The EPMA laboratory at São Paulo State University (UNESP), specifically at the Rio Claro campus, is a multi-user facility supported by the State of Sao Paulo Foundation FAPESP. The goal of the lab is to support the mining industry and all the scientific research within the state as well as requests from other states.
Magnesium, Iron and Silicon map intensities recently obtained at the EPMA UNESP facilities. The laboratory will support vigorous research programs at the Geosciences and Exact Sciences Institute, however, as a multi user facility is expected to collaborate with other research groups around Brazil and other countries around the world.
The lab is managed by Dr. George L. Luvizotto, a geologist who started his career by obtaining his BS in Geology at UNESP in 2000. He followed his path by graduating with a master's degree in 2003, while working on the characterization metamorphic rocks from the Araxá group. His PhD degree was obtained in Germany, while working at the University of Heidelberg, UNI-HD, with the renowned researcher Dr. Thomas Zack as adviser. At the University of Heidelberg he focused his attention on signature rutile trace elements. The PhD degree in Metamorphic Petrology was obtained in 2008.
Dr. Luvizotto has recently spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max-Planck-Institut where he investigated the systematics of Nb/Ta ratios in Ti rich minerals, utilizing various methods, including LA-ICP-MS. George's excellent academic career has been supported by national and state funding agencies (FAPESP, CNPq) as well as international agencies (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie). Dr. Luvizotto is involved in the "Structural Geology and Geotectonics" program.
Dr. Daniel Godoy has been recently hired to assume the EPMA day-to-day operations. Dr. Godoy is a geologist who graduated from UNESP in 2003. He continued his education by completing his MSc and PhD in the same institution. His focus on the PhD program was the application of fission track thermochronology on tectonics related to Brazilian intracontinental basins evolution. He has also worked on a binational program (Germany and Brazil) studying the mineral composition influence on fission track dating and thermochronology modelling. Daniel is currently involved in investigating mineral composition and thermochronology correlations, for instance: the influence of constrained Cl/F apatite contents.
The Rio Claro UNESP campus originated from the original Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Languages, created by the State of Sao Paulo Government in 1958. The campus, within the Bela Vista neighborhood, currently hosts the Institute of Biosciences (IB), the Institute of Geosciences and Exact Sciences (IGCE) and the Center for Environmental Studies (CEA) and occupies an area of 1,155,147.79 m2. The campus allocates Department buildings, Auxiliary Units, Library, Division of Informatics, Centre for Child Living and care, Student Housing, University Restaurant, Museums, Employee Association (ASFAFI) and is surrounded by a vast green area. The area will still be prepared to house the Institute for Bioenergy Research (BIOEN).