The PPGCA
The Graduate Program in Food Science (PPGCA) is a center dedicated to training highly qualified professionals in the field of Food Science. Since its establishment, the program has awarded over 800 master’s and doctoral degrees to students from various regions of Brazil and around the world. PPGCA alumni hold prominent positions in national and international public and private institutions, making significant contributions to the advancement of scientific knowledge, cultural development, and the country’s socioeconomic progress.
PPGCA Commission
The coordination of the Graduate Program in Food Science (PPGCA) is responsible for the academic and administrative management of the program, with a strong commitment to ensuring the quality of education, research, and the training of highly qualified professionals. We work collaboratively with faculty, students, and administrative sectors, continuously striving to improve the program’s activities and strengthen its excellence.
Among the responsibilities of the coordination are monitoring students’ academic performance, organizing selection processes, planning courses and formative activities, liaising with funding agencies, and promoting the integration of research, teaching, and community outreach.
Our goal is to maintain a dynamic, ethical, and inclusive academic environment, fostering relevant scientific production, innovation, and the development of professionals prepared to meet the challenges in the field of Food Science, both in academia and the productive sector.
Infrastructure
The Graduate Program in Food Science (PPGCA) offers a comprehensive and modern infrastructure to support teaching and research activities. Students and faculty have access to well-equipped laboratories with advanced analytical resources dedicated to the program’s Research Areas in Food Analysis, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Toxicology.
In addition to research laboratories, the program provides multimedia classrooms, a library with a specialized collection and access to scientific databases, auditoriums for seminars and thesis defenses, and social areas that encourage interaction among students and researchers.
This infrastructure ensures qualified support for the development of innovative projects and the training of master’s and doctoral students with academic excellence, aligned with the scientific demands of the Food Science field.
Faculty
The Graduate Program in Food Science (PPGCA) has a highly qualified faculty, with solid academic backgrounds and extensive experience in teaching, research, and outreach activities. The faculty members work across various fields of knowledge related to Food Science, within the program’s Research Areas in Food Analysis, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Toxicology.
With nationally and internationally recognized scientific output, the faculty actively participates in research projects, collaborative networks, partnerships with the productive sector, and technological innovation initiatives. In addition, professors supervise master’s and doctoral students, promoting critical, ethical, and socially relevant training aimed at addressing important challenges in both society and the field of Food Science.
Strategic Planning
The Strategic Planning of the Graduate Program in Food Science (PPGCA) was developed through a participatory process, aimed at guiding the program’s development over the coming years. The document reflects the challenges and opportunities identified through the program’s self-assessment process, in alignment with CAPES guidelines and the program’s performance indicators.
Based on this assessment, goals, priority actions, and strategies were established to strengthen the training of highly qualified professionals, expand scientific output, promote internationalization, and enhance the academic and social impact of the PPGCA. This strategic plan serves as a management and continuous monitoring tool, focused on excellence and innovation.