About
Over thirty years contributing to
porphyrin catalysis in Brazil and beyond
Shirley Nakagaki is a Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), where she has been based since 1992. She earned her degree in Chemistry from USP Ribeirão Preto, her Master's and PhD from UNESP Araraquara, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under Professor Kenneth S. Suslick.
Her research focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and application of metalloporphyrins — molecules that mimic the action of natural enzymes to accelerate oxidation, esterification, and transesterification reactions, among others. Applications range from cleaner fuels to sustainable industrial processes.
"I will make sure I will not be the last." — on becoming only the second woman to lead the Brazilian Chemical Society in its 45-year history.
She is a CNPq Research Fellow (Level 1B) and a full member of the RSC Advances Editorial Board, a leading journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). She is a founding member of the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (SPP) and Brazil's representative in that international society. She maintains active research collaborations with groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Japan, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Career timeline
1985
B.Sc. in Chemistry
University of São Paulo — Ribeirão Preto
1988
M.Sc. in Chemistry
UNESP — Araraquara
1992
Faculty position at UFPR
Department of Chemistry, Curitiba
1993
Ph.D. in Chemistry
UNESP — Araraquara
1995
Visiting Professor
Kyoto University — Japan
2002
Postdoctoral research
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — USA
2015
Full Professor (Tenure)
UFPR
2016
Visiting Professor
Université Clermont-Auvergne — France (2016 & 2019)
2022
President of the SBQ
Brazilian Chemical Society — 2022–2024 term
