INFORM May 2026

AOCS Updates INFORM 9

INFORM: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF YOUR ACADEMIC OR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY? Dos Santos: I have a strong passion for teaching, research and entrepreneurship. So, after graduation, I intend to continue my journey in academia while staying involved in professional associations and exploring opportunities to translate research into practical applications. INFORM: WHAT DOES RECEIVING THE ANALYTICAL DIVISION STUDENT EXCELLENCE AWARD MEAN TO YOU? Dos Santos: Receiving this award represents a lot to me. I am very happy for receive it. Personally, it represents recognition of all the dedication and perseverance I have invested in my research journey. After all, we spend so much time in the lab— sometimes working overnight or very early in the morning— just to obtain good results. Professionally, it motivates me to keep striving for excellence and to continue contributing to the scientific community.

INFORM: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER STUDENTS? Dos Santos: I grew up hearing my parents say, “You cannot become the best by learning from the least prepared.” I think the same applies to research. If you want to pursue this career, surround yourself with experts in the field and stay actively engaged. You can do this by volunteering, attending Division events, presenting your work, and, most importantly, building meaningful professional connections. It’s also important to truly understand the principles behind the techniques you use. Analytical excellence isn’t just about operating equipment—it’s about interpreting data critically and asking the right scientific questions. And finally, stay curious and resilient. Research is full of challenges, but you do not learn only at the end of the journey; most of the learning happens along the way.

I am also passionate about adding value to local crops and agricultural residues, something that I have been working on since my master’s degree. I believe this has a huge impact on the economy, environment, and communities. INFORM: WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED DURING YOUR RESEARCH, Dos Santos: As a doctoral student, I’ve learned that research always comes with challenges. We carefully design projects with our supervisor, but we don’t really know if everything will work as planned until we start running the experiments. At one point, I had a hard time identifying and quantifying one compound. In theory, it should have worked, but in practice, it didn’t. I tried countless times without success. After discussing it with my supervisor, he reminded me that this is part of research. Sometimes we need to go back, recheck everything, or slightly adjust the direction to move forward. In this case, I had to modify my approach to move forward. That experience taught me that research requires flexibility and resilience. AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?