Felipe Aleixo

Felipe is originally from Rio de Janeiro, but grew up in Caratinga, a small city in the countryside, and that was where he first developed his multidisciplinary interests. He would write down ideas for cars, gadgets and rockets in a “Book of Inventions”, but would also spend hours memorizing flags and world capitals.

He was able to further develop these interdisciplinary features during high school back in Rio. Felipe studied at CEFET/RJ, a vocational public school, where he intended to learn a profession - becoming a mechanical technician to financially help his family. However, CEFET meant a lot more than that.

Felipe competed nationally and internationally in STEM Olympiads, but also became passionate about Model United Nations. He pursued research in particle physics and biopolymers, while also co-founding Brazil’s first fee-free MUN conference. The most exciting time was when, alongside his team, Felipe crowdfunded his way to a competition in India to win his school’s first international award (with the bonus of going on national television for a fundraising contest). Also importantly, at CEFET he learned vital things in life like tying a tie and surviving crowded buses on summer days.

In his free time, as a good carioca (those born in Rio), Felipe loves going to the beach, never forgetting to have a glass of mate, a typical iced tea. He takes a lot of his strength from spending time with family, hanging out with friends and listening to music. He also enjoys watching comedy shows and sci-fi movies, besides being a big fan of soccer and hiking.

Felipe is currently passionate about three main fields in Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace, Biotechnology and Energy – and sees Materials Science as an interesting intersection among them. He aims at using engineering as a tool to positively impact society. In parallel, he hopes to run initiatives to improve education in Brazil and other developing countries.