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Meet the team
Silvia Regina Ferabolli
Coordinator
PhD in Politics and International Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London (SOAS). In 2023, she was a Visiting Fellow with the Council on Middle East Studies (CMES) at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at the Yale University. Her major publications include Arab Regionalism: a Post-Structural Perspective (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics 2014 hardcover; 2016 paperback), International Relations of the Arab World (Juruá 1st ed. 2009; 2nd ed. 2013), Regions that matter: the Arab-South American inter-regional space (Third World Quarterly 2017) and Space Making in the Global South: Lessons from the GCC-Mercosur Agreement (Contexto Internacional 2021). She is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Economics and International Relations at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), where she coordinates the Graduate Program in International Strategic Studies and the Arab World International Relations Research Group (NUPRIMA).
Aramis Dawas
Undergraduate researcher
Currently pursuing a degree in International Relations at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and currently a research fellow at UFRGS, as well as an activities manager at NUPRIMA. He is part of the NUPRIMA Mentoring Project for Young Researchers, with the theme: “Iraq after the US invasion: an analysis of the influence of the Iranian State on Iraqi elections from 2005 to 2021,” supervised by Edgar Garcia Veloso. He has an interest in topics such as regional integration of the Arab world, the Palestinian question, and dependency theory.
Silvia Regina Ferabolli
Coordenadora
Issam Rabih Menem
Researcher
PhD from the Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies at UFRGS (PPGEEI). Currently resides in Ankara (TR) and participates in the Turkish Language Program for civil servants, diplomats, academics, and researchers (KATIP). Master's degree in Contemporary Integration of Latin America and Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Integration from the Federal University of Latin American Integration (UNILA). Specialist in International Business from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR). Associate researcher at the South American Institute of Politics and Strategy (ISAPE) and collaborating researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies, Geopolitics and Regional Integration (NEEGI). His research interests include the security dynamics of the Arab Levant, the Axis of Resistance, and the Lebanese Shiite community.
Camila Hirt Munareto
Researcher
PhD in the Graduate Program in International Strategic Studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Master's degree in Social Sciences and Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). Her research interests lie in the areas of International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, Social Movements, and the Middle East, with a focus on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Luiz Antônio Araujo
Researcher
PhD in International Strategic Studies from PPGEEI-UFRGS with a research project on Orientalism in Brazilian Thought. Journalist, Master in Communication and Information (UFRGS, 2013). Author of "Oriente em revista: de que o jornalismo fala quando fala do islã" (Insular, 2020) and "Binladenistão: um repórter brasileiro na região mais perigosa do mundo" (Iluminuras, 2009), finalist for the Jabuti Literature Prize in 2010. Associate researcher at Resto Laboratory of Journalistic Practices (UFSM, CNPq). Recipient of the Rio Grande do Sul Press Association and RBS Journalism awards, among others. His work has been published in outlets such as BBC, Deutsche Welle, Mongabay, North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), The Intercept, Veja, Época, UOL, Folha de S.Paulo, O Globo, and O Estado de S.Paulo, among others.
Bruno Mendelski
Researcher
Bruno Mendelski is a Visiting Professor of International Relations and a Collaborator in the Master's program in International Relations at UFABC. He is a researcher at NUPRIMA (UFRGS) and CEAI (UFABC). He is an ad hoc evaluator for MEC/INEP for International Relations courses. He is an International Analyst for the Sala de Estratégia podcast. He holds a degree in International Relations (Lasalle), a Master's degree in International Relations (UFRGS), and a PhD in International Relations (UNB, Sciences Po, Istanbul University). He conducts studies in Middle Eastern International Relations, Brazilian Foreign Policy, and Migration. He has published 2 books, 11 book chapters, and 15 articles in the field of International Relations.
Natália Morari Ochôa
Researcher
PhD candidate and Master's degree holder from the Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies (PPGEEI - UFRGS). Specialist in Strategy and Contemporary International Relations from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Graduated in International Relations from the Ritter dos Reis University Center (UniRitter). Her research focuses on Gender Studies, Feminism, International Relations, and the Middle East. She participated in the project "The New Role of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Arab World," conducting research in the "ASPA Summit Research Group" at the Ritter dos Reis University Center (UniRitter) throughout 2015. She was a member of the UniRitter Junior Enterprise during the semesters of 2014.2 and 2015.2. Currently, she participates in the Laboratory for Defense and Security Studies (LEDS) at UniRitter, and as a researcher at the Research Center on International Relations of the Arab World (NUPRIMA) at UFRGS.
Catharina Seadi Pereira
Researcher
PhD candidate and Master's degree holder in International Strategic Studies from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Specialist in Strategy and Contemporary International Relations, also from UFRGS. Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). Her main focus is the study of the latent relationship between politics, language, and culture from the perspective of International Relations. She is developing a doctoral thesis on the Cultural Production of the Arab Gulf. Her interests lie in the intersection between International Politics and Cultural Studies, as well as nationalism, the Arab world, and post-structuralist, post-colonial, and decolonial theories and approaches.
Gabriela Morais Rigo
Researcher
Master's student in the Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies (PPGEEI) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Vale do Taquari (Univates). Her research focuses on Brazilian Foreign Policy, regionalism, and feminism. She has an interest in the areas of feminist foreign policy, feminisms, culture, and regionalism.
Rafael da Silva Firme
Researcher
Administrative Director of the South American Institute of Politics and Strategy (ISAPE), holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and is pursuing a master's degree in International Strategic Studies (PPGEEI) at the same institution. During his undergraduate studies, he was Director of Diplonite and a PROREXT/UFRGS scholarship recipient at the Strategic Studies Office (OEE). His research interests include studies on the international insertion of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as the development of the organization's integration.
Denise De Rocchi
Researcher
PhD from the Postgraduate Program in International Strategic Studies (PPGEEI - UFRGS), a Master's degree in International Relations from UFRGS, a specialization in International Relations and Diplomacy from UNISINOS, and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from UFRGS. She worked for two decades as a journalist and was a professor in the Journalism and International Relations courses at the Ritter dos Reis University Center. Currently, she is working on her thesis, "Media, the Fabrication of Consensus and Power," in which she analyzes journalistic discourse on major international political issues, such as the Syrian war and post-Mubarak Egypt. At NUPRIMA, she focuses on the study of Arab media and narratives about this region.
Julia Marin de Oliveira
Researcher
Undergraduate in International Relations from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, she is currently a volunteer research fellow at Nuprima. She actively participates in university extension programs, having served as Secretary-General of the XII UFRGSMUNDI, a project focused on organizing United Nations simulation events for high school students. This involvement sparked her interest in research on the international relations of the Arab world – especially Palestine and the Occupied State – nationalism, the environment, cultural and post-colonial studies. Currently, her research focuses on the Palestinian diaspora in Latin America as manifested in literature.
Edgar Garcia Velozo
Researcher
PhD candidate in Geography at the University of Kentucky, Master's degree in Geography from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Bachelor's degree in Geography from the same university, and Bachelor's degree in International Relations from LaSalle University. Researcher for the UNBRAL Borders Project and the Global IR and Brazil research group at the Brazilian Research and Studies Center. His research interests include Political Geography, Borders, Migration, Critical Geopolitics, and the Palestinian Diaspora.
Arlene Clemesha
Collaborator
Professor of Arabic History at the Arabic Course at the Department of Oriental Letters at the University of São Paulo. Doctorate (2003) and Master's (1998) from the Graduate Program in Economic History at the University of São Paulo. Visiting Researcher at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (2001). She served as a representative of Brazilian civil society at the United Nations International Coordinating Network for Palestine (ICNP-UN) from 2005 to 2015, and as the director of the Center for Arab Studies at University of Ssão Paulo, from 2008 to 2017. She founded and directed the Images from the East film festival, in conjunction with the Documentary and Experimental Film Center of Iran and the Institute of Arab Culture. She currently serves on the board of the Common Action Forum (Madrid) and collaborates with the Istanbul-based organization Al Sharq. Her research is centered on contemporary Arab history and conflicts in the Middle East.
Danny Zahreddine
Collaborator
PhD in Geography (2010) from the Graduate Program in Geography - Processing of Spatial Information at PUC Minas, Master in Geography from the same program (2004), Bachelor in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (2001), and graduated in Tourism by the Superior School of Tourism of PUC Minas (2012). He is currently Director of the Institute of Social Sciences at PUC Minas and Adjunct Professor IV of the Department of International Relations, being a permanent member of the Graduate Program in International Relations. He was visiting professor at Peking University (China) in 2014, Research Fellow of the Moshe Dayan Center (2017), and visiting professor at Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina) in 2018. He is leader of the Middle East and Maghreb Research Group (GEOMM) and member of the Average Power Research Group (GPPM). He has experience in the area of International Relations and Geography, working mainly on the following topics: Regional Studies and Focus of Tension with an emphasis on Middle East, Theory of International Relations, International Politics, Brazilian Foreign Policy, Political Bargaining, Geopolitics, Geodemography, Information System Geographic (GIS).
Felipe Oliveira
Collaborator
Graduando em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. É coordenador do projeto de extensão universitária Relações Internacionais para Educadores (RIPE) que busca fomentar o debate sobre os temas de política e relações internacionais dentro das escolas. É editor assistente da revista de iniciação científica da UFRGS a Revista Perspectiva: Reflexões Sobre a Temática Internacional. Participa do Projeto de Mentoria para Jovens Pesquisadores do NUPRIMA na pesquisa intitulada "Irã, China e a Arte da Diplomacia: Estratégias de Smart Power na Reconstrução Síria" sob a orientação de Issam Menem. Possui interesse em temas como, segurança regional no oriente médio, BRICS, Belt and Road iniciative, política externa Chinesa e análise de política externa.
Leonardo Andrighetto Domeraski
Collaborator
Seventh-semester undergraduate student in International Relations and a member of the Mentoring Program for Young Researchers at NUPRIMA. Actively involved in university extension, he was the Administrative Secretary of Communication for UFRGSMUNDI in 2024 and, for 2025, holds the position of Undersecretary-General for Administrative Affairs, Logistics and Communication at UFRGSMUN, both United Nations simulation projects. At NUPRIMA, Leonardo researches the impact on discourse of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, under the guidance of Professor Dr. Camila Hirt Munareto. He has an interest in discourse analysis, nationalism, diplomacy, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Mariana Missiaggia dos Reis
Collaborator
A graduate in International Relations from UFRGS and a member of the Mentoring Program for Young Researchers at NUPRIMA. She was actively involved in university extension, having served as President of Atlântica Consultoria Internacional in 2022 and Administrative Coordinator of UFRGSMUN Back In School in 2023. At NUPRIMA, she researches themes related to the Middle East and the Arab World, with a special focus on the political dynamics of women in Libya. She is supervised by Denise Rochi and her research is entitled "Women's rights in Libya: from the Gaddafi Era to the post-intervention period".
Maíra Emanuelle Jung Moraes
Collaborator
Undergraduate student in International Relations at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). In 2024, she was part of projects focused on simulations of debates in UN bodies, serving as Academic Secretary of the XIII UFRGSMUNDI and Under-Secretary-General for Administrative Affairs of the XXI UFRGSMUN, of which she is the Secretary-General for 2025. She is a member of the Mentoring Program for Young Researchers at NUPRIMA, with the research project "Syrian Women in the Civil War: Permanence, Challenges and Opportunities post-2011", supervised by Dr. Denise De Rocchi and doctoral candidate Natália Morari Ochôa. Her interests lie in areas such as international politics, diplomacy, gender relations in international relations, and international cooperation.
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