD level, to arrange placements, on a funded, voluntary or self-funded basis (subject to availability).
Abstract People network

Brazilian connections

  • Contact: Professor Paulo Marsola, Associate Professor at the Department of Geosciences
  • Professor Catia F. Barbosa

Student experiences

The time I spent in Plymouth was enjoyable and memorable for me as I got to improve my English, learn new laboratory techniques and meet people like Doctors Schuwerack, Moody, Katherine Sloman and Paul Ramsay that I will never forget.

Marcela Uliano da Silva spent four months at the University of Plymouth under the supervision of Dr John Moody.

I had a specific project to work on, the results of which were presented to researchers in Plymouth and at a conference in Germany. I also wrote an article which was accepted by the Journal of the Geological Society of London.

Bruna's project, supervised by Professor Malcolm Hart, was developed to check the foraminifera community under the influence of marine acidification.

University of Plymouth collaborators