Welcome!

As a child, I dreamed of becoming a doctor or a teacher. Later, before completing my first degree, I desired a job without a fixed schedule. I wanted to avoid the routine of being in a workplace every day, where everything felt the same from 8 AM to 4 PM, sitting there even when there was nothing to do. I longed for something new and engaging, something to think about not just during work hours (though it had to make sense), or to figure out something (again, it had to make sense), while learning new things and enjoying freedom. I wanted the freedom to work wherever and whenever I chose. Today, this kind of work style is commonplace, but in the mid-80s, it was unheard of.

Surprisingly, I found all of this in my first job. I became a researcher, marking the beginning of my active career 40 years ago. It’s strange to write such a large number down—it feels like it was just yesterday.

Soon after, my first university approached me, and my academic career began. Now, after more than 20 years as a university professor, I believe that teaching can only truly be successful and meaningful through personal connections between teacher and student. A certain mentor-mentee relationship fosters the trust and interest needed for a productive learning process and outcome.