From September 22 to 27, the event will offer academic immersion and contact with renowned professionals in mathematics and computer science

Two of the 200 participants from around the world selected to participate in the respected Heidelberg Laureate Forum in 2024 are not only Brazilian, but also graduates of the School of Applied Mathematics of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV EMAp). Lucas Resck completed both his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the School, defending his dissertation in May of this year. João Lucas Duim, also a graduate of FGV EMAp and currently pursuing his master’s degree, was also selected and is heading to Germany. They will participate in one of the most highly regarded events in the field of mathematics and computer science, which will take place from September 22 to 27.

The Forum not only selects young students, but also invites winners of the Abel, the Turing Award and the Fields Medal, known as the 'Nobel Prize of Mathematics', among others, to attend. These renowned professionals give lectures and classes, creating an intense environment for new contacts and exchange of experiences. The rigorous selection process included letters of recommendation, motivation and curriculum analysis.

“My application detailed my research and career goals. It is a very demanding selection process, which makes this achievement even more significant”, stated Lucas Resck. João Lucas Duim added: “I am excited to share my ideas and learn from brilliant minds from around the world. It is an honor to represent FGV EMAp in this forum of academic excellence”.

After graduation, João continues at School | Photo: Reproduction

Trajectories of excellence

From the remote corners of Minas Gerais, Lucas Resck and João Lucas are like two seeds that, planted in the fertile soil of the Minas Gerais mountains, germinated and grew vigorously, reaching impressive heights in the academic field.

Resck was born in Varginha (MG) and spent most of his life in Três Corações (MG), frequently moving between nearby cities. From an early age, he showed a natural inclination towards mathematics and, at the age of 4, he could already calculate square roots. His first medal at the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), in 2012, was an important milestone that opened doors to more advanced study programs. In total, he won six awards in OBMEP editions, including gold (2014), silver (2013, 2015 and 2017) and bronze (2012) medals and honorable mention (2016).

He completed his high school education at the Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG) in Varginha, where he graduated as a mechatronics technician. At the end of high school, Lucas was invited by the Center for the Development of Mathematics and Sciences (CDMC) to take the entrance exam for FGV, where he was accepted in first place for the Applied Mathematics course. He also passed the entrance exam for the Control and Automation Engineering course at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), but chose FGV EMAp because of the opportunities and support it offered.

“The decision to go to the School was due to the quality of the teaching offered and because it has renowned professors whose focus is to publish in prestigious global journals, which certainly opened doors for me,” he explains.

Lucas Resck completed his undergraduate and master's degrees at FGV EMAp | Photo: Personal archive

Lucas has published three papers in prestigious scientific journals and conferences. The first, accepted by IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG) in 2022, was presented by him at the IEEE VIS conference in Oklahoma, USA.

“It was the first time I presented something to such a large audience. It was an incredible experience, since it is the largest conference in the area, with many lectures and presentations. I was anxious about the presentation, but in the end everything went well, including the English issue,” said Resck.

The other two articles focused on Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods. One of them, in collaboration with Professor Diego Mesquita, from FGV EMAp, involved the explanation of decisions of specific models for graphs, with theoretical and mathematical contributions from Lucas. The article was accepted, published and presented at the Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS) conference, one of the most prestigious in Artificial Intelligence in the world. Writing the third article, this one on explanations of NLP models and in collaboration with his advisor, Professor Jorge Poco, resulted in his master's thesis and even the opportunity for an exchange in 2022, at Rice University, in Houston (USA).

“We contacted a professor there to get feedback on the research, he liked the article and was willing to welcome me for an exchange,” he said.

This paper has been accepted for publication and presentation in 2024 at the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (NAACL) conference, in the “Findings” format. NAACL is the most important NLP conference in the Americas and, in its 2024 version, it was held in Mexico City, where Lucas had the opportunity to present his work.

The research he has developed and the prestigious career he has been pursuing have also caught the attention of foreign universities, to which he submitted applications for a doctorate, being accepted at the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute in Germany and three universities in the United States. In addition, he was accepted into the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) program, which brings together the best professors and students in Artificial Intelligence from Europe in a collaborative and highly prestigious environment. This program includes a mandatory six-month exchange during the doctorate, providing an even richer and more comprehensive experience.

“I chose Cambridge because I was most attracted to the research topic, which will be in NLP, and the way of working, which is an environment with a lot of flexibility and freedom. In addition, the university and the scholarship are very prestigious and I will have the opportunity to be part of ELLIS”, he highlights.

Da cidade de Heidelberg, na Alemanha, Lucas partirá para Cambridge, onde, aos 24 anos, iniciará seu doutorado, mergulhando em pesquisas avançadas em Processamento de Linguagem Natural (NLP).

Lucas stood out in the doctoral selection processes he participated in | Photo: FGV EMAp

João Lucas, on the other hand, grew up in the rural area of ​​Mar de Espanha, a small town in the Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais. It was there that he developed an interest in mathematics from an early age, participating in and winning medals in the OBMEP: gold (2014, 2015 and 2016), silver (2017) and bronze (2013, 2018 and 2019).

These achievements paved the way for enriching experiences, including Junior Scientific Initiation at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) and participation in OBMEP medal ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro, where he met equally dedicated students from all over Brazil. He was also invited to attend high school at the Farias Brito school in Fortaleza (CE), one of the most prestigious in Brazil, marking a significant advance in his education.

“In that environment, my preparation was deeply enriched, and I explored advanced mathematics, having received training in science olympiads. In addition, I was able to participate in competitions in several other areas, accumulating dozens of medals throughout my school years,” he explains.

Due to this brilliant trajectory, CDMC invited João Lucas to take the FGV EMAp entrance exam, where he ended up graduating at the end of 2023 in Applied Mathematics and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

“The proposal was excellent, they provided me with accommodation in Rio de Janeiro during the four years of the course, I had all the support and was offered unique opportunities”, he says.

He is currently pursuing a master's degree at the School, focused on studying artificial intelligence security. For João Lucas, education was transformative, opening doors he never imagined possible coming from a small town. In 2020, he did an exchange program at the University of Salamanca, funded by Santander Top Spain, where he immersed himself in learning the Spanish language. Through the FGV Sorbonne program, he was selected and spent a month and a half in France, taking classes in language, culture, arts and history. “They were surreal experiences,” he recalls.

João has already had different experiences outside the country | Photo: Reproduction

He has also been gaining important positions in the last year, being selected as a participant and mentor, respectively, for the 2nd and 3rd editions of Condor Camp, an international event that addresses humanitarian issues, held in Oxford in 2023 and in Mexico City in 2024. João also went to Boston in October 2023 to participate in the Global Challenges Project Workshop, where he had an immersion in the risks of advanced artificial intelligence. In April of this year, he went to Cambridge to participate in the 4th Cambridge Machine Learning for Alignment Bootcamp (CaMLAB), having been chosen from a few places available for candidates from all over the world. In July, he worked as a teaching assistant at ML4GOOD Brazil, an intensive in-person AI Security training bootcamp for South Americans.

“I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the fundamental support from FGV EMAp. This was largely due to the many extracurricular activities I got involved in during my undergraduate studies. In addition to simultaneously studying Applied Mathematics and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the School, I worked as a monitor, participated in exchange programs and got involved in several academic entities. Additionally, my participation in conferences and events was crucial to enriching my resume. Honestly, I don’t know if there are any other universities in Brazil that offer such comprehensive support as the School,” he said.

Looking to the future, João Lucas sees an exciting scenario in the area of ​​artificial intelligence security, exploring new technologies and contributing to innovative projects that positively impact society.

“I’m exploring this academic experience further to understand how I can best contribute to this field of research and consolidate my career. I’m still unsure about whether to continue in academia or go into the market. I am comfortable with whichever option I choose, especially because FGV EMAp students have 100% employability, which is incredible,” he concluded.