Renato Vitalino Gonçalves

Associate Professor at the Institute of Physics of São Carlos (IFSC), University of São Paulo (USP). He holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Physics from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) and a Ph.D. in Physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, 2012). He was a visiting professor at the University of California, UC Davis (2016-2017). His research focuses on condensed matter physics, with an emphasis on surface and interface physics, working with magnetron sputtering deposition methods for the synthesis of wide-bandgap semiconductor thin films, nanoparticles, and single atoms applied to photo(electro)catalysis for green hydrogen generation. He investigates the electronic structure of semiconductor materials using advanced techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) with synchrotron radiation. Over the past five years, he has coordinated several research projects, including FAPESP-funded projects under the Young Researcher and Regular grant schemes, as well as projects on Global Climate Change (FAPESP), Shell/FAPESP Project at the RCGI Research Centre for Gas Innovation (USP/FAPESP), and a CNPq-funded project focused on scaling up photoelectrochemical devices for the development of a photoelectrolyzer. He maintains international scientific collaborations with researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Nottingham (United Kingdom), as well as the University of California, UC Davis (USA). He has published over 60 articles in international journals and holds two patents registered with INPI, related to the preparation of wide-bandgap semiconductor materials and the deposition of nanoparticles and single atoms by magnetron sputtering. He has been a lecturer in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) courses for the study of semiconductor material surfaces at institutions such as IFSC/USP, IQ/USP, POLI/USP, and CETENE. He supervises Master's, Ph.D., and postdoctoral students in the Graduate Programs in Physics at IFSC/USP and Materials Engineering at the School of Engineering of São Carlos/USP. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)