Jerson Lima
Jerson Lima Silva (born 29 February 1960), usually known as Jerson Lima, is a Brazilian biophysicist. He is known for his pioneering research in the field of structural biology, publishing important studies on protein folding and the relationship between protein aggregates and diseases such as cancer, prion diseases and Parkinson's disease. Personal life The son of a Brazilian navy sergeant and a housewife who sold homemade sweets, Jerson Lima grew up in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. He was first introduced to the scientific method during high school, when he studied at the Federal Technical School of Chemistry in Rio de Janeiro (ETFQ-RJ), which has been renamed the Federal Institute of Rio de Janeiro. He is married to UFRJ researcher and professor Debora Foguel. They have four children. Education and scientific career In 1984, Lima graduated from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) with a Doctor of Medicine degree. He began his scientific career while still an undergraduate, joining a laboratory team led by Professor Sergio Verjovski Almeida in the Department of Medical Biochemistry and directed by physician and researcher Leopoldo de Meis. There, he conducted studies on the structure and function of calcium-transporting proteins in the