DBI co-director Dr. John French and his wife, Jan, meet with Brazil's Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship Dr. Silvio Almeida, and his wife Edneia, to discuss a spring 2025 visit to speak at Duke. The meeting took place in Brasilia in July 2024. (From right to left: Dr. John French, Dr. Silvio Almeida, Jan French, Edneia Almeida)
The Duke Brazil Initiative (DBI) seeks to support faculty and student research exchanges with Brazilian universities and research centers, organize an annual Brazil studies conference at Duke, engage alumni to participate in Brazil-related programming, and develop a long-term strategy for Brazil Studies at Duke. The Duke Brazil Initiative receives generous support from the Duke Office of Global Affairs.
Objectives
- To broaden exposure to, and build deeper connections with Brazil (especially our alumni) in line with strategic goals of the university.
- To support innovative two-way faculty and student exchanges that foster new academic and policy research while establishing new courses and experiential learning opportunities for our students.
- To develop long‐standing strategic partnerships across disciplines and university units aimed at creating targeted collaborations resulting in newly funded research programs.
- To bring leading Brazilian scholars, public officials and artists to Duke to share their insights with our university community through lectures, classroom visits, exhibitions, and artistic exchanges that involve the Duke and wider Triangle community.
The DBI also offers funding for undergraduates, graduate and professional students, and faculty members conducting research projects related to Brazil.