LNBR tem novo Diretor

The Board of Directors of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), at a meeting held this Wednesday, February 26th, decided on the name of Mario Murakami to fill the position of Director of the Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR). Murakami has been working at CNPEM for 17 years and succeeds physicist Eduardo Couto, who was LNBR director for seven years.

Who is Mario Murakami?

Since 2008 at CNPEM, Mário Murakami has been leading a group in biocatalysis and synthetic biology, serving as Scientific Director of LNBR since 2018. He coordinated important scientific facilities at the Center’s Brazilian National Laboratories and, between 2016 and 2017, was Coordinator of the CTBE’s Molecular Division, the previous configuration of LNBR.

His research focuses on central themes for the bioeconomy, such as in the depolymerization of agro-industrial residues and microbial bioconversion, with high-impact publications in journals such as Nature, Nature Chemical Biology and Nature Communications, with paradigm shifts in the area of ​​applied glycobiology and discoveries of new mechanisms.

Still in February, Nature journal published a study coordinated by Murakami, alongside researchers from CNPEM and universities in France and Denmark, which reports the discovery of a new class of enzymes in Brazilian soil capable of accelerating the deconstruction of cellulose, which represents one of the main advances in recent decades in the area of ​​bioenergy.

Mário coordinates a FAPESP thematic project in this area and leads large-scale R&D projects with Biotechnology companies, in addition to institutional interdisciplinary programs to solve the country’s strategic challenges in bioenergy and biorenewables.

Mario Murakami is an affiliated member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and CTNBio/MCTI Vice President. In 2023, he was awarded the EMBRAPII “Pesquisador de Destaque”, recognizing his leadership in R&D projects, among more than 5000 researchers from the EMBRAPII network.

About CNPEM

The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. It is responsible for operating the Brazilian Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), and Biorenewables (LNBR) National Laboratories, as well as the Ilum School of Science, which offers a bachelor’s degree program in science and technology with support from the Ministry of Education (MEC).