Yuri Ajala

My name is Yuri Ajala, I am an electrical engineer specialized in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and passionate about education. My previous experiences in this area were as data analyst and systems engineer in an NMR industry in Sao Carlos, Brazil. I hold a master’s degree from University of Sao Paulo (USP), where I began my studies with NMR Imaging (MRI) in the Electrical Engineering Department (EESC) in collaboration with the Institute of Physics of Sao Carlos (IFSC).

I spent the years 2019 and 2020 working at FIT - Fine Instrument Technology, a manufacturer of low-field, time-domain NMR systems for quality control in industries. During that period, I developed their CE certified User Manual, gave technical support to clients, came up with evidence-based solutions and developed a whole system for meat analysis from scratch.

During my master’s I had the extraordinary experience to attend the 2018 World Congress on Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering held in Prague, Czech Republic where I presented my work in MRI dedicated to enhancing the diagnosis of human hepatic steatosis.

I got my bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. During college I was a research apprentice in the Artificial Intelligence, Power & Digital Electronics Lab, where I worked mainly with image and signals processing. I was also an instructor of English language in a non-profit community course, which first sparked my passion for education.

In 2012, I went to study in the United States, at the Western Michigan University (WMU) as part of the program Science Without Borders. Over the summer I worked as an electrical engineer intern at Titan Aerospace, a company located in New Mexico that developed atmospheric satellites and later was bought by Google.

Back in Brazil in 2013, I introduced to my professors in Electrical Engineering active learning techniques learned in the United States the year before. Embraced by some professors, the techniques resulted in a significant increase in the students' grades.

During college I learned that scientists were not necessarily straight-A students, that understanding concepts and being creative to use available resources can be much more valuable in science than being able to crunch numbers in a test. My father, an acknowledged researcher and professor in the field of Medical Sciences, has always been my inspiration in science and education.