Brazilian alumnus welcomed back to Huddersfield

Professor Mario Neto Borges received an Honorary Doctorate of the University for services to engineering education and research

A LEADING Brazilian educationalist has been honoured by the University of Huddersfield, which provided a major stepping stone in his successful career.

Professor Mario Neto Borges is now retired as an Associate Professor of the Federal University of São João Del Rei, where he was Vice-Chancellor for six years.

story continues below...

He has also served as President of Brazil’s National Council of State Funding Agencies and as Academic Director of the Brazilian Society for Engineering Education and he is currently President of the National Council of Science and Technology – the Brazilian federal agency for funding research at national level.  

An engineering educator by discipline, he began his career as a lecturer in Brazil in 1978, but 12 years later, with his wife and two young children, he relocated to the UK so that he could study for his doctorate at the University of Huddersfield.  He was awarded his PhD in 1994, on the subject of artificial intelligence as applied to engineering education.

Now, Professor Borges has been invited back to Huddersfield, to receive an Honorary Doctorate of the University.  It was conferred at the first of the July 2017 sequence of awards ceremonies, and an oration was delivered by Professor Mike Kagioglou, who is Dean of Art, Design and Architecture.

He told how Professor Borges displayed his prowess as a chess player while studying in Huddersfield, eliminating the local champion from a Yorkshire competition.

Paying tribute to Professor Borges and outlining his career, Professor Kagioglou said: “We can scarcely claim credit for his highly-varied and successful career in the field of education and research.  But we are justifiably proud of the role we played in its trajectory. 

“We hope that by bestowing this honorary award, some 23 years after conferring a doctorate, we have added to the warm feelings and mutual pride that exist between the University of Huddersfield and Mario Neto Borges.”

Professor Borges paid tribute to his 1994 PhD supervisors at Huddersfield and thanked the current staff who had made the day a special and memorable one for him and his family.