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Institute of the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara (Unesp), Brazil
Prof. Jose A. Varela graduated in Physics from University of Sao Paulo (USP), got his Masters in Physics from the Technological Institute Aeronautics (ITA), and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Washington. He was Professor of Chemistry in the Institute of the Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara (Unesp), Brazil and was the first professor to be named CEO of the Associates Council Administration of FAPESP. He was also a Board member from 2004 to 2010 and its vice president from 2007 to 2010. Varela was president of the Brazilian Society for Research in Materials, founder and director of Unesp Agency of Innovation and coordinator in Innovation Development Center Functional Materials (CDMF), a Center for Research, Innovation and Diffusion (CEPID) of FAPESP. He was a member of the Superior Council for Innovation and Competitiveness of the Federation of Industries of São Paulo State, the Brazilian Physical Society, the State Academy of Sciences São Paulo and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. He was also a member of the World Academy of Ceramics, the American Ceramic Society, the Board of Trustees of Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation and the Materials Research Society. Professor Varela received several awards and honors, including the Golden Epsilon Award, the Spanish Society of Ceramics and Glass (first non-Spanish to receive the distinction) - the Scopus Award Elsevier, for his contributions to science in Brazil, and the Global Star (2013) and the Bridge Building Bridge Awards (2014) from the American Ceramic Society. He was a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. Varela is an author in the book Engineered Ceramics - current status and future prospects, released in January by the American Ceramic Society during the 40th International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites. He was a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Materials Research, Ceramics International, Science of Sintering, and Journal American Ceramic Society. FAPESP's president, Goldemberg, lamented the loss not only for FAPESP but for science in São Paulo and Brazil. He maintained strong exchanges with research institutions in Spain, France, United States, Serbia, Slovenia and Italy. Professor Varela lived with his wife Ana Lucia and his daughters Fernanda and Simone. He passed away on May 15, 2016.