Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: Thamires Castelar Torres Sales

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : Thamires Castelar Torres Sales
DATE: 24/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Instituto de Ciências Sociais (ICS)
TITLE:

Why Do They Return? Trajectories, Expectations, and Strategies of Brazilian Doctors in the Context of the ‘Conhecimento Brasil’ Programme

KEY WORDS:

academic mobility; return migration; skilled workers; international division of labor; science and technology policy; geopolitics of knowledge

PAGES: 100
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Sociologia
SUMMARY:

This research aims to understand the phenomenon of return among Brazilian PhD researchers repatriated under the Programa Conhecimento Brasil (PCB), a recent public policy of talent attraction and retention in Brazil, implemented by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI). Launched in 2024, the PCB represents a pioneering state initiative aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of the so-called “brain drain,” within the context of global competition for skilled workers in the new international division of labor. Adopting a critical perspective that problematizes the notion of “free circulation” and reflects on the role of the state in regulating human capital flows—which are predominantly unidirectional—this research proposes to investigate how these individual trajectories both reflect and are constrained by broader structural dynamics of asymmetric relations—both material (through the lens of the political economy of knowledge) and symbolic (through the geopolitics of knowledge)—as well as by relations of dependency between centers and peripheries. The analytical challenge lies in articulating the institutional and normative dimensions that shape return as a public policy with the subjective meanings constructed by the researchers themselves regarding their own trajectories and professional experiences. Methodologically, the research prioritizes the automated analysis of Lattes curricula and the application of a structured survey to the entire population of PhD researchers selected through the public call. Beyond outlining the profile of this population, the investigation aims to map their international academic-professional mobility trajectories, as well as the networks of institutional affiliation established in Brazil and abroad. In light of these trajectories, the study seeks to understand not only the motivations behind the decision to return but also how representations of the National System of Science, Technology, and Innovation (SNCTI) guide current strategies and future expectations. Thus, the research seeks to analyze how these scientists subjectively signify their return, articulating labor aspects, perceptions related to the scientific field, and pragmatic and personal factors. The decision to return is understood not as a point of arrival but, essentially, as a process, permanently shaped by the tension between actual reintegration and the possibility of a new emigration, as part of broader strategies for scientific career development. The results of this research are expected to contribute to the debate on internationalization, academic mobility, and return policies within the framework of science and technology policy.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - 3154798 - RICARDO COLTURATO FESTI
Interno - 1804106 - STEFAN FORNOS KLEIN
Interna - 3171429 - TANIA MARA PASSARELLI TONHATI
Externo à Instituição - FRANCESCO MANIGLIO - US