Bruno de Mendonça Braga is a cosmopolitan mathematician from Rio de Janeiro whose career has taken him to Acre, Paraná, the United States, and Canada. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He then earned two doctorates in mathematics, one from Kent State University and the other from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Currently a researcher at the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA), Bruno focuses on a fundamental question: How efficiently can mathematical phenomena be described? Drawing from metamathematics, he investigates which definitions can be deemed “optimal.”

Outside of mathematics, Braga enjoys Rio’s vibrant bar scene with his wife. However, these outings are infrequent as he and his wife now dedicate much of their time to changing diapers and caring for their young daughter.