Celebrate Amazonia: Brazil Beyond COP30, Carnival 3-6 March 2026

Official Opening of Celebrate Amazonia: Brazil Beyond COP30 - Brazilian Carnaval on Campus

14:00-15:30, Guild Underground

Celebrate Amazonia: Brazil Beyond COP30 is a week of activities celebrating our engagement with Brazil and sustainable partnerships, marking the culmination of our two-year Engage Amazonia programme. This flagship event will feature an Opening Address by Minister-Counsellor Alexandre Brasil, a high-profile roundtable discussion on Brazil Beyond COP30, student-led contributions showcasing the Immerse Amazonia Summer School and COP30 participation, alongside Brazilian food and cultural performances, including batucada, samba, and capoeira.

Opening Address

Minister-Counsellor Alexandre Brasil 

Alexandre Brasil da Silva is a career Brazilian diplomat currently serving as Minister-Counsellor (Political) and Deputy Head of Mission at the Brazilian Embassy in London. In this role, he helps lead Brazil’s political engagement with the United Kingdom, overseeing key aspects of the bilateral relationship and representing Brazil in high-level meetings and official engagements.

Since joining the Ministério das Relações Exteriores, he has built extensive experience in political, parliamentary, and communications affairs. Over the course of his career, he has served in Brazilian missions in Santiago, Paris (including at UNESCO), Berlim, and Belgrado, as well as at the Ministry’s headquarters in Brasília. His career reflects a strong focus on multilateral diplomacy and European affairs. 

Roundtable

Celebrate Amazonia: Brazil Beyond COP30

The Amazonian region is a place of global significance and local complexity, shaped by extraordinary ecological richness, cultural diversity and deep interconnections between people, land and climate. As the world’s largest tropical forest, it plays a vital role in planetary systems, while remaining a living, evolving region where communities, knowledge and innovation are central to shaping sustainable futures.

In 2026, Celebrate Amazonia: Brazil Beyond COP30 turns its focus to what comes next. Building on sustained collaboration with partners in Brazil — particularly in Pará — the programme explores the outcomes of recent joint initiatives, lessons learned through academic and student engagement, and emerging plans for the next phase of partnership. Through dialogue, shared experiences, and cultural celebration, the event reflects on how long-term collaboration can continue to deepen impact beyond COP30.

Join us for a flagship roundtable discussion and a dynamic programme celebrating Brazil beyond COP30.

Chaired by Dr Courtney J. Campbell and Dr Ângelo Martins Júnior. Co-Directors of the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (UBBI)

Expert panel:

Dr Marcel Botelho, President of FAPESPA and President of CONFAP

Marcel do Nascimento Botelho currently serves as Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom in Pará. Previously, he has served as the Director-President of the Fundação Amazônia de Amparo a Estudos e Pesquisas (FAPESPA) since 2021, where he works to strengthen research, innovation, and sustainable development in the Amazon region. In national research policy, Botelho became active in the Conselho Nacional das Fundações Estaduais de Amparo à Pesquisa (CONFAP), serving as regional director for the North and vice-president of the organisation.

On 1 January 2026, he assumed the presidency of CONFAP, leading the coordination of Brazil’s state research support foundations and promoting cooperation in science, technology and innovation across the country. Botelho has a background in Agronomy and a long academic career linked to the Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), where he has held several leadership positions, including Rector, alongside teaching, research, and academic management roles.

Professor Dachamir Hotza, UBBI-CAPES Chico Mendes Chair, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina

Professor Dachamir Hotza is our second UBBI-CAPES Chico Mendes Chair and is hosted by Professor Jonathan Radcliffe. He is a Full Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil, where he leads the Ceramic Processing Laboratory (PROCER) and the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Nanostructure Development (LINDEN). His research focuses on advanced materials, nanotechnology, sustainability, and the circular economy. He holds a PhD in Materials Engineering from Hamburg University of Technology (Germany, 1996) and has been a visiting scholar in Portugal, France, the USA, and Australia. In addition to being the Chico Mendes Chair at the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute (2025), he is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (2023), Fulbright Chair Awardee in Sustainable Development at UC Davis (2024), and currently serves as Brazil Chapter Chair of the American Ceramic Society. 

Dr Helen Onyeaka, Deputy Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA) 

Dr Helen Onyeaka is an industrial microbiologist with over 25 years of experience. Her career in microbiology to date has been varied, with experience gained in industry as well as academia (both teaching and research). Her research interests include microbial responses to environmental stress, use of natural preservatives in food processing, food safety, quality, and spoilage, and antimicrobial resistance. Dr Onyeaka lectures and leads modules on various postgraduate and undergraduate courses in Food Microbiology, Food Safety, and Chemical Engineering. She supervises PhD and MSc research projects related to industrial microbiology. She also plans and delivers training for Continuous Professional Development (CPD), including courses for Food Safety Inspection Officers, the food industry, and international trainees from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

Dr Flávia Delgado Santana, Engage Amazonia Fellow

Dr Flavia Santana is an ecologist whose research bridges plant ecology, species interactions, and ecosystem processes in tropical forests. She is one of the inaugural UBBI-BISCA Engage Amazonia 2025 Fellows at the University of Birmingham, strengthening international collaboration on Amazonian research. She holds a Master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation from the State University of Santa Cruz and earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil. Dr. Santana has substantial expertise in botany, plant–animal interactions, and ecosystem ecology, with a strong focus on community ecology, seed dispersal mechanisms, plant recruitment dynamics, tropical forest functioning, and the carbon cycle.

She is a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Ecology at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), where she researches Amazonian ecosystems. Her work includes studies in broader investigations into nutrient limitations and forest productivity under changing environmental conditions. She is also a researcher in the AmazonFACE experiment, where she investigates the importance of nitrogen cycling under elevated CO₂ scenarios, contributing to a better understanding of how Amazonian forests may respond to future climate change.  

Hadil Touhri, University of Birmingham Medical Student

Hadil is a current medical student at the University of Birmingham. She was part of the UBBI Immerse Amazonia student delegation to the COP30 summit in Brazil last year, where she participated in youth-led panel events and negotiations. Her interests lie in the intersection of global health and environmental sustainability. She is the current president of the Docs not Cops student-led group, which advocates for migrant health rights and recently organised a conference focused on humanitarian medicine in regions of conflict. She also acts as a healthcare activist in the UN Global Rights Alliance group, and helps organise panels alongside healthcare workers who have backgrounds in global politics. She has completed hospital experience in low-resourced healthcare settings in Panama. She is due to start an intercalated degree in Global Health at Imperial next year. 

Bel Lyon, Senior Advisor/Manager for Latin America, WWF

Bel Lyon is Chief Advisor, Latin America at WWF-UK (World Wide Fund for Nature, UK), where she leads the organisation’s strategic engagement across Latin America. In this role, she provides senior guidance on conservation priorities, partnerships, and policy influence related to some of the region’s most critical ecosystems, including the Amazon rainforest. Her work focuses on protecting biodiversity, addressing deforestation, supporting sustainable development, and strengthening collaboration between the UK and Latin American partners.

As a native Brazilian, Bel’s connection to the region is both professional and personal. She has spoken about how visiting the Amazon in her late teens was a formative experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to environmental protection. This blend of lived experience and technical expertise informs her leadership within WWF-UK, where she plays a key role in advancing nature-positive solutions and amplifying Latin American conservation efforts on the global stage.

15:30-16:00 - Break

Workshop: Immerse Amazonia in Birmingham

16:00-17:30, Guild Underground

Learn more about our Immerse programme, our students’ experiences in the Amazon, and join dynamic discussion groups focused on global challenges and Brazil Beyond COP30. These will be led and organised by Connect Amazonia researchers and Immerse Amazonia students from Birmingham and Brazil, so get involved!

17:30-18:00 - Break

Celebrate Amazonia: Reception

18:00-20:00, Guild Underground

Celebrate Amazonia celebration with Brazilian food, a cash bar with caipirinhas, and Capoeira Performance, Music by Oyá Batucada Samba Band and Samba Dancers!

Connect with colleagues to celebrate Amazonia, Brazilian culture and music, with music by Oyá, capoeira by the Brazilian Cultural Centre, and dancers from Samba Dance Birmingham. 

Research Development: Lessons from the Amazon

*This workshop is intended solely for the University of Birmingham academic community.

Engage Amazonia Fellowship

11:00-12:00, Arts Building, Room 315

Dr Adriana Maria de Lima Oliveira

Dr Adriana Oliveira is one of the inaugural UBBI-BISCA Engage Amazonia 2025 Fellows at the University of Birmingham, and a researcher with Breathe Well South America in Applied Health Sciences, working at the intersection of climate change, global health, and primary care systems in the Amazon. She is a board-certified Radiologist with over 15 years of clinical experience in musculoskeletal and general radiology.She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of São Paulo (2024), where her research on skeletal muscle adiposity and genetic ancestry contributed to the landmark ELSA-Brasil epidemiological study. Dr Oliveira completed a research fellowship in Musculoskeletal Radiology and Metabolic Imaging at Harvard Medical School (2013-2014) and has published extensively on adipose tissue imaging, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk. Based in Manaus and working with the Municipal Health Department of Manaus, she bridges clinical radiology expertise with population health research to address chronic non-communicable diseases in the Amazon region.

Dr Flávia Delgado Santana

Dr Flavia Santana is an ecologist whose research bridges plant ecology, species interactions, and ecosystem processes in tropical forests. She is one of the inaugural UBBI-BISCA Engage Amazonia 2025 Fellows at the University of Birmingham, strengthening international collaboration on Amazonian research. She holds a Master’s degree in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation from the State University of Santa Cruz and earned her Ph.D. in Ecology from the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil.Dr. Santana has substantial expertise in botany, plant–animal interactions, and ecosystem ecology, with a strong focus on community ecology, seed dispersal mechanisms, plant recruitment dynamics, tropical forest functioning, and the carbon cycle. She is a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Ecology at the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), where she conducts research on Amazonian ecosystems. Her work includes studies in broader investigations into nutrient limitations and forest productivity under changing environmental conditions. She is also a researcher in the AmazonFACE experiment, where she investigates the importance of nitrogen cycling under elevated CO₂ scenarios, contributing to a better understanding of how Amazonian forests may respond to future climate change.

Dr Gisele Biem Mori 

Dr Gisele Mori is a biologist whose research focuses on functional community ecology, forest dynamics, and how tropical forests respond to environmental change. She holds a Master’s degree in Botany from the University of São Paulo State (UNESP) and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil. She is one of the UBBI-BISCA Engage Amazonia Fellows at the University of Birmingham, funded by the British Council. Her research explores how plant strategies shape community assembly and regulate ecosystem processes, with a strong emphasis on functional traits and their links to tropical forest functioning under natural and changing environmental conditions. Dr. Biem Mori is a professor in the Graduate Program in Botany at INPA and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of the State of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT). Her work spans Amazonian ecosystems, Brazilian wetlands, and tropical forests globally, including analyses of plant functional traits, patterns of tree mortality, and ecosystem responses to environmental change. She is also a researcher in the Gigante Project, where she investigates the spatial and ecological drivers of giant tree mortality and the implications for global carbon cycling. During her time in the UK, Gisele will use data from ForestPlots.net to investigate the ecology and biogeography of large trees across tropical forests worldwide. Her research will examine patterns of diversity, population structure, functional traits, and the evolution of large trees, aiming to improve understanding of their ecological roles in forests. In parallel, she will develop educational materials to communicate these findings to a broader audience, supporting knowledge exchange and capacity building in tropical forest ecology.

Dr Leonardo de Oliveira Bittencourt 

Dr Leonardo Bittencourt is one of the UBBI-BISCA Engage Amazonia Fellows at the University of Birmingham, funded by the British Council. He is a Pharmacist with a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a PhD in Pharmacology and Biochemistry from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). He is a researcher in pharmacology, toxicology, and biochemistry, with expertise in experimental and preclinical studies investigating the effects of environmental pollutants and drugs on biological systems, as well as the pharmacological potential of bioactive compounds from Brazilian biodiversity.His work focuses on the central nervous system, mineralized tissues, salivary glands, and blood, and includes research on the biochemical and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying endocrine disorders, particularly menopause. He is involved in major collaborative projects, including a CNPq-funded Ibero-American network on Amazonian bioactives for tissue regeneration and the Amazon+10 Initiative’s EcoTaxÔmica project, which applies genomics and proteomics to biodiversity research and mercury biomonitoring in the Amazon. He also conducts cross-sectional studies on systemic and oral health in traditional communities exposed to mercury.

Workshop: Deforestation, primates and re-creating the wild

Professor Julia Myatt, Academic Director of Sustainability Education

13:00-14:00, Muirhead, Room 429

Deforestation has devastating effects on primates globally, particularly in parts of South America, Asia and Africa. Primates are particularly sensitive to deforestation because they rely on trees for food (fruits, leaves, and insects) and shelter. The destruction of habitats due to logging, agricultural expansion and infrastructure projects displaces countless primate species, or forces them to adapt to a new way of life. Deforestation in places such as Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest, has led to isolated and fragmented primate groups, reduced genetic diversity and increased their risks from poaching and human-wildlife conflict. Conservation efforts, both in their natural environment and in captive environments around the world are essential to ensure the survival of these vital species. In this session we will look at some of the impacts of deforestation on primates around the globe and consider the role of sanctuaries and zoos to support their conservation, drawing on research undertaken by scientists in the School of Biosciences and the Birmingham Institute of Sustainability and Climate Action. You will have the opportunity to see if you can design your own enclosure suitable to support the health and wellbeing of primates for future generations.

Workshop: Time Travelling Trees, Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) Session

Dr Samantha Dobbie, BIFoR Learning and Engagement Lead

14:00-15:00, Muirhead, Room 429

Join the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR) for a hands-on session where families can learn how trees help fight climate change, and what we can do to protect them. You’ll discover more about one of the world’s biggest climate experiments and meet our “time-travelling” trees! Then get creative and grow your own ‘solution tree’ to share your ideas for a greener future. Your tree will join our digital woodland as part of a growing global message following COP30 in Brazil. Perfect for families, students, and adults interested in solutions to the climate crisis.

Comparative Literature Research Seminar: From Blair to Taine, via Crusoe: Fernandes Pinheiro on the Origins of the Novel

13:00-14:00, Arts 103, Constance Naden Room

Dr Thiago Cass, University of São Paulo

Thiago Rhys Bezerra Cass is an Assistant Professor of Literature in English at the University of São Paulo (USP). His work explores the transnational circulation of literary forms, theories of genre, and the Brazilian reception of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Scottish and Irish writers such as Walter Scott and Maria Edgeworth. 

This paper revisits the much-maligned attempts of Father Fernandes Pinheiro (1825-1976), arguably one of the founding figures of Brazilian literary historiography, to come to terms with the historical minority of the novel as a genre. It traces his intellectual trajectory from an early dismissal of the novel as a recent literary innovation designed for barely literate readers to a late acknowledgment of its unparalleled capacity to register capitalist modernity. By excavating pivotal moments in his critical vocabulary, the paper reveals a constant recasting and reinterpretation of Hugh Blair’s eighteenth-century, almost impromptu assessment of this new species of writing, culminating in a theory of the novel that combines Blair’s terminology with Hippolyte Taine’s ideas about race, milieu, and national character. Anchoring this critical arc throughout is Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. In consequence, Fernandes Pinheiro’s trajectory illuminates the complex and often uneven temporalities of criticism and theory in nineteenth-century Brazil and, more broadly, Latin America, where public literary discussion was simultaneously reliant on belletristic, neoclassical categories and yet remarkably porous to contemporary European debates.

Decolonising Climate Change Symposium

Dr Emanuelle Rodrigues dos Santos, Associate Professor in Modern Languages

Morning Session:
Muirhead Tower, Room 427

10:00-12:00

Opening - Address by Dr Marcel Botelho, President of FAPESPA/CONFAP

Presentation Session

12:00-13:00, Lunch break

Afternoon Session:
Muirhead Tower, Room 417

13:00-14:45, Presentation Session

14:45-15:15, Break

15:15-17:00, Presentation Session

In this symposium, members of the Decolonising Climate Change Project (DCCP) from academic institutions located in the Pará State (Brazil) and at the University of Birmingham will gather to discuss the potential of the intersection between decolonial approaches and scientific areas key to the work to fight against the current climate emergency.

Our project was enabled by a grant funded by the University of Birmingham Brazil Institute and Fundação Amazônia de Amparo a Estudos e Pesquisas (FASPESPA-Pará, Brazil). It builds on the Amazonia Summer School (July 2025), a joint project of UBBI and MPEG with FAPESPA’s support, which brought together faculty and students from the University of Birmingham and institutions in Pará. The Summer School engaged with riverine communities through immersion at the Ferrera Pena Scientific Station in Caxiuanã, in preparation for COP30 in Belém.

This exchange created a multidisciplinary platform to address the local–global dynamics of climate change, focusing on its impacts on health and the socio-economic organisation of Amazonian populations, while integrating perspectives from environmental sciences, management, social sciences, arts, and humanities.

Our project seeks to enable the co-authorship of an academic article synthesising empirical findings, theoretical innovations, and policy insights from the Summer School. Central to this work is the knowledge of Amazonian communities, in dialogue with UK and Brazilian experts, including researchers, students, and professional staff. With equitable intercultural collaboration at its core, this initiative aims to generate academic contributions and inform climate policy, education, and community-led action.

This in-person symposium is open to all; no registration is required.

Forró Dance Class, Forró Birmingham

17:00-18:00

The Guild Amos Room

Join our Forró dance class and have fun! Meet new people, improve your skills, and enjoy a great workout! Come dance with us, whether you're a beginner or advanced! This session is by Forro Birmingham, find out more about them here.

BIFoR FACE Expedition

Departure:

University of Birmingham campus, North Gate, Pritchatts Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham

08:30-15:00 (traffic permitting)

The BIFoR FACE (Birmingham Institute for Forest Research Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) facility, located in a Staffordshire woodland, is one of the world’s largest climate change experiments.

BIFoR FACE represents a significant advancement in forest research, being the second generation of forest Free-Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) sites. It focuses on mature oak forests, scaling up from earlier experiments on young plantations to understand the impact of increased atmospheric CO2. 

Samba Dance Class

12:30-13:30 

The Guild Amos Room

Join our vibrant Samba dance lessons, conducted by Samba Dance Birmingham, here on campus! Whether you're a beginner or advanced dancer, our expert instructors will help you have fun while discovering the excitement of Brazilian music and movement in just one session!