Dr. Fernando Lisboa Teixeira aspires to reach out to Latin@s, helping them achieve their goals.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Dr. Fernando Lisboa Teixeira is currently a renowned Assistant Professor at the ElectroScience Laboratory, in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Ohio State. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 1991 and 1995, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, in 1999.

Dr. Teixeira’s area of specialization and research is applied electromagnetics, which studies the dissemination of radio waves and their interaction with natural media and synthetic objects. He has also been awarded numerous awards and recognitions for his outstanding research and contributions to the scientific community, which include a CAPES/Brasilia Fellowship (1996-1999) and the triennial USNC/URSI Henry Booker Fellowship in 2005, to name a few. Through his exceptional research and accomplishments, Dr. Teixeira aspires to reach out to all Latin@s, helping them realize their goals. He is truly an inspiration to all, proving that hard work does pay off!


Que Pasa: Why did you choose this area of research?
Dr. Fernando Teixeira: I was always fascinated by the physics of waves, which permeate our entire universe. My research is an area that nicely blends the physics of waves with modern engineering applications.

QP: What are the practical applications of your research in industry or in the consumer marketplace?
FT: My research finds applications in areas such as the design of new antennas and wireless system components, radar systems for the detection and localization of remote or buried objects, and for the exploration of energy sources such as oil and gas. Electromagnetic fields can also be used to image the human body for a variety of medical applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

QP: Who has funded your research?
FT: My research has been funded by industrial sources (Halliburton, SBC Communications) and federal grants (National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research). Last year, I received the prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation, which recognizes efforts toward integration of research and education.

QP: Why did you choose to come to Ohio State?
FT: One factor that attracted me to Ohio State was the high reputation of the ElectroScience Laboratory (ESL), in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The ESL is a world renowned research center and the largest U.S. academic laboratory in the area. Another important factor was that, due to its size, Ohio State provides a myriad of opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations. I currently collaborate with a group in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for example.

QP: Was there anyone in your family who influenced you positively and encouraged you to attain your professional goal?
FT: There have been many engineers in my family, including my sister, father, both grandfathers, and many others. My father also did his graduate education in the United States. He attended both Cornell and Stanford, where he got his M.S. in Civil Engineering in the 1950s. One of my uncles was a great Brazilian educator, a UNESCO consultant, and helped in the foundation of many public schools in Brazil, including the University of Brasilia in 1961.

QP: What are your long-term plans in terms of your career and research?
FT: Among my objectives is to increase the number of minority students in graduate school and to improve the ties of our department to Latin America.

Dr. Lisboa is married and has no children.